By 
Having heard so much about this powerful Nootropic, and wanting to be as productive as I could, I finally got serious about it and started looking for information on the internet. After doing extensive research on the topic, and reading articles and threads on different platforms (especially on Reddit), I did not find a single incident where someone faced any danger of death. So I finally decided, “ah fuck it, I am going to order it!”
WARNING: I’m not a physician and this is just my PERSONAL EXPERIENCE with Modafinil. So please don’t take it as any sort of medical advice.
The first time (50mg)
At 10:30 am my doorbell rang and I got excited like a 5-year old boy getting his presents on Christmas day. In the meantime, since I had not prepared myself for actually taking it, I spent the next half an hour trying to figure out the right dosage to take for this first time.
But since the normal dosage (200mg) would be “suicidal” – according to what I had read, that’s something you shouldn’t really do – and even half of it (100mg) would be too risky, I reached the conclusion that 50mg would be my best shot.
Still, since I did not want to risk that much, I first decided to eat something, as many say that the effect is much stronger if you take it on an empty stomach. And so, with some anxiety and jitters, I took the pill which many claim to be “magical” and takes their game to the next level.
I took it and BAM…
nothing happened.
Half an hour, one hour, I felt absolutely no different than in all the other (normal) days. I went to the toilet to shave, took a shower, came back to the living room at around 13:00 until I finally started to do some work, something that lasted for about one hour. However, this was something I would have done without any pill, so nothing surprising here.
Many say that you lose your appetite when you take Modafinil. Well, around 14:30 there I was eating my lunch as if I had just worked out before and my body was asking for some nutrients. I thought about taking another 50mg but, since this was the first time, I decided to do nothing, with the hope that the effect would finally kick in after this meal.
Not only it didn’t but I actually I started to feel more tired, reaching a point where I could not work at all. “Great job”, I thought. “So much hype about this nootropic and not only it does not have any effect but especially it even makes me more unfocused and with no will to produce anything whatsoever.”
At around 19:00, I hit the gym and I can tell you that it was one of the worst training sessions I had in a long time. I felt tired, breaking between sets and not being able to lift as I had done in previous days. So it seemed that Modafinil was hampering not only my mind but also my physical performance.
In the evening I met my girlfriend, we had dinner and afterward, the first positive effect came: even being tired, my sexual performance was way above what I was expecting (taking into account my state throughout the whole day) and I left her almost worn out. OK, so the mind drug was turning out to be…a disguised Viagra.
Until this point, the only thing that actually matched what I had read on the internet was the fact that one gets dehydrated when taking this nootropic. I found myself drinking water – and consequently going many times to the toilet – the whole time.
Around midnight, we went to bed and, after the long day I had (including gym and sex), I thought that I would sleep like a baby. But no. Even if I felt my eyes and body tired, my mind was still quite awake. So after one hour tossing and turning in bed, I decided to stand up and do something.
I turned on my computer at 01:30 am and, what was about to be just “checking some things”, turned out to be a great working session that only finished at 04:00 am. And honestly, I only stopped it simply because I needed to wake up relatively early on the next day, otherwise, I would have continued.
In these two and half hours, it seemed like I knew what to do, as if my fingers, typing in the computer, and my right hand, grabbing the mouse, were under some kind of “superior force”. I was productive as I had not been for a while, feeling for the first time that this Modafinil might eventually be “something”.
The second time (50mg, one week after)
One week after I decided to give Modafinil another try (again 50mg), but this time on an empty stomach, as I had read that the effects would be much quicker and even stronger. So around 10:30 am I took the pill.
(It is also important to mention that this time I had not slept well, so I woke up quite tired).
I stayed literally one and a half hours without eating – something I usually don’t do – to check whether the results would eventually show up in a clearer way.
Then, without noticing any particular change, I started cooking my lunch, which was also quite heavy (500g of chicken wings, plus rice, tomato, and avocado). For the ones who say that you lose your appetite while on modafinil, this was clearly a counter-response to that “fact”.
Since I had an important meeting at 14:00, filling my digestive system with plenty of nutrients, with the “magic” pill on top, seemed like the perfect way to put my abilities to good use. During that meeting, which lasted for about one hour, I did not feel any particular enlightenment or clarity. Actually, I even felt somehow numb.
I arrived home at 16:00 and prepared to do my Russian homework, which I did for about one hour. Then, I ate something and prepared to leave home again, to attend my Russian course at 18:15. During the class, I did not feel particularly fluent in my speech nor I was remembering more words than the usual.
I went home, ate something at 21:00 but started feeling my stomach a little bit swollen, without that much appetite. I know that I had eaten a lot at lunch, but this reaction was not normal, at least according to my standards.
At 22:00 I arrived at my girlfriend’s place and later when the sex time arrived, I got the same result I had gotten one week before: an amazing performance! I grabbed, kissed, bit, licked, and fucked her as if I had not touched a woman for three months.
And when I went for the second time, obviously without the same burning desire of the first round, I still had plenty of “hard energy”. Should we call this pill “Sexafinil”?
I was still quite awake, so I thought that the effects were about to come like it happened the first time. But this time I was wrong: I arrived home at 01:00 am and, after trying some productive work, I was tired as hell, so at 02:30 am I went to sleep (and this time I could actually sleep).
Therefore, in case you are tired, you should not take Modafinil thinking that you will get a kick like caffeine or any similar stimulant. It won’t work like that.
PS: however, on the day after, I felt a clarity which I usually do not feel. Is it possible that the effects of this Nootropic are really that delayed? Or it was just a big coincidence?
The third time (100mg, three weeks later)
This time, I was ready to take the game to the next level, by “risking” and taking 100mg. I woke up at around 11:00 am on a Saturday and, after taking a probiotic with orange juice, and a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, I gave it a try. I then sat down, waited for the effect to kick in, while already typing some words on the computer.
At around 12:30 pm I was not still feeling anything relevant, but I was already hungry as hell, so it was time to cook a nutritious meal – again, there was absolutely no loss of appetite – so that I could have sufficient energy to work the whole afternoon.
After lunch, I came back to my computer and started finishing a couple of articles I had already begun a couple of weeks before but had not touched them since then. Regarding my workflow, I did not feel any particular focus or “super” concentration.
As a matter of fact, I found myself being distracted by such things as Twitter or checking some random things on the internet. So it seemed that the pill that puts you ”in the zone”…was putting me out of that zone.
The end of the afternoon was coming quickly and I was able actually to complete two articles. On a normal day, that would have made me glad already but, since I had taken 100mg of this Nootropic, I honestly was expecting a little bit more. Since I would meet a (guy) friend at 21:30, I took a shower and started preparing myself to leave home.
Already at my friend’s place, and after about one hour of conversation, I began feeling my heartbeat increase, as well as some anxiety, as if I had taken some kind of stimulant like Red Bull.
However, regarding my focus, I did not feel particularly “present”, as my mind was wandering through different thoughts. The conversation was flowing, but that would have happened exactly without any nootropic.
I came back home at around 1:00 am, still quite awake and expecting to have this spike of energy (as I had had the two times before), so that I could work until 04:00 or 05:00 in the morning. But, after distracting myself for about one hour looking for football shirts, I started to feel a little bit tired.
At around 03:30 am I went to bed, started reading a little bit, but always with the hope that I would still be awake and get back to work. But no, this time I was really sleepy, and at around 04:00 my eyes eventually closed.
The next day I woke up, took my typical bread with peanut butter and green tea (with Citrulline Malate), hit the gym and I felt a little bit more strength than the usual, but not necessarily more energy. In the evening I met my girlfriend and, exactly like the two previous experiences, my sexual performance kept at a very “high level”.
The fourth time (100mg, with supplements and coffee)
This time I decided to do things a little bit differently and decided to take all my normal supplements and vitamins, before swallowing the “magic pill”.
Since I had only slept 6 hours, because I had an important appointment, I took 100mg modafinil with a strong expresso (something that I rarely do, but this time I was needing it).
Half an hour later, I took my breakfast. Don’t know whether it was because of Modafinil or simply because I had slept little, but I immediately felt a huge instability in my gut/intestine, something that did not get better after leaving home and being on my way. Meanwhile, I felt also some irritability, a sensation I had already noticed the previous times.
During my meeting, I didn’t feel particularly positive or awake, but still, my words flew relatively good. I also realized, later throughout the day, that I initiated a couple of conversations in a more natural way than the usual (or well, in this case, and pun intended, exactly not in a natural way).
What I found curious is that between 10:00 am and 15:00 I had an urge to release tweets, as if a part of my brain was begging to put my creativity out there for the world to see.
Aside from that, I didn’t feel particularly productive. As a matter of fact, between 16:00 and 19:00 I wanted to write a blog post or eventually a Twitter thread, but I ended up playing a video game (something that I RARELY do).
At 19:00 I ate and at 20:30 I hit the gym. I didn’t feel especially stronger or with more energy, but I could also lift the weight I wanted without feeling that my performance had been hampered.
I arrived home a couple of hours later, cooked my meal, and from 23:30 until 02:30 am there I was trying to be productive, without that much success.
Yes, I came with some interesting tweets and some ideas on my blog articles, but it wasn’t one of these days when I felt that I had done a good job. I then went to bed, read for half an hour, and eventually fell asleep.
The fifth time (200mg)
Somehow tired of my previous “average” results, I decided to go all in. And by that, I mean taking Modafinil on an empty stomach…an on the full dose of 200mg!
Yes, this time I was thinking about becoming the superhuman, or at least to have similar effects to NZT-48, the fictional pill taken by Bradley Cooper in “Limitless” (even if the Adderal is probably the pill that the film is based on).
And because I was at a salsa festival and I’d be doing a lot of workshops, and getting a lot of new input, I saw it as the perfect opportunity to try the full power of Modafinil.
I took it, waited for an hour until something that had never happened before began to happen: a strong headache. Hell, so strong, that I really needed to stop everything, eat something, and take a painkiller afterward.
So what should have been 2-3 hours of a focused superpower ended up being a terrible “dancing session”, where I could not concentrate at all with that pain literally occupying my head.
But that didn’t end there. When I take paracetamol, it usually works. Not this time. And so I spent most of my afternoon trying to fight against a terrible malaise while trying to smile to every girl who would show up in front of me to practice what we were “learning” (yeah, not me) during the salsa festival workshops.
I went home at around 18:00, tried to take a rest but it didn’t work, as my head was simply feeling “too heavy”, although awake from the 200mg of Modafinil (yes, don’t forget that it is still a brain stimulant, especially when you take the full dosage).
At night, it was time to watch the shows and to enjoy the party afterward. Well, enjoy shouldn’t be the verb applied here, as it felt more like surviving. I felt numb the whole night, something that I only have when I sleep too little and then take a long nap in the late afternoon.
What should have been a night where I would bring the best salsa moves and “impress” every girl on the dance floor, became one of the worst days in my life in terms of physical sensation. I remember thinking: “Fuck this Modafinil, I will never take this again”.
The sixth time (100mg Saturday + Sunday, many months afterward)
So you’ve just read it before, that I would never take this drug again. I was really determined since I honestly hadn’t seen that many benefits – and the last experience of 200mg was literally painful. Until one weekend came, where I needed to build my e-commerce website from scratch (until then I was selling my products exclusively on Amazon).
And because I knew I would have a lot of work in front of me, I just thought to myself “ah screw it, I will take Modafinil again and see what happens”. So I took 100mg in the morning, after a good breakfast. My plan was to work from 12:00 pm until 20:00, then hit the gym and relax a little bit afterward.
So I started working, and I must say the first two hours were really productive. That turned out to be three, as I had planned to eat at 14:00, but I only began cooking at 15:00.
I ate and after lunch, there I was again, working on things I had never done in my whole life – even if I had used WordPress before to “build” my blog”, creating an e-commerce page from scratch is a whole new level, especially for someone who has no idea about it.
So there I was, looking for information and tutorials about CSS and HTML, as if nothing else in the world mattered. And as a matter of fact, nothing else REALLY seemed to matter. For the first time, I really felt that Modafinil was having the effect I had expected in the first place.
Maybe because this time I had a clear goal. Maybe because this time I was COMMITTED to doing something. And with Modafinil, that commitment became OBSESSION.
Yes, obsession, that magic word, and feeling that turns any normal person into a winner. That state that puts you really in the zone and makes you fight for nothing else but what you’re trying to accomplish.
Later, at 20:00, I made a break to eat something, as I had the intention to hit the gym at 21:30-22:00. But then I returned to work and kept postponing (hell, it felt like the total opposite of procrastinating, as I kept telling myself “just 10 more minutes”).
And when I realized, it was already 00:00 and there was no gym for that day. When I went to bed, around 03:00 am and exhausted, I really felt a sense of accomplishment that one rarely feels in his life.
But there was still plenty of stuff to do. And on the next day, I took the decision to take Modafinil again. “Two times in a row? I must be crazy”, I thought.
However, it was the best decision I made in a long time and that Sunday ended up being a copy of the day before. The only difference is that I hit the gym later in the day so that I would not “feel bad with myself”.
But aside from that, it was again a super productive day, where I found myself working on the same thing for two hours straight until I found the solution to it. It’s incredible how, even if you get desperate in trying to solve something, you don’t give up.
You just keep going until you find the solution, no matter what. After that, you may feel your head is about to explode, as you fill it with so much input, but you just keep DOING IT.
If I learned something from this weekend is that, if you’re fully determined to do something, Modafinil will be the best partner you can have to help you achieve your goal(s).
The seventh time (100mg Friday + 100mg Sunday)
One weekend later, I did more or less what I had done in the previous one. But since on Saturday I would meet some friends and have a birthday party, this time I would take Modafinil on a Friday and on a Sunday.
And without wanting to repeat myself, the Friday was a little bit a copy of what happened in the previous weekend (I had not yet finished my website):
Full focus and commitment to find every answer and solution to whatever problem aka challenge that would show up in front of me. Because I usually don’t work out on Fridays, I had already decided to take this day completely off and dedicate it to my work, so I can say that it was definitely one the most productive days of my life.
The most curious thing was that, when I woke up the day after, I had so much energy as I had drunk two cups of coffee just after getting out of bed.
I’ve heard that Modafinil effect gets better (aka more efficient) the more regularly you take it, and it seems that this was actually becoming true.
I had a great time on that Saturday, where I felt totally energized and, even better, totally PRESENT. If there is something Modafinil does, is exactly to make you more mindful and make you enjoy the moment.
Regarding the Sunday, even If I drunk some alcohol the day before, I didn’t feel any sort of hangover and, when I took the Modafinil, the effect kicked in as expected. It was another full day of focused work, where I could finish my website, hit the gym afterward, and spend the rest of the evening with my girl, where I had another top sexual performance.
The Takeaway
First, it is important to say that this is no magic pill. If you are thinking about having the same effects as the film “Limitless”, maybe you should look for real drugs (not recommended) because Modafinil won’t turn you into a superhero.
Some guys say that Adderall gives you more those kinds of effects – but also more side effects and more risks of making you addicted to it – but since I have never tried, I can’t advise you on this.
So what Modafinil does?
It is definitely not a stimulant, at least in the way that you are expecting. For instance, if you want to feel energized, you take a cup of coffee, right? Well, if you had a bad night’s sleep and you want to have that energy kick, Modafinil won’t do shit and it actually can make you feel more numb.
On the other hand, it is definitely the best stimulant I have ever taken in terms of helping you performing a mental activity.
Modafinil will put you so focused on what you are doing that you will forget about almost anything else – including eating. Well, you will not forget, but you will constantly postpone it in case you are working on something.
And that is exactly what I recommend Modafinil for: whenever you know you want to work on something the whole day, this pill is the best pal you can have.
For instance, if you want to work in the morning and meet some friends in the afternoon, or even in the late afternoon, DON’T TAKE it. Seriously. This pill should only be taken if you intend to work from 10:00 am until 04:00 am. No joke.
Another thing that happened constantly was that I almost always skipped my workouts on the day I took Modafinil. I had planned to work out at 08:00 pm, for instance, but I was so concentrated on my work that I simply could not drop it, and kept telling myself “just a little more”.
And the funny thing is that, even if you are not being that productive, you simply can not leave this mind work behind. I found myself many times at 11:00 pm or 12:00 am still thinking whether I would start with my exercise.
Another two points worth noting: Sleep and drinking water.
Regarding the former, Modafinil will not interfere with you sleep…if you take it first thing in the morning AND you consume its energy.
Meaning that, if you wake up at 09:00 am, make sure you take at 10:00 am, and after a GOOD breakfast (yes, the Intermittent Fasting guys should watch out here, as this pill should never be taken on an empty stomach), and that you plan to work the whole day.
Because if you’re just planning to have some fun, and you take it at 14:00, you will become more anxious than anything, and perhaps not be able to sleep when you land on your bed at night.
Concerning the latter, this is even more important: if you are taking Modafinil, you need to drink water. A LOT. You’ll need to hydrate yourself as if you were some sort of marathon runner, seriously.
Otherwise, be ready to be dehydrated, as this is perhaps the most common effect of this nootropic (don’t ask me why as I don’t want to enter into a “chemical analysis” here).
And that’s it. The bottom line is that if you are looking for a safe drug, that will put you in the zone – IN CASE YOU PLAN TO BE IN THE ZONE (by this I mean you should have a busy plan in front of you – Modafinil is probably the best thing you can find on this planet.
Just remember to take it early in the morning, after a good breakfast, while also remembering to drink tons of water and to eat throughout the day. As an extra point, it MAY also increase your performance in bed or at the gym, but this is just an empirical observation for whatever it’s worth.
And remember, this is not a stimulant (even if it works wonders if you combine it with coffee), but a drug to help you boost your current state: so always have a good night’s sleep before taking it.
