Modafinil enhances cognition and is deemed safe by health experts
qz.com
qz.com
"What’s lacking is long-term data—important because study of other promising enhancers has shown that the effect may not last over time."
This article fails to link to answer any of my key questions: What definition of cognition? How does it compare against caffeine in these same tests?
The journal article is tagged with "nootropic". Modafinil is not a nootropic, but a smart drug. There is a subtle but important difference between the two. Both types of drugs enhance your cognitive performance, but a nootropic must be neuroprotective. Piracetam, the first nootropic synthesized in 1964 is used nowadays to treat cognitive decline [1]
I am not saying that modafinil will fry your brain, but definitively it is not designed to protect it.
In my personal experience, Modafinil works pretty well in low doses. 25mg-50mg every 2-3 days lifts my mood and increase my work output significantly. The recommended dosage (200mg) is a crash and burn for me.
This reminds me of those commercials for medications that will help you with a runny nose, but have possible side effects of kidney, liver, and respiratory failure, depression, and death.
A big fat "no thanks!" from me.
Note that I am not endorsing (or challenging) the use of the drug to enhance cognition. I just want to understand what evidence there is suggesting a higher rate of incidence with modnafil as compared to sulpha drugs & analgesics.
Literature survey in Pubmed reveals fairly few reports [e.g: 2], describing only a handful of cases.
If the argument is: the risk of SJS is not worth the likely benefits in improved cognition, I understand. But I am not convinced if there is compelling evidence linking modnafil with SJS.
[edit: reorganized paragraphs; deleted unsubstantiated reference to allergies] [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24527413 [2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4386138/
What are the chances of getting it?