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Comment by Construct | Hacker News Reader

Arguing that Modafinil is not a stimulant is like arguing that alcohol is not a drug. Sure, you can twist words and definitions, but all you're doing is re-drawing the cutoff line between what is and what is not a stimulant.

Modafinil is not a typical stimulant, but it provides stimulation, increases brain activity, increases self-reported measures of aggression, restlessness, and anxiety in double-blind testing, is a controlled substance with recognized abuse potential, and many of the stimulating effects are blocked by the same drugs that block the effects of stimulants.

Cephalon marketing is probably eager to get away and "stimulant" moniker, but this is an argument over semantics rather than pharmacology.

Modafinil is, by all measures and effects, a stimulant.

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We are talking about medical and pharmaceutical classification here. "Stimulant" has a medical meaning. Provigil has NOT been classed a stimulant, which has a specific meaning.

The Physician's Drug Reference (PDR) is the last word on this, legally. That is why I keep saying it is not a stimulant. It isn't until the PDR says it is, to any medical professional.

I have taken a lot of Provigil, and I understand why it has not been classified a stimulant. It does not have the physical effects of other stimulants.

With the education and intelligence level being so high here on HN, I'm surprised to see inaccurate information being posited so confidently. It is NOT medically correct, and I'm not sure what the value of the non-medically correct "definition" of stimulant you are giving is supposed to be.

The Physician's Drug Reference (PDR) is not the last word on this. It is literally just a desk reference, as the name implies. It isn't meant to be a definitive guide to medications. It is meant to be a quick and easy way for physicians to get an overview of a medication.

The following is taken directly from the FDA's website for Modafinil ( http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2007/020... ). This information is also included in the product information sheet you receive with your prescription, and on the Provigil website. To say that Modafinil does not have the physical effects of other stimulants is not true. They are present to a lesser degree, but still exist.

  In addition to its wake-promoting effects and ability to
 increase locomotor activity in animals, modafinil produces 
 psychoactive and euphoric effects, alterations in mood, 
 perception, thinking, and feelings typical of other CNS 
 stimulants in humans. Modafinil has reinforcing properties,
 as evidenced by its self-administration in monkeys previously
 trained to self-administer cocaine. Modafinil was also
 partially discriminated as stimulant-like.

I am prescribed Provigil for a sleep disorder called Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_sleep_phase_syndrome

Modafinil has been a help to me while stimulants have NOT been. I have a lot of experience with both, as I have talked about in various posts on this thread.

The difference between "stimulant" and "stimulant-like" is both small and vast. Think Uncanny Valley. "Human" and "human-like..."

Also, I am unsure what point you are trying to argue. I will give you stimulant-like, sure, although it does not make your heart race, a MAJOR PROBLEM with stimulants.

The FDA info you quote DOES NOT CALL MODAFINIL A STIMULANT!

Nor does the FDA info I quoted say that Modafinil is not a stimulant. Either way, you're arguing semantics and using personal anecdotes as your sources. We've already established that the effects of Modafinil are similar to that of other stimulants, and I've linked multiple studies showing that its mode of action overlaps with that of stimulants, and that the side effects of traditional stimulants show up in Modafinil (albeit with reduced frequency and magnitude). You can call it what you want, but none of that changes what I've posted here.

I'm going to step out of this debate, as arguing semantics only detracts from the topic at hand at this point.

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