I have been taking 200mg Modafinil daily 5-7 days a week in the early morning for just over 12years. I have been prescribed it for day time sleepiness/narcolepsy as I was commuting and falling asleep while driving. And other issues with falling asleep. So in that sense, it has been a lifesaver.
But I have found it treats my ADD as equally well. It has helped me perform better in my career where I otherwise would have been distracted and gone off track and struggle to complete assignments. Provigil has had a profoundly positive impact on my quality of life and ability to provide for my family.
I have experienced many of the positive sides effects of the medication, improved memory, ability to focus, more driven. The negative side effects have been negligible.
There was a time my Dr recommended that I change to Nuvugil in 2009, which I didn’t understand because modafinil was working well, but I tried it. On the surface, it seemed similar, but over several months, depression snuck up on me, which I have never before experienced, and don’t have a history of. It took me months to figure out that my uncharacteristic negative attitude was depression and caused by changing my medication. This caused some radical life-changing decisions to take place in regards to career and family. I was able to get things back on track after changing back to modafinil.
I later realized that the timing of my Drs recommendation came at the end of the patent period for Provigil. So generic options of modafinil were now available, reducing profits for the pharma. The company that held the patent on Provigil came out with Nuvigil with a new patent. I speculate that the Dr was incentivized to have his Provigil patients move to Nuvigil. Lesson learned.
I have never tried medication for the treatment of my ADHD, but Modafinil for treatment of ADHD has been very positive for me, to the point I am more concerned about treating my ADHD with it. The benefits of treating my narcolepsy are a positive side affect. Don’t get me wrong, I need to treat my narcolepsy, it’s not good to fall asleep driving, or when you are in boardroom meetings.
I do drink alcohol regularly, and at times heavily. I haven’t noticed any problems with interactions. I am 6’2 250lbs 42 yo and am in relatively good health. Been taking since I was 30.
One negative thing that is more behavioral on my part is that I started early on taking zolpidem in the evenings to help me go to sleep. I now have a dependency on zolpidem that I need to resolve. Looking back, I feel I could have corrected my sleeping by other means and behavioral choices. So just be careful you don’t go down that path.
As Marcin stated above, it isn’t going to magically make you focus on the things you should be focused on, you need to make choices on what to focus on. But it sure helps clear up thoughts considerably and allows you to focus, be more creative, understand complex problems and contribute to teams. And otherwise, actively participate in life around you and minimizing ADD distractions. It may even enhance the positive characteristics that come along with ADD.