How long does modafinil stay in your system

Before starting on modafinil it is always advised to study about its uses, side effects and most importantly the timing of intake.

You can maximize your productivity by taking it at an appropriate time. On the other hand, taking it at the wrong time will mess up your sleep cycle.

We will discuss in detail about the half life of modafinil in the following sections.

Uses of Modafinil

Modafinil is not a classical psychostimulant and was primarily prescribed for the treatment of:

-narcolepsy

-obstructive sleep apnea

-shift work sleep order

It has also been proved to be effective in reducing fatigue, drowsiness and tiredness in conditions such as cancer, depression and multiple sclerosis.

Modafinil is instrumental in several cognitive functions like:

• Sharpening memory
• Improving focus and alertness
• Intensifying motivation
• Minimising fatigue

Because it stimulates wakefulness it has been used off label by professionals of various fields like day traders, entrepreneurs, astronauts, military personnel and the list goes on.

Side effects of Modafinil

When compared to other nootropics modafinil can be labelled as a safe and well tolerated drug. No potential risk has been associated with long term use of the drug till date. Some mild side effects may be observed in people introduced to the drug. Common Symptoms may look like-

• Headaches
• Fluctuating BP
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Restlessness
• Anxiety

Some of the severe side effects which is less commonly noticed includes:

• Hallucinations
• Irregular heartbeat
• Sores
• Bruising and bleeding
• Severe skin rashes

Having said that, the side effects are nearly non-existent in users (i.e., Only about 17% of the users get affected)

Only if any such effect occurs that is mainly due to overdose or wrong timing of drug ingestion. No deaths from modafinil overdose have been recorded ever.

What is the half-life of modafinil?

Let’s understand the meaning of half-life first.

“The duration of action of a drug is known as its half-life. This is the period of time required for the concentration or amount of drug in the body to be reduced by one-half. We usually consider the half-life of a drug in relation to the amount of the drug in plasma.”

So, this means after one half-life (i.e., 10 -12 hrs) the drug concentration in the body will be reduced by 50% and after another half-life it is going to be at 25% and so on.

The half-life of Modafinil is believed to be between ten to 12 hours for most patients and in some cases can go up to 15. Which means the enhanced focus and alertness lasts for about 12 hrs on an average and is at peak after 1 hr of ingestion.

How long does modafinil stay in your system?

Even though modafinil may stay in the body for a longer period of time depending on one’s metabolism, its cognitive enhancing effect might only last for 12hrs on an average.

Certain genetic predispositions, liver impairment and poor kidney health can slow down the metabolism of modafinil and increase the duration of modafinil in the system.

Modafinil is metabolised in the liver by excreting two metabolites in the urine– modafinil acid and modafinil sulfone. The primary metabolic product is modafinil acid which constitutes about 30-65% of the total dose which eventually gets transmitted in the bloodstream. Depending on such factors, urinary excretion of unchanged Modafinil ranges from 0 percent to 18.7 percent.

Assuming a half life of 12 hrs if we do a little bit of arithmetic, we will see that by the 96th hour our body should get rid of any elements of the drug. So roughly it takes about 4 days to eliminate metabolites completely.

This has to be kept in mind that this can be affected by numerous internal as well as external circumstances like any genetic predispositions, any comorbidities of the person, age, gender, drug impurity, intake of substances that slowdown drug metabolism etc.

Hence the point to be understood is that even if modafinil lasts in our system for a minimum of 4 days, its cognitive enhancing functions will last only for 15 hrs maximum. So, it is on you to take the doses wisely at the right time to yield maximum benefits. In case of being tested for it is advisable to abstain from modafinil for at least a week.