With the advent of nootropics lately, many individuals are resorting to buying modafinil online… however, is it safe? This nootropic is well known for its ability to improve working memory, cognitive function, and overall intelligence, for sure.
However, with many people resorting to buying modafinil from online vendors, and not from a licensed medical practitioner, it’s important to know the risks of doing so. While some online vendors may be able to provide legitimate modafinil, many may not.
What is Modafinil?
Modafinil is a nootropic, which was first invented in the 1990’s as a way to help patients suffering from insomnia cope with their disorder. It was quickly discovered as a powerful way to enhance focus, however, when Silicon Valley executives began experimenting with it.
From here, a large demand for the cognitive enhancer began to grew, with companies such as ModafinilXL, Afinil Express, and Buy Moda popping up.
…and while many say that buying modafinil online is safe, others disagree. For starters, you don’t always know how much you’re getting. It could be a dosage of 100mg, 200mg, or even more, depending on the vendor you purchase it from.
Modafinil Uses
According to the FDA, Modafinil, otherwise known as Provigil, has been approved to treat narcolepsy, day time sleepiness, and other sleep related disorders.
…and while modafinil has not been approved to be used as a nootropic, many individuals are already starting to catch on to its benefits for this.
As Washington Post reported, for example, many tech executives are using it to get ahead:
“He used to get his edge from Adderall, but after moving from New Jersey to San Francisco, he says, he couldn’t find a doctor who would write him a prescription. Driven to the Internet, he discovered a world of cognition-enhancing drugs known as nootropics – some prescription, some over-the-counter, others available on a worldwide gray market of private sellers – said to improve memory, attention, creativity and motivation.”
Other nootropics which many individuals are using include Piracetam, Alpha GPC, L-Theanine, Adderall, Ritalin, and more. In fact, entire companies are now being created, just to exploit this fact, such as Neurohacker Collective’s Qualia, and of course, Onnit’s Alpha Brain.
Know the Side Effects
If an individual accidentally takes too much modafinil, or they simply don’t know how much is in the tablets they’re purchasing online, they could get side effects.
According to WebMD, the following side effects could occur:
- Headache
- Nausea
- Dizziness
- Difficulty Sleeping
To be fair, these are common side effects for any sort of stimulant, such as caffeine, Adderall, Ritalin, and of course, modafinil. However, with online vendors often having a shady reputation for either underdosing or overdosing their products, precautions must be taken with care.
Why Buy Modafinil?
With many individuals wanting to use modafinil for the nootropic effects, it’s not hard to see why so many people might want to buy the stuff online. However, it’s always best to get a prescription from a doctor, if you’re concerned about your own safety.
That being said, many individuals who want to use modafinil for its powerful cognitive enhancing effects can’t get a prescription for it. This is why many of them try to buy modafinil online, or even worse, from a sketchy vendor in person.
This being said, if you can get your hands on some legitimate modafinil, there are a number of largely beneficial nootropic effects. As we said before, on modafinil benefits:
“A number of studies have suggested that it could provide other cognitive benefits, but results were uneven. To clear up the confusion, researchers then at the University of Oxford analyzed 24 studies published between 1990 and 2014 that specifically looked at how modafinil affects cognition. In their review, which was published in 2015 in European Neuropsychopharmacology, they found that the methods used to evaluate modafinil strongly affected the outcomes. Research that looked at the drug’s effects on the performance of simple tasks–such as pressing a particular button after seeing a certain colour–did not detect many benefits.”
Numerous studies have shown that modafinil is largely safe, which is why it has been approved by the FDA when used to combat insomnia and daytime sleepiness. It has not, however, been approved by the FDA for “bio-hacking” or to take as a nootropic.
Where Does Modafinil Come From?
Most modafinil purchased online comes from Indian pharmacies. Due to overseas regulations not applying, the FDA is often powerless to shut these companies down.
Sun Pharmaceuticals and HAB Pharmaceuticals are the two companies which produce the vast majority of modafinil purchased and sold overseas. Most people buy modafinil in the USA, the UK, Canada, Australia, and several other European countries.
Canada has, however, been cracking down on imports of modafinil. So much so, that even some modafinil vendors are beginning to refuse selling to customers in Canada.
…and while the libertarians argue that this is a breach of our personal rights, the other side of the argument is that many users don’t even know what they’re buying. If they put themselves at risk, or visit the emergency room, unfortunately it’s tax dollars that pay for this tragedy.
The Bottom Line
As always, it’s important to check with a licensed healthcare practitioner before you ever consider getting on any new medication. There are some reputable online vendors, who source their modafinil from offshores Indian pharmacies, however.
Many users were upset when Afinil Express shut down, as it was, according to many Reddit reviews, one of the best sources for modafinil on the planet. That being said, there are many other alternative options, which accept Bitcoin as payment.
While we cannot condone purchasing modafinil online without a doctor’s prescription, users will always make their own decisions regardless of what we recommend. Students in particular have been using modafinil to study, to get better grades. If you do decide to buy modafinil online, ensure that you do so in a safe manner, without jeopardizing your health.
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