I'm wondering if this is somehow derived from iboga root.

The thing that scares me is that this drug will become part of the red queen syndrome -- you'll *have* to take it if you want to keep up with the pack.

And in fact I do, starting with the observation that for every person in our society who has a legitimate need to stay awake for thirty-six hours at a stretch, there are a thousand who are chronically sleep-deprived and need Modafinil like they need a hole in the head.

All you guys -- go get some sleep! Eight hours! On a regular schedule!

There's been a lot of coverage of this. One thing that hasn't been very clear is that if you aren't already rested, it won't do much except make it hard for you to get the sleep you already need. If you're tired or running a sleep deficit, it won't make you feel any better or more alert.

It's not a stimulant. All it does is delay the "sleep now" reflex by several hours; and how you feel during those several hours will depend on how you felt when you started. If you take it after getting plenty of rest, it'll help you fly from Missouri to Afghanistan and back. (Airplane required.) In that sense, it's a major new thing. But it's not a cure for our need for sleep.

(Yes, I'm married to a narcoleptic who's been getting it by prescription for some time. She probably has her own observations to add.)