Pat, I'm agreed on the alcohol thing, one glass a day can be beneficial. I have relatives who have a wee whisky before bed, and couldn't go without it. What does irk me a little are the folks who will have 3-4 glasses of wine every night and genuinely believe that it's "good for them". The drinks industry has lot to do with the initiation of this idea.

Edited by author 03-08-2003 11:36 PM
First off...there are overseas pharmacies from which you can order Provigil/modafinil (as well as other pharmaceuticals which I have no idea what do) for home delivery; they send it in plain packages that apparently have a pretty good chance of getting through Customs. It's not cheap, though—$149.95 for 30 pills, or $550 for 120. Though someday when I have money, I might just try it just to try it.

http://smart-drugs.net/ias-order-Intro.htm

Secondly, Provigil has seen use in a recent science fiction series, the Legacy of the Aldenata books by John Ringo. In these books, it notes that Provigil just keeps you awake, but your mental acuity declines after long periods of use—so in the books they pair it with a stimulant to keep your brain up and functioning. (I don't know if that's true for the real-life version as well, though.)

For me, the creepy part is the trade-name: "Provigil." It sounds like "Transhumalert."

My wife is a narcoleptic, and she's been taking Provigil for some years. She likes it fine. She says it doesn't take care of all of her symptoms, but it provides a solid base.

I have to say, I don't see what's so "Orwellian" about the trade name Provigil. It's a good drug. It seems to do what it claims. It's made a big difference in my wife's life. I'm starting to be a little weirded out by the scare-story tone of some of the media coverage, including this Slate piece with its breathless overtones of "this is all Too Attractive, be afraid." Even Cory picks up on the notion that something "creepy" is happening here. Sheesh, I thought you were the guy who was an enthusiast for "getting root on our bodies"?

That whole article reminded me of the wonderfully wicked novel The Dark Fields by Alan Glynn, wherein someone who already has some poor impulse control problems gets ahold of a drug that makes him really, really smart and motivated, and then things go really really badly. Highly recommended.

There were a few off notes in that article, though. For example:

"Folks who really need to stay awake dope themselves with amphetamines?stimulants that can ward off sleep for days but cause terrible crashes when they wear off. (And we don't know what long-term damage they cause.)"

Anyone who has spent time with speed freaks knows what the long-term damage is: schizophrenia.

mahlen

Hanlon's Razor:
"Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity."

Keefy, my husband does research on the pharmacological effects of alcohol. The effects of low to moderate alcohol use are now documented and getting better documented by the year.

The 'French Paradox' --the French eat a diet high in fat yet they have less obesity, low to moderate cholesterol and many fewer cardiac incidents than people in the U.S.-- was at first noted only anecdotally, but the facts are now in and they're pretty compelling. Tough question now is why? There is a little bit of information about the possible beneficial effects of unfermented grape juice, but the motherload of benefits seems to lie in wine itself. Recently there has been a study reporting that the use on any alcoholic beverage can be helpful. They ke is you have to stick to ONE (maybe two small) glasses a day. More and you cancel out the benefits with the harm overuse of alcohol does to your other systems.

It's nothing like any drug you've taken. You're not jumpy or jittery - you just don't get tired. (Note that in trials some people reported headaches or nausea.) The military has tested this on pilots, keeping them awake for 60 hours without loss of mental acuity. Most amazingly, there's no sleep deficit incurred; the next night, you sleep a normal 7-9 hours.

Med school will never be the same again.

So does it feel like speed/caffeine/coke, or something incomparable? I sorta thought I remembered that speed works on the same chemical process as this stuff.

Odd timing for this article, I was just prescribed Provigil for suspected narcolepsy last week (400mg a day, today is day 7) and I have never felt better. I am concerned about the long term effects, but for the first time in a very long time I feel like me again. I am actually getting things done and my mind is working. I haven't noticed any adverse side effects other than an occasional pinkish tinge to things that should be bright white (like on a computer monitor) The package insert reports visual disruptions in ~ 2% of the group recieving Provigil. I guess I'll have to see what happens, my biggest fear is that I'll grow tolerant and require higher dosages...

Keefy,you might be right about urban myths,but I live in the place where wine was discovered and made first,the island of Ikaria(ancient myth).I'll admit the wine I drink doesn't have a lot to do with Boone's Farm;quality plays a great role in wine as it does in one's life.Try the garlic!

DonSmith, I wouldn't consider a glass of wine each day as being "safer" than a pill. The whole "red wine is good for you" stuff is an urban myth. Red wine is only useful if you have a high blood presure (possibly low, I can't remember), and even then if you have more than one, you're pretty much undoing any benefit you might get.

A favourate quote of mine, I think from Einstein, is: "Sleep is a waste of time". :-)

Edited by author 03-08-2003 10:37 AM
My wife has (mild) narcolepsy, and was prescribed modafinil. The drug definitely worked; unfortunately it also made her loopy as hell. She was borderline delusional, and couldn't make sound judgements. She was awake, but I preferred her when she was sleepy all the time. Eventually, she stopped taking it because it was causing such a strain on our relationship. Now she just takes regular naps, and that seems to have mitigated the narcolepsy a little bit. Though she still gets sleeping attacks, I much prefer her off modafinil than on it.

BTW, I've also used a similar technique for waking up without an alarm clock. As I go to bed in the evening, I visualize myself standing on the shore of a lake with a stone in my hand. I write the time I want to wake up on the stone and drop it in the water. I visualize the stone sinking into the lake. Works every time, for whatever reason. And no annoying alarm clock to turn off! Unfortunately, this method doesn't provide you with a snooze function, so once you're up, you're up.

I haven't used an alarm clock in many,many years.I use my"biological clock"also known as the brain.I sleep 6hrs on average,so if I go to sleep at 1am I know I'll wake up at 7am.If I want to ,before I sleep,I tell myself to wake up at a certain time.Easy,I look at the clock and think of what time I want to wake,say it a few times to myself to be sure.Usually I'll wake a bit earlier.I'd rather drink a couple glasses of good red wine rather than take some weird pill anyway.Garlic is excellent for those having problems getting to sleep;it lowers the blood pressure and helps you get drowsy.You can just swallow a clove(like a pill)if you don't like the smell and burn.I eat it with some bread if I feel a cold coming on-it helps a lot!Another trick:before bed-shower,shave,brush'n'floss,and take an asprin(pills again)with a whole glass of water.So it comes down to this-brains,wine,garlic,hygine,and an asprin(optional).Of course,if someone is over tired,maybe better to set the clock just in case!Hey,lots of fresh,clean air always is good too,with a bit of a jog(even in place)before bed.