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Makes Concentration Easier
Modafinil
Citation:   Jon Galt. "Makes Concentration Easier: An Experience with Modafinil (exp112122)". Erowid.org. Aug 8, 2018. erowid.org/exp/112122

 
DOSE:
  oral Modafinil (pill / tablet)
BODY WEIGHT: 187 lb
3 Week Modafinil Marathon

As with many other users of modafinil, I began use under threat of serious academic exams and my personal history of avoiding work like the plague. From a trustworthy friend I first bought a single Modalert 200mg pill, still sealed, to test the substance before exams to avoid anything negative.

My first experience with Modafinil was very similar to the later ones I would have when taking Modafinil repeatedly. Upon advice from friends already using, I took the entire 200mg pill early morning, making sure to stay hydrated as with my previous experience with MDMA and Ketamine, dehydration has been an issue I faced commonly. When first taken, I was nervous for what to expect, but within an hour concentration upon a single subject came easier, but distractions also become more tempting and then harder to break away from
within an hour concentration upon a single subject came easier, but distractions also become more tempting and then harder to break away from
. My first academic day of work on modafinil wasn’t particularly taxing but from this first experience I gained confidence in the knowledge I didn’t have any immediate adverse effects.

With this first experience out of the way, I bought another twenty-five Modalert 200mg pills. The foil they come in is thick and of good quality, this ensured no pills were damaged or lost. This also allowed me, when experimenting with different doses, to store half pills in refolded foil for later taking. The pills themselves are of good size, easy to swallow whole or split, and leave no overwhelmingly unpleasant taste other than the normal powdery sensation. They also feature a centre seam, allowing for splitting to be easy without a pill cutter, just needing some force in the centre of my palm.

Then over the next three weeks, I took all 21 pills, varying dose from 50mg (quarter pill) to 400mg (double pill). Mostly I was taking them on consecutive days, but did take a few days off in order to deal with negative effects I will discuss later in this piece. This was coupled with fairly constant academic work, varying from mathematical work to coding programs to English language analysis. I feel this range of dosing and application allowed me to experience many types of modafinil experience.

Now for my perceived effect of modafinil. Many people I know have a misconstrued view of modafinil as a limitless-esque wonder drug that will make them instantly an A student. However, a much more realistic description of modafinil is a substance that makes concentration easier. I found when dosed, I could focus on something, be if productive or not, for longer and in greater detail. An example of this would be writing notes, when not on modafinil, productive work may be achievable for 40 minutes to an hour before boredom sets in and other activities such as social media or other people become more attractive. However, when on modafinil, boredom wasn’t an issue, I found I could work solidly for hours without any want for distraction. My abilities were not improved, as in I wasn’t suddenly more intelligent, but I could apply knowledge and intake knowledge better and for longer. However, as mentioned, it became equally easy to become distracted and then lose a lot of time on non-productive activities. This was mostly an issue when first taking Modafinil in the morning, and waiting for the effects to kick in. Until I felt it was working, I passed time on YouTube or my phone, but if I wasn’t careful, I would become focused upon these, and then lose a lot of time doing whatever I chose to pass the time with.

When differing the doses, I found that smaller doses of around 50mg to 100mg were a lot less effective. Effects were still felt, but not to the extent of helpfulness. 150mg to 300mg was the sweet spot for me, allowing for elongated periods of work and concentration. Once or twice I tried 400mg, but the lack of increased perceived effects made the increase usage of limited pills negated.
Once or twice I tried 400mg, but the lack of increased perceived effects made the increase usage of limited pills negated.
Also with 400mg doses, I found dehydration became more of an issue, and I had to keep reminding myself to keep drinking in breaks and throughout work. More than once, I coupled Modalert with caffeine pills. I have 200mg caffeine pills, but also a fairly high caffeine tolerance, so coupling 200-300mg of modafinil with 200-500mg of caffeine made no obvious mental improvements in ability, only the normal physical stimulation associated with caffeine.

I faced a few negative effects, mainly focused around fatigue. After repeated days of use, I found that the effects became lessened and that I was sleeping longer but also worse. To combat this I found taking one or two days off modafinil and caffeine fixed this issue, and allowed me to return to full capability the next days.

My overall experience with modafinil has been overwhelmingly positive. I haven’t taken it in a few weeks, having finished exams. There hasn’t been any negative effects post usage, and there were no comedown effects when stopping usage after such consistent usage for a few weeks.

Exp Year: 2018ExpID: 112122
Gender: Male 
Age at time of experience: 18
Published: Aug 8, 2018Views: 2,922
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Modafinil (217) : Combinations (3), Glowing Experiences (4), Performance Enhancement (50), Retrospective / Summary (11), Alone (16)

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