There's a new fix for overachievers looking to cheat their bodies out of the recommended eight hours of sleep. Modafinil, a drug currently used only to treat narcolepsy, could become the drug of choice for people who want to be ultra-productive -- around the clock, again and again.
College students, who routinely subsist on little or no sleep, might be especially interested in Modanifil.
Researchers in France at Laboratorie Lafon discovered the anti-sleep drug. In 1998, the Food and Drug Administration approved Modanifil for the treatment of narcolepsy.
Narcolepsy is characterized by excessive and overwhelming daytime sleepiness. Even after a good night's rest, people suffering from narcolepsy often feel tired and might fall asleep at work, school or even while driving. The cause of narcolepsy has been debated for some time, but researchers now believe they know what causes this condition.
Scientists at the Stanford Center for Narcolepsy and Harvard Medical School have shown that narcoleptics lack a small molecule known as hypocretin in their brain. Hypocretin is secreted only by special cells deep inside the hypothalamus, the region of the brain that regulates hormones, hunger, thirst and sleep/wake mechanisms.
Although researchers are uncertain of the mechanism by which hypocretin works, they think the molecule is recognized by special cellular docking stations known as receptors.
Once the hypocretin attaches to the receptor, it initiates a cascade of events that keeps us awake. People who lack hypocretin don't have the chemical capacity to start the chain reaction in the brain that tells the body to wake up.
Scientists think Modafinil acts on the hypocretin receptor system. Usually receptors are specific -- only molecules of a certain size and shape are allowed to dock -- but Modafinil might be able to sneak in and take up the space reserved for hypocretin.
Most drugs used to treat narcolepsy work through the dopamine receptor system. Dopamine is a member of the class of chemical compounds known as neurotransmitters, which facilitate communication between nerve cells. Dopamine also is known as the "feel good drug" and is responsible for the pleasurable euphoria associated with cocaine, nicotine and caffeine use, often leading to addiction.
These drugs bind to dopamine receptors in the brainstem. Once these narcolepsy drugs lock into the dopamine receptors, patients not only wake up, but they also experience a euphoric high.
The alertness created by these drugs often has been described as "jerky and nervous."
As the effects of these drugs wear off, patients experience withdrawal symptoms that include depression and headache, as well as excessive sleepiness associated with narcolepsy, Clinical Internal Medicine Prof. Sharon Esau said.
Clinical trial data has shown that Modafinil counteracts the symptoms of narcolepsy without the side effects seen in the other narcolepsy drugs.
The success of Modafinil in treating narcolepsy has prompted scientists to look for other ways to use the drug. Army scientists in particular have studied effects of Modafinil in an attempt to restore wakefulness in military personnel who must remain alert for long periods of time.
Researchers at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring, Md. recently published results from a study that shows Modafinil wasn't significantly better at promoting alertness than caffeine.
They concluded that the increased availability and lower cost of caffeine precluded a switch to Modafinil.
Increased attention from the media has made the general public aware of this drug that appears to increase wakefulness in a way that allows users to maintain their alertness without feeling jumpy.
Esau says she has seen people misusing Modafinil.
"I have seen patients that are taking it and they are trying to get by on four or five hours of sleep repeatedly and it doesn't work for them," she said. "It may work for them at first but over time it loses its effectiveness -- you have to have enough sleep."
Studies have shown that humans accumulate something of sleep deficit when they don't snooze enough. Modanifil doesn't cancel the debt according to Esau.
Esau also said she doesn't believe University students have been using the drug.
Student Health pharmacist Mary Baily says she hasn't filled a prescription of Modafinil in her three years there.
Read More
Student Council votes to relocate Hereford orchard and basketball hoop
By Lauren Seeliger | 3 hours agoStudent Council passed a resolution Tuesday to relocate the orchard and basketball hoop of Hereford Residential College due to construction in the surrounding area.
Dean Rucker honored with Z Society’s highest honor, Pale Z Award
By Brendon Bordwine | 19 hours agoThe Society has a storied history of honoring University leaders with the Pale Z.
Students receive free STI testing through U.Va. Health and Wellness
By Jackie Bond | YesterdayThrough funding from Student Council, students are now able to receive free STI testing with SHW which includes tests for HIV, Syphilis, Gonorrhea, Chlamydia and Hepatitis C.
