What Is Armodafinil?

By Author: Nina Phill
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What is Armodafinil?
Armodafinil is a name of the medicinal substance designed primarily to help people with narcolepsy, a congenital dysfunction of the regulation of the sleep-wake cycle in the brain resulting in excessive daytime sleepiness and episodes of uncontrollable falling asleep.

The substance was developed by the American biopharmaceutical company Cephalon as a variation of the previously developed formulation Modafinil. Armodafinil is the enantiopure compound which in simpler words means that it is identical to Modafinil like a mirror image to what we look like.

The medication is mainly referred to as a stimulant but scientist say that it is more of a wakefulness-promoting medication than an amphetamine-like stimulant of the central nervous system because of some peculiarities in its action.
When is Armodafinil prescribed?
Officially, in the countries where the drug is approved, it is used for three conditions:
- Narcolepsy;
- Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA);
- Shift work sleep disorder (SWSD).
Besides these conditions, the drug is widely used off-label to cope ...
... with sleepiness in sleep deprivation or when it is caused by other health conditions or circumstances. Besides, it is very popular as a brain function or cognitive function (memory, focus, speed of reaction, etc.) stimulant but it is believed that it results from the increased overall level of wakefulness and alertness caused by Armodafinil.

How does Armodafinil work?
The properties of the medication such as wakefulness promotion and cognitive function enhancement are explained by the promotion of the release of certain substances in the brain from the synaptic cleft. Namely these substances are catecholamines norepinephrine and dopamine. Besides, it also elevates the level of histamine in the hypothalamus. It is worth noting that these processes occur naturally in a healthy individual when they are well-rested. However, in narcolepsy, this doesn’t occur due to unknown reasons which make people with the condition excessively sleepy and even fall asleep during the day after an 8-hour night sleep and in general no sleep deprivation. For them, the drug is the substitute of the normal sleep-wake cycle regulation.
Interestingly, two other conditions for which Armodafinil is approved, OSA and SWSD, are not associated with any impairment of sleep-wake cycle regulation. OSA is the condition in which an individual’s sleep is interrupted by temporary breathing arrests occurring due to the obstruction of the airways. Naturally, night sleep with multiple interruptions results in sleepiness during the day so Armodafinil is used to cope with this symptom but not to cure the condition.
In SWSD, an individual who has to work at night is excessively sleepy during the shift, which is frankly quite natural. Nevertheless, Armodafinil is still used for this condition officially.
This leads us to the condition that the drug can actually be useful and be used by people, who, for some reason, have trouble being fully awake/alerted and energetic during the day be it due to depression, insufficient night sleep during exams session, working late hours due to an approaching deadline, suffering from weather sensitivity, and so on. Unfortunately, for this, the drug is not appointed and you cannot get a prescription from your doctor, but there is a way to get the drug if you order it from an online drugstore.
What is generic Armodafinil?
If you have already been thinking about buying Armodafinil, you have probably heard/seen the name “generic Armodafinil”. So what is it? In fact, you can safely purchase such medication without any worries because it is nothing else than Armodafinil. The term “generic” is used to specify that it is not a brand drug. And the difference between the brand drug and generic is that the makers of generic didn’t invent the formulation but use it when the exclusive license for its production has expired. The main benefit of generics is that they are less advertised and promoted and thus are priced significantly cheaper. The generic versions of Armodafinil include:

- Armod;
- Artvigil;
- Nuvigil;
- Waklert.
Where to buy Armodafinil?
The easiest way to get the medication if you don’t suffer from narcolepsy, OSA, or SWSD is to order the medication from an online drugstore located in the country where Armodafinil is sold without a prescription. Yes, there are such countries and it is explainable – the medication has a very low potential for abuse as it doesn’t cause dependence unlike other potent stimulants based on amphetamines (for instance, Adderall). Besides, it has the minimum and quite unlikely (if the pill are taken according to the instruction) side effects.
How to use Armodafinil?
The dose for the condition for which the drug is approved is from 150 mg to 250 mg. If you don’t have any serious condition like narcolepsy, you can stick to the lowest dosage of 150 mg. Moreover, when you use the drug for the first time, you may want to check how you tolerate the drug, i.e. whether it cause you any side effects or not. For this, it is better to take half of the 150 mg pill. If everything is good but the effect is less powerful than you expected or lasts less than you need, then you can take 150 mg next time.
Keep in mind that the pills should be used only in the morning or at least before midday or you will have trouble falling asleep at night.
How long does Armodafinil last?
The effect of the medication lasts 10-12 hours.
How long does Armodafinil take to work?
On average, you can feel the effect of the medication within one hour after the pill intake.