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Comment by t3ra | Hacker News Reader

+1 this I have tried 100 mg (even 50 at times) and the "noise filter" is exactly what I have experienced.

It doesn't give the "alertness or kick" of coffee but it gets you in this mood of "do things".

I am a bit worried about the side effects so I haven't ever taken more than thrice a week. Unlike many others who report I don't any changes in mood. Its easy to stretch your days after so you got to be careful not to over burn yourself for the day.

Also I get a really good night sleep after a day of 'killing it' - which may just because of feeling good as a result of getting things done.

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> I am a bit worried about the side effects so I haven't ever taken more than thrice a week

This sounds ideal. Like pretty much anything, I can testify that in my experience you can develop tolerance and it loses its effectiveness (at least for cognition) when taken daily.

>but it gets you in this mood of "do things".

How much of that is placebo? i.e. "You're doing things because you know you're taking something that helps you do things?" Productivity comparisons with a placebo haven't been conducted yet, but I'll bet it will be rather underwhelming as a motivational agent. Especially when you compare it to other stimulants like Coffee, it will sound even less miraculous.

The silver bullet of psychopharmacological brain-enhancement hasn't been found yet. That's the holy grail.

Believe me, this is no placebo. You feel it when it kicks in. And also dry mouth.

I think there are a lot of people here underestimating the awesome power of the placebo effect.

I don't think so. It's pretty easy to do an informal single-blind trial on yourself with the help of a friend, or a double-blind with a little more ingenuity. If you're worried about the placebo effect it's a good way to put yourself at ease.

Why even invoke the placebo effect (an extremely popular thing to do here)? What's unusual about a chemical actually affecting the brain?

I agree with you. I'm guessing that people are instinctively incredulous because drugs with such strong psychoactive effects are typically scheduled or hard to come by.

Why invoke the placebo effect? Because it will be having an effect. The question is, once you remove that, whether there is any remaining effect that is due to the drug.

Meh. I took modafinil for about 3 months (I had a legit prescription for it) and it didn't seem to do jack shit. I stayed on it for a while just because I was waiting for it to work, plus we tried a higher dose.

Also, placebos have side effects.

Not saying it doesn't have effects for some people but it's probably mainly placebo.

I appreciate your data point, but going from "it didn't work for me" to "it's probably mainly placebo" is incredibly silly. Modafinil has been studied, and it's pretty obvious that it's doing something.

Here's a quick primer (with 73 citations): https://examine.com/supplements/modafinil/

I can say the same thing for Dextroamphetamine. And I swear by it.

I take modafinil regularly (am on it right now) and believe me, the effect is extremely pronounced.

How long have been taking ? Can you explain your stack & schedule ?

How have managed to avoid tolerance ?

I've been taking it on-and-off for about 2-3 years. My stack is basically just modafinil 200mg unless I'm going through one of my caffeine+L-theanine phases.

I've avoided tolerance by not continuously taking it - if I'm no longer noticing the effects as much, I come off for a while until I really need it again. That seems to have stopped me from building up a lasting tolerance.

Any other side effects? I read a few people complaining fogged memories after longer cycles.

And another quick question what is ur schedule? What time do you take it?

Yeah there's a few, expect to visit the toilet on a regular basis, and you'll also retain water of you don't drink enough. Socialising can be a little awkward, and doing anything that requires broad rather than narrow focus (eg driving) can be a bit more difficult. I find my short term memory actually gets better, as does my ability to learn things long term.

I take it whenever I feel like I need a boost of concentration, it usually lasts about 6-8 hours so the latest I'll take it is 6pm if I want to sleep that night.

Anecdotally based on using it for shift-work sleep disorder (falling asleep on the job), but you definitely, definitely do not mistake it for anything else.

You know how you get "tired", and want to take a break? Still happens.

You know how you get "sleepy" and can't keep your eyes open? That's completely gone. It's a very strange feeling.

I tend to not care if its the placebo affect or not when it comes to stimulants like these. I care more when its something like "cures cancer" or not. If the medicine is supposed to make me focus then I dont care if its through a chemical reaction or placebo as long as I am focusing more

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