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Provigil Extends Your Day?

John Mearns writes "It looks like before long all caffeine junkies will be able to ditch the bottle of Mountain Dew or cup of coffee in favor of pill. Its not a true stimulant so you don't get the "caffeine crash," just countless hours of alert attentiveness. " It's also still in testing so it'll probably make you grow horns or something, and is supposed to only be used for people who are sleepy during the day, but it raises several interesting ethical questions.

15 of 631 comments (clear)

  1. caffene crash is great by Lumpy · · Score: 5, Interesting

    How else do i know it's time to give up and go to bed? when you finally come crashing down in the bathroom as your body is expelling all that water...

    Boom.... now sleep for 12 hours.

    I want something that will reduce my bodies need for sleep... make me feel good and refreshed on 3 or 4 hours of sleep.

    --
    Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    1. Re:caffene crash is great by Wonko42 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Try Uberman's Sleep Cycle. If your schedule allows it, and you're able to adjust to the cycle, you'll end up getting around two to three hours of sleep per day (just not consecutively) and you'll feel better than after a normal eight hours of sleep. Or so people say.

  2. Sleep and dreams... by Steveftoth · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Since this deprives you of sleep, but somehow keeps you from falling asleep, the long-term side effects of this are compeletly unknown. All the studies show that not sleeping is extreamly bad for you in the long run. Lowers immune systems, increases stress, reduces hapiness, etc.
    One thing they don't mention is if you have to sleep for a 'normal' amount after the drug wares off. So if you are awake for like 36 hours, then how long do you sleep? 8 hours? or 16 hours?

    Even if this has bad long term effects, this will be very popular, everyone has those nights that they 'have' to stay up and work. Could be the procrationators drug of choice.

    1. Re:Sleep and Dreams... by Fixer · · Score: 2, Interesting
      And in some situations that could be a blessing in disguise. 40 hour military mission, bloody results, file a report go to sleep and forget about it.

      I could see this as a boon for engaging in scut work that's just complicated enough that I can't let my mind wander, but boring enough so that I wouldn't want to remember it.

      --
      "Avast! Prepare for the rodgering!" THWACK! "Arrr.. me nards.."
  3. As with all good things... by SkyLeach · · Score: 3, Interesting

    This will have horrible side effects. When will people learn that there is simply no substitute for a good night's sleep.

    Even natural stuff like gensing makes you feel like pure total SH*T when it wears off. Does funky things to yer pee to...

    My dad is a hard-line baptist, will not drink ANYTHING with alcohol (or even anything that looks like alcohol, i.e. IBC Root Beer and Welches sparkling grape juice) but drinks up to 5 pots of coffee a day.

    He gets kinds irate when I point out he's addicted, but...

    --
    My $0.02 will always be worth more than your â0.02, so :-p
  4. "Beggars in Spain" is a good book about this by 512k · · Score: 2, Interesting

    in the (fictional) book, some children are genetically engineered to not need to sleep. They become superhuman, due to all the extra time they have to live life. But in real life, at what point do we say, enough is enough, we don't have to push ourselves this hard, and if we do, do we recalibrate what society expects of a person. Instead of giving your kids ritalin, give them Provigal.

    --
    ------ Work is so much easier when you don't
  5. Big deal. by Jonathan+Hamilton · · Score: 1, Interesting

    People seem to realize that we don't know how alot of drugs work. Prozac, and most other depression drugs aren't know how they work. Scientist don't know what chemical receptors they bond to, it's sort of a trial and error deal.

    We as a human race think we are so smart and have figured everything out. Did you know that scientist don't even know completly how eggs scramble because of all the complex protien reactions?

    So stop eating scrambled eggs.
    (I'm kidding of course it's all risk vs. benefits, and in this case your right.)

    My point is, just because we don't know how somthing works dosen't mean that you aren't using it already.

  6. Provigil = Bad Experience by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I was on provigil for a few weeks instead of Methelphenadate HCL as treatment for narcolepsy. The Privigil had wierd side effects, It effected my tiniking and kept seeing things out of the corner of my eye but when looked nothing was their. I looked on a news group about provigil and other people had similar side effects. Personally I would rather have a stomach ache or nose bleed as side effects instead of a messed up head/eyes.

  7. Two words: BEE POLLEN by phreakmonkey · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Keeps you wired for hours.. that is, unless you're allergic to bees, in which case it can probably kill you.

    You can find it at most herbal stores, and some drug stores.

  8. Be True to Your Circadian Rhythms by benthesinister · · Score: 2, Interesting

    It is important to remember that Leonardo Da Vinci was a truly strange guy. Interestingly enough, many of the most creative people of all time had unusual sleep habits. Einstein slept up to 14 hours a day. Edison would stay awake for over two days at a time, only to crash and sleep so long that he had to find a newspaper to learn what day it was. Euler was nocturnal. Seeing this, it is probably also important that we strive to live in accordance with out own sleep patterns, rather than try to defy your body with drugs. I personally have Type II Circadian Rhythm sleep disorder, which means basically that I'm nocturnal. As much as possible, I build my schedule to be night-oriented. Not so easy while school is around, but when school isn't a factor, you will see me awake until dawn and asleep until near dusk. When I am obeying what my body is telling me to do, I am happier, healthier, and smarter. Pass on the Provigil and instead take a chance to try out sleeping when your body tells you to.

  9. Holy Manna!! by Noexit · · Score: 2, Interesting

    As an individual who suffers from both chronic depression and insomnia, something like this would be gold to me. Rather than taking drugs that try to force my body and brain to sleep, this would allow me to take better advantage of the hours that I spend awake. Instead of working at 4 in the morning because I can't sleep and piling up errors, I could work at 4 in the morning because I can't sleep and keep everything accurate and precise.

    --

    Never argue with a man carrying a water buffalo

  10. Been there, done that by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    I was diagnosed narceleptic a while ago, and they started me on 200mg of this a day. Did squat. Absolutly nothing (for me). Since then, I've moved up to Dexedrine 20mg twice a day (oh? dont know what it is? enjoy 30 minutes of searching, and then 3 days trying to find a way to get some... ^_^). Went from sleeping roughly 15 hours a day (in two seperate blocks) to arround 8. I was drinking the equivilent of 2 cups of coffee at every meal and snack, and sleeping 15 hours (just to put things into perspective).

    While I thought the stuff just didnt effect my form of the big N (there are different forms, such as cataplexy, ESD, and others), it evidently didnt target my body in the way that the doc was hoping for. Granted, I've seen it work on others, but it doesnt always work. Even medical journals start of an analysis with "The mechinism which Modafenil targets is still unknown at this time" and then leads into what little is known about the substance. What is known is that the addiction potential is 100 times less then Dexedrine, and *by my estimates* atleast 50 times less then Methylphenidate. Which is why MDs start with that and not the stronger stuff. Reason being isnt physical addiction, but psychological addiction in relationship to the euphoria present while under the influence.

    On a personal note, I love Dexies ^_^ although even a mentally retarded monkey could tell you that I'm addicted to them.

    g.page

  11. Re:I've NOT used it, BUT by RobPiano · · Score: 2, Interesting

    My best friend uses it now.

    She's narcoleptic and after the second time she drove her car into a ditch she finally got tested and they put her on Provigil.

    This drug has literally been a life saver! (for everyone else on the road).

    It is really a nice drug with a low occurance of side effects. Its not like she is suddenly restless, but rather she doesn't fall asleep so unexpectedly.

    The only negative things she has to say about it is that because it is metabolized by the liver, you really shouldn't drink alcohol while on it. This is kinda a bummer at parties.

    Word,
    Rob

  12. Re:Whatever happened to good old SPEED? by Graspee_Leemoor · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Speed is physically addictive. It fucks your heart up. Many people end up injecting it. You never know what you're getting. You're paying people (dealers) you'd rather not have to be in the same universe with.

    I have made it through many tough projects without using illegal drugs.

    I know loads of people are now going to slap me down, disagree and generally piss all over me, but I don't want anyone to risk using speed after reading your post.

    graspee

  13. Re:I've used it. by tswinzig · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I never grokked why this stay-up-for-hours mentality became such a powerful meme with college students. I *always* did better by getting a reasonable amount of sleep than by staying up to cram. Give yourself a few extra days lead time for in-depth studying.

    Maybe you retain knowledge differently than most? If it's a subject that bores me, I do what most people do, I wait until the night before the exam, and cram on the topics most likely to be tested. Perhaps pulling an all-nighter if the class is early the next day.

    Procastination is a common problem. For example, I waited until the last second to post this response.

    --

    "And like that ... he's gone."