“I think we`re a society that`s already sleep-deprived, and I`m concerned about the temptation to use this type of pill to stay awake,” Johnson said. “We must ultimately respect the deep value of sleep.” This medication is sometimes used to help you stay awake and alert when you feel tired and/or sleepy. Caffeine is a mild stimulant. This medicine should not be used to replace sleep. This medicine should not be used by children under 12 years of age. Australian researchers recently found that people who drive after more than 17 hours of wakefulness perform worse than people with a blood alcohol level of 0.05% (the local blood alcohol limit). Tests around the world have shown that sleep deprivation significantly reduces human performance, coordination, reaction time, and judgment. The wonders of pharmacology appear regularly, each new drug seems too good to be true. Recently, there have been several killer applications for the pharmaceutical industry – chemicals that replace depression with a happy disposition or amplify a drop in libido to the performance level of the royal commando (with a reminder). Prozac and Viagra offered such compelling benefits that they have embraced everyday language and have a global following.
Now there`s another “drug most likely to succeed” – this one allows you to stay awake for 40+ hours with almost complete mental capacity and few side effects. The drug has already begun making headlines — along with a lot of hand tearing — on other Ivy League campuses as a sleep substitute. However, this concern is misplaced. If current trends are realized, sleep is only the latest human behavior, going from normal to problematic to disease. One day, when sleep becomes a treatable condition like tooth decay in your teeth or ear infections, Provigil can be touted as a precursor to miracle cures that free us from pillow tyranny. “We now have an effective drug [for narcolepsy] with few side effects that is easy to prescribe and is easy for patients because they don`t have to get new prescriptions often,” says Gross. Patients who take stimulants such as amphetamines to treat narcolepsy often need to get new prescriptions because this class of drugs is more strictly controlled by law and doctors can only prescribe a limited amount at a time. The pill has been found to increase both alertness and what researchers call “alertness,” the ability to stay on task, think clearly and function normally. The most prolific supplier of caffeine is coffee, the second most valuable legally traded product in the world (after oil) with annual global retail sales of over $70 billion. Caffeine is also found in tea, chocolate, and caffeinated cold drinks such as Coca Cola, Pepsi Cola, Red Bull, and others.
“It could be used as a substitute for sleep, the natural sleep we need to heal our bodies in specific ways,” said ABCNEWS` Dr. Tim Johnson. “It allows people to stay awake in an addictive way, and if that addiction isn`t saturated, those people can have withdrawal symptoms.” Not surprisingly, a drug that allows people to stay awake for 40 hours at near-complete mental capacity with no real side effects could quickly become widely used as a time-shifted drug. I have a project to make, especially if it is free of the nervousness associated with most drugs commonly used in such circumstances, such as dextroamphetamine, cocaine and the world`s most popular drug, caffeine. Provigil occurs. It`s a small, white, slightly elongated pill that has fewer side effects than caffeine, is safe even in high doses, and has yet to prove more addictive than your bottomless cup of Toscanini coffee. Army helicopter pilots who took the drug were able to stand for 40 hours, sleep eight hours, and then stand for another 40 hours without losing the ability to perform complex tasks. Although the military often experiments with ways to keep soldiers awake, the rest of us need a doctor`s prescription to get Provigil.
But getting this recipe could soon become much easier. The maker of Provigil (also known as modafinil) announced two weeks ago that it would try to approve the drug for “circadian rhythm disorder,” a fancy name for sleepy if you don`t sleep on a normal schedule. If approved for this use, Provigil will be one step closer to a lifestyle drug like Viagra that will completely change the way we think about sleep. Also talk to your doctor and check your service industry policy before taking any over-the-counter medications or supplements to be vigilant. These medications can cause you to test positive or have other unintended consequences. Then there will be those who take modafinil recreationally – it could simply be the ultimate party drug where the user is awake, awake and balanced and has no trouble remembering what happened or what was said the next morning. Know what types of prescription drugs are often abused and learn tips for staying alert without them to keep your career under control and keep the mission on track. March 13, 2000 (New York) — A new drug, modafinil, is helping people with narcolepsy feel less sleepy and stay awake longer.
The drug appears to avoid some of the pitfalls associated with using stimulants such as amphetamines, which are the traditional drugs used to treat the condition, according to a report in the March issue of the journal Neurology. There are many safe ways to increase alertness. Talk to your doctor about the options that might be available and find out what works best for you so you can stay up and running. Your work supports the mission, which means you may need to work even when you`re tired. Maybe you`re looking for ways to stay awake. Keep in mind that misusing prescription drugs to “get the job done” puts you and the mission at risk. There are prescription medications that can help you stay awake (like stimulants), but you can`t take them without a prescription from your doctor. For a member of the service, these drugs may also be restricted by branch of service and professional field. Prescription drugs used to increase alertness are called stimulants. You may have heard that they are called “Go Pills” or “Uppers”.
These may include: AddictionStimulantsalternatives to drugsVigilance In some cases, your doctor may prescribe medication to help you stay awake and alert for an extended period of time.