3 ms·

I have a sleep disorder called Hypersomnia, and a lot of us with the condition need this drug to function. I've seen a lot of these types articles lately saying

by lavezzi 11y ago

I have a sleep disorder called Hypersomnia, and a lot of us with the condition need this drug to function. I've seen a lot of these types articles lately saying that it's a 'safe smart drug', but I'm wondering what the consequences of this publicity are for those who actually need it, rather than those who just want it.

ajross 11y ago
A robust and vibrant black market into which to sell your excess prescribed medications? To be serious, generally things like drug manufacturing are relatively elastic on this scale. Unless there is a sudden run on these things so as to create a shortage, the manufacturer will just make more to fill the demand.
- Phlarp 11y ago
  This is outright false for many stimulants. The DEA strictly controls the amount of precursor released to the manufacturer's based on their assessment of "legitimate medical needs". This is the case for all scheduled substances that are used in legitimate medical applications. Amphetamine salts and morphine are on that list just the same as Modafinil/provigil. I'm sure you can guess what (black)market forces do when the supply is artificially constrained.
  - vidarh 11y ago
    For modafinil the predominant source for non-prescribed usage is Indian generics manufactures like Sun Pharma. There's little the DEA can do - these are not small underground outfits. Even less so because modafinil can be imported legally into a large number of countries.
  - ajross 11y ago
    Wouldn't that logic argue for an artificial shortage of things like oxycodone too, where there is known to be a large black market of abusers? There certainly is no shortage that I can see; those drugs are cheap and plentiful. I'm not saying that the regulation you cite doesn't exist (obviously I'm no expert), just that it's apparently ineffective in practice. And I'd expect that to be no different with a hypothetical rise in pseudo-recreational modafinil use.
- ajmurmann 11y ago
  It also might become harder to get a prescription or get your insurance to pay for it. In a way it could become similar to medical Marijuana.
  - vidarh 11y ago
    Highly unlikely for a drug like modafinil where the few potentially adverse side-effects are so exceedingly rare it's not even clear if they are genuine side-effects of modafinil or just unfortunate coincidences during testing. Most over the counter pain killers have well known side-effects that are far more likely to harm you, for example.
- vidarh 11y ago
  Modafinil is easy to order cheaply from India, even to countries like the US. To many other countries importing the generic versions (mostly Sun Pharma manufactured) is fully legal for personal use. So if anything, the biggest change brought by the widespread use of it is growing access to a wide range of places to buy it cheaply if it for whatever reason isn't covered by your insurance.

by lavezzi 11y ago

ajross 11y ago

A robust and vibrant black market into which to sell your excess prescribed medications? To be serious, generally things like drug manufacturing are relatively elastic on this scale. Unless there is a sudden run on these things so as to create a shortage, the manufacturer will just make more to fill the demand.

Phlarp 11y ago
This is outright false for many stimulants. The DEA strictly controls the amount of precursor released to the manufacturer's based on their assessment of "legitimate medical needs". This is the case for all scheduled substances that are used in legitimate medical applications. Amphetamine salts and morphine are on that list just the same as Modafinil/provigil. I'm sure you can guess what (black)market forces do when the supply is artificially constrained.
- vidarh 11y ago
  For modafinil the predominant source for non-prescribed usage is Indian generics manufactures like Sun Pharma. There's little the DEA can do - these are not small underground outfits. Even less so because modafinil can be imported legally into a large number of countries.
- ajross 11y ago
  Wouldn't that logic argue for an artificial shortage of things like oxycodone too, where there is known to be a large black market of abusers? There certainly is no shortage that I can see; those drugs are cheap and plentiful. I'm not saying that the regulation you cite doesn't exist (obviously I'm no expert), just that it's apparently ineffective in practice. And I'd expect that to be no different with a hypothetical rise in pseudo-recreational modafinil use.
ajmurmann 11y ago
It also might become harder to get a prescription or get your insurance to pay for it. In a way it could become similar to medical Marijuana.
- vidarh 11y ago
  Highly unlikely for a drug like modafinil where the few potentially adverse side-effects are so exceedingly rare it's not even clear if they are genuine side-effects of modafinil or just unfortunate coincidences during testing. Most over the counter pain killers have well known side-effects that are far more likely to harm you, for example.
vidarh 11y ago
Modafinil is easy to order cheaply from India, even to countries like the US. To many other countries importing the generic versions (mostly Sun Pharma manufactured) is fully legal for personal use. So if anything, the biggest change brought by the widespread use of it is growing access to a wide range of places to buy it cheaply if it for whatever reason isn't covered by your insurance.