Off Label Use
After nearly 8 weeks of therapy with modafinil (200-600 mg/day), to counteract sedation induced by concomitant medications as well as shift-work-related daytime sleepiness, I noticed not only a remarkable
improvement in wakefulness, but I lost 20 pounds (185 to 165). The drug seems to obliterate one's appetite. No evidence of tolerance to this effect has manifested thus far in my case. I have been trying to lose that weight for 2 1/2 years now and the weight has now effortlessly disappeared.
Although the medical literature fails to document modafinil's anorexigenic effect in humans, there have been studies done on rats that demonstrate a robust appetite-suppressing effect. Curiously, one such study showed a u-shaped dose response curve and the absence of a compensatory weight gain after the drug was discontinued. Your thoughts on the implications of my experience and its support from preclinical studies?
--Drug Doc
PS: Here is the abstract from one such animal study:
Nicolaidis, S; De Saint Hilaire, Z.
Nonamphetamine Awakening Agent Modafinil Induces Feeding Changes in theRat.
Brain Research Bulletin, v.32, n.2, (1993): 87-90.
Abstract:
In rats, modafinil, an alpha1 adrenergic receptor dependent, that has been shown to increase wakefulness without subsequent rebound effect, decreases feeding and reduces body weight. However, modafinil does not show a monotonic dose-related decrease in food intake. The dose-response curve for modafinil is U-shaped; feeding decreases after doses of 20 and 40 mg/kg, but no effects were seen after doses of 10 and 80 mg/kg. When feeding is resumed, no compensatory effect is seen, and body weight remains lower during the 24-h session. The drinking-to-feeding ratio remains unchanged, showing that modafinil has no effect on water intake. These results are discussed with reference to the possible mechanisms underlying the relation between sleep, feeding, and metabolism. |
