Posted by zeugma on June 18, 2006, at 14:00:32
In reply to Re: Questions.. Anyone??? Coffee; Ativan » zeugma, posted by saturn on June 17, 2006, at 21:39:33
Hi saturn,
Both caffeine and modafinil can cause a certain amount of peripheral stimulation/nervousness. Knowing what your previous experience with caffeine has been would be helpful. For myself, I have severe anxiety/panic, and there is no way I could hold a normal job without clonazepam or other powerful anxiolytic (I know this because I have had panic attacks since childhood and have gotten fired from too many jobs to name because of shaking, slurred speech when anxious, etc. [some of these symptoms are possible cataplexies; I have had only one instance of unambiguous cataplexy, many, many years ago]). The same goes for ADHD med/stimulant: For a while caffeine helped, I remember on one exam that i took without caffeine, my prof wrote on the exam "Please see me because you clearly have medical reasons for doing so poorly on this exam." I was literally writing in a fog.
That said, atomoxetine, methylphenidate, and modafinil are all therapeutic for my ADHD in ways that caffeine simply is not. I've written this before, so apologies for any boring repitition, but I will briefly run down the effects of these three drugs, plus pemoline (Cylert) which has been discontinued due to hepatoxicity but resembles modafinil fairly closely:
Atomoxetine: Racing heart, no BP changes, most 'alerting' effect of any med, produces a perfect clarity of thought; most powerful effect on distractibilty.
Methylphenidate: Severe orthostatic hypotension, speeded heart rate, no effect on BP, best anti-narcolepsy effect, powerful effect on motivation, strong anti-anhedonia effect, intensified mood for better or worse, caused increased impulsivity and distractibilty, made me want to socialize (only drug that has done anything remotely like this), very strong effect on any perception difficulties that may be associated with ADHD.
Modafinil: Some nervousness, no effect on HR or BP,st times feels like extremely slow-release methyphenidate, at other times feels like an SSRI, levels out emotions to some degree unlike MPH, less wakefulness, in some ways better focus (less distractibility than on methyphenidate, more sensory improvement than on atomoxetine). Also fewer peaks and valleys than MPH, which was a big problem on MPH.
Pemoline (Cylert): Similar to modafinil in terms of smooth effect, non-anxiogenic, more improvement on distractibilty than MPH, absolutely no effect on HR or BP, caused severe anorexia like MPH, which is why I was pulled off quickly.
-z
poster:zeugma
thread:657909
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060617/msgs/658359.html