Modafinil: Real limitless possibilities!

Modafinil: The Pill from the Movie "Limitless"

Peter Borden needs time to figure out modafinil. He never takes drugs. He doesn't drink too much. He practices acupuncture and alternative medicine. But he worked two jobs: during the day he did quantitative analysis and project management for a venture capital-funded B2B startup; at night he developed a patented high-frequency trading system for his own Wall Street startup - and he needed more time to work.

So, a few months ago, Borden decided to buy modafinil to last for three weeks. ("It was a nice piece," he says.) He took his first tablet as soon as the package arrived, and within a few hours he began to feel a pleasant clarity. Soon he reached a level of concentration he could only dream of.

"My feelings seemed to transition to visual, and my auditory sensations worsened. Sounds weren't even registering. It was like a winter walk when it started to snow. It was very easy to stay visually focused."

Then came the dizzying blow.

"I felt like the blood was really moving to the optic nerve. And your awareness shifts to the front of your face, which is a kind of whimsical feeling."

Tasks that were usually daunting now captured his undivided attention. He spent hours setting up advertising campaigns for his new business, and his results were not just faster and longer - they were better.

"I didn't have as many breaks; I wasn't as upset; the material came out with fewer mistakes," he says.

"I never felt, 'Let's just do this.'

As he continued to take the tablet, his attention did not waver.

"Time acquired a completely different quality."

He was even happier.

"There was a very strong calming effect. Which was strange. I didn't think I was an anxious person, but I guess I was."

Modafinil, sold in the US as Provigil, was first approved by the FDA in 1998 for the treatment of narcolepsy, but since then it has become better known as a nootropic, a "smart supplement," especially among entrepreneurs. Recently, it has attracted traders like Borden, who don't just need a pick-me-up to meet deadlines; they need to work, without a break, for months, even years at a time.

And that's modafinil's reputation. There are rumors that it served as the model for the fictional pills in the movie "Limitless" that allowed Bradley Cooper's character to use 100% of his brain.

Timothy Ferriss, author of the bestseller "The 4-Hour Workweek," recently discussed its effects with modafinil enthusiast Joe Rogan, former host of "Fear Factor," on Rogan's popular podcast. Perhaps its biggest fan is Dave Asprey, founder of the Bulletproof Executive web forum, where he wrote in a blog about the powers of the drug (headline: "Why Are You Suffering from Modafinil Deficiency"). Last summer, ABC News aired a segment on Asprey, in which he compared it to a scene in "The Wizard of Oz," where everything goes from black and white to color.

Modafinil's penetration into the culture was confirmed by the Journal of the American Medical Association's internal medicine journal, which published a study from the University of California, San Francisco, reporting that the amount of modafinil taken in the US has increased nearly tenfold over the past decade. Undoubtedly, most of it was intended for off-label use.

In New York, Borden hears more talk about it among traders and hedge fund sponsors, although they are not as inclined to boast about it as hackers.

"I think in guys who make a living writing code, there's something that makes them very interested in hacking - finding shortcuts, etc.," he says.

"While with the guys on Wall Street, it's more about testosterone; it's just power. In a conversation on WallStreetOasis com titled 'Viagra for the Brain,' one commentator said: 'It's not like caffeine or

5-hour energy. It's the major leagues."

Users say that modafinil doesn't speed them up as much as it clarifies their minds.

"Most of the stuff people take in our society is stuff like alcohol that makes you dumber, not smarter," said mobile software entrepreneur Jesse Lawler in a recent podcast about modafinil for his website SmartDrugSmarts com.

Entrepreneur Daniel Tenner used modafinil to launch his first company while still working at the consulting firm Accenture.

"Every day," he wrote on swombat com, a site for entrepreneurs, "I slept exactly at 11 p.m. Then I woke up at 4 a.m., worked until 7 a.m., then slept for an hour before going to my day job. Then I also worked on weekends."

Of course, its reign also raises some concern. No scientist has yet studied its long-term effects on a healthy brain. At least doctors have warned that modafinil can cause insomnia.

For Borden, life on modafinil really seemed real (though somewhat softened), boundless. For the hero of the film, the situation becomes difficult - there is addiction, withdrawal, and tragedy before the neat Hollywood ending. The first drawback Borden noticed was in line with the movie: he couldn't drink.

"I went to drink, and then I drank more. And since I was full of energy and focused, I got drunk faster. It scared me because time seemed to fly by unnoticed. I quickly gave up alcohol."

Then he faced an even more serious problem: missing a supplement intake.

"I really felt it. It was like entering a dirty, messy reality, not a clean, neatly organized place. It was like an accident, and I really found that anxiety that fades along the way, when you leave it, suddenly you go through a reverse. So I was very worried. Eventually it intrigued me."

He stopped after three weeks. He says he finds it easier to achieve the same effect through meditation and, above all, a good night's sleep. However, he, like before, feels some trepidation about the pill.