Modafinil on the Job
Overworked Americans may look to Modafinil to help them out. Many people have jobs that are mentally demanding and exhausting. Others are workaholics. While in the past people may have done physical labor all day and ended tired in their muscles, today a large part of the workforce does mental labor all day and ends with an “out of gas” feeling. Stimulants can give a temporary boost to the brain and enable further output.
Modafinil has developed something of a reputation as being an aid to overachievers.
Coffee is renowned as the fuel of the modern office, partly because its
caffeine gives people energy and helps increase their productivity. Modafinil
is attractive to some because of its promise of side-effect free mental
energy. Be careful, though. Modafinil is not a miracle drug and it does
have some side effects in some people, although for most users the side
effects are mild compared to other prescription stimulants. Remember also
that Modafinil is a prescription medication and can only be legally obtained
with a doctor’s authorization. Ethically, a doctor cannot write
a prescription just because someone wants to perform better at work. A
legitimate medical condition must be diagnosed before this medication
is prescribed.
Will Modafinil make junior lawyers into work machines who will be on the partner track? If that's what you're expecting, you should probably revise your expectations. The medicine does not do miracles and although it can help many people, it is not a panacea.
Harvard Business School had an article in 2016 about "smart drugs" in the office.
In July 2008, the Washington Post's Tech Crunch column featured an article on Modafinil use in Silicon Valley. It quoted buzz that Modafinil is the "entrepreneur's drug of choice" because it lets people work harder and better.
An article in the Human Resources magazine Personneltoday.com talked about the potential for Modafinil use in the workplace, and admitted that the smart drugs work, but quoted an HR expert as saying "the idea that any kind of medication is a quick fix which can boost work performance should be anathema to HR professionals,"
An article in Workforce.com noted that use of new (not coffee or tobacco) performance-enhancing drugs in the workplace is growing. And that "employers in general don’t seem aware that this trend is happening."
What about long distance driving? Professional truck
drivers as well as regular motorists sometimes drive long distances and
are afflicted with drowsy driving. Provigil has the potential to help
them stay awake and alert; indeed the military gives pilots this medicine
to help them stay sharp in the cockpit. Drowsy driving is a major safety
hazard. The trucking industry long had a problem with drivers using amphetamines.
Having drivers on Provigil may not be the optimal case (it would be better
if they got a full night’s sleep before driving), but all things
considered, Provigil might be better than having the same drivers on speed
or driving while drowsy.
Related: Modafinil as a study drug, Modafinil for shift work
The Times of London had an article on professors using Provigil "to give them the edge over their rivals when giving presentations."
Different Kind of Stimulant
