Modalert is used to treat narcolepsy (a condition that causes excessive daytime drowsiness) and shift work sleep disorder, both of which induce excessive sleepiness (sleepiness during scheduled waking hours and difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep during scheduled sleeping hours in people who work at night or on rotating shifts). Modalert is also used in conjunction with other treatments to avoid excessive sleepiness caused by obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS - a sleep disease in which the patient stops breathing or breaths shallowly numerous times during sleep, resulting in insufficient restful sleep).
Modalert is available as a pill that must be swallowed. It's taken once a day, with or without food. If you're using Modalert for narcolepsy or OSAHS, you'll most likely take it first thing in the morning. If you're taking Modalert to treat shift work sleep problems, you'll generally start taking it an hour before your shift starts. Every day, take Modalert at the same time. Without consulting your doctor, do not change the time of day you take Modalert. If your work shift does not start at the same time every day, consult your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and if there is anything you don't understand, ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain it to you. Modalert is a drug that is used to increase alertness.
If you drink a lot of alcohol or have ever drunk a lot of alcohol, use or have ever used street drugs, or have misused prescription medications, especially stimulants, notify your doctor. If you have or have ever had high blood pressure, a heart attack, chest pain, a mental illness such as depression, mania (frenzied, abnormally excited mood), or psychosis (difficulty thinking clearly, communicating, understanding reality, and behaving appropriately), or heart, liver, or kidney disease, tell your doctor.
It's important to be aware that Modalert can reduce the effectiveness of hormonal contraception (birth control pills, patches, rings, implants, injections, and intrauterine devices). While taking Modalert and during the first month after stopping it, use another type of reproductive control. Consult your doctor about birth control options that will work for you during and after your Modalert therapy.
If you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or breastfeeding, notify your doctor. Call your doctor if you become pregnant while taking Modalert. Tell your doctor or dentist that you are taking Modalert if you are undergoing surgery, including dental surgery.
Modalert may impair your judgment or thinking, and it may not fully alleviate the tiredness caused by your disorder. Do not drive or operate machinery until you have a better understanding of how this drug affects you. Even though you feel more awake if you avoided driving and other dangerous activities due to your sleep issue, do not resume these activities without first consulting your doctor. It's important to remember that you shouldn't drink alcohol when using Modalert.
Keep this medication tightly wrapped in the container it came in and out of the reach of children. It should be kept at room temperature, free from heat and moisture (not in the bathroom).
Modalert should be kept in a secure location so that no one else takes it by accident or on intent. Keep note of how many tablets you have left so you can spot those that have gone missing. Unused prescriptions should be disposed of in a certain manner to prevent pets, children, and others from ingesting them. You should not, however, dump this drug down the toilet. Instead, a medicine take-back program is an ideal approach to get rid of your medication.