Modafinil and contraceptives | What you should know

What would happen if you took Modafinil and contraceptives together? Nobody knows it for sure; It's certainly not a combination you see every day.

The role of modafinil is clear: it is one of the most powerful and safest nootropics in the world for improving attention and concentration throughout the day.

Birth control, on the other hand, is a different story. It is used by women as a contraceptive to prevent pregnancy and comes in many different forms.

But can birth control and modafinil be safely taken together? Are there positive effects or is it unsafe to use both medications at the same time?

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What is modafinil?

Modafinil is a wakefulness-promoting agent approved by the FDA to treat two conditions [1]:

• Excessive daytime sleepiness induced by shift work sleep disorder
• Obstructive sleep apnea

We don't know its precise mechanism of action, but scientists have been able to discover some clues. Modafinil has the ability to improve areas of the brain associated with wakefulness and drowsiness.

However, unlike other stimulants and nootropics, it can do so without activating the sympathetic nervous system.

This means you won't have a faster heartbeat or feel the "jitters" that you would get from caffeine and medications used to treat ADHD. And here's another great benefit:

Once the effects of modafinil wear off, your normal sleep patterns will not be compromised.

For many people, Modafinil is a life-saving medication for many people who suffer from certain types of sleep disorders.

But for healthy people looking for a cognitive boost, Modafinil can be used off-label to provide a laser-like focus that lasts for several hours.

In fact, that is why it is the most popular nootropic among businessmen, surgeons and students from Ivy League schools.

Where does birth control fit into this? What could modafinil and contraceptives have in common?

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Modafinil and contraceptives | The basics

Nobody wakes up and thinks, "Wow, wouldn't it be nice to combine birth control and modafinil to see what happens?"

This is what usually happens...

A woman is using some type of hormonal birth control if she is sexually active and does not plan to have children.

The most common forms of birth control include:

• Skin patches
• vaginal rings
• "The pill"
• IUD (intrauterine device)

As any birth control user already knows, mood swings are one of the most common side effects. At some point, she decides to use Modafinil to help her get a LOT of work done in an unreasonable amount of time.

However, she has no idea how modafinil will interact with her birth control.

And the science behind how birth control affects brain structure and function is surprisingly non-existent [2]:

“I really know very little research on this topic, even though the pill has been around for more than half a century”

“…by essentially “replacing” your body's real progesterone and estrogen with synthetic versions, the pill can alter your brain.”

Modafinil, on the other hand, is clearer in its purpose and use.

Anyone with a prescription for Modafinil takes it primarily to stay awake for longer periods of time. It can be used during the day, but its true power becomes evident when it keeps you awake for an all-night session.

This was widely demonstrated in military soldiers who used Modafinil to remain alert for several hours at a time [3]:

"Military studies have repeatedly shown that modafinil has the ability to promote wakefulness and improve cognitive performance during sustained periods of sleep deprivation associated with military operations."

Combined with an excellent safety profile and very limited abuseability, you have the recipe for a near-perfect nootropic.

But this begs the question…

Can modafinil and contraceptives be used safely together, or will one medication reduce the effectiveness of the other?

First of all, it is important to have a clearer idea of ​​the scientific studies carried out to date on both drugs.

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What does science say about modafinil and contraceptives?

Contraceptives and modafinil have been studied extensively in the medical field.

Considering how long they have been in use, we have a good idea of ​​the cognitive benefits they provide to their users.

Modafinil benefits

• Modafinil has long-lasting effects on wakefulness

A little-known study that examined the effectiveness of modafinil in healthy adults in their twenties used eight men in the French Air Force.

Half of the subjects received 200 mg of modafinil a total of 6 times over a 60-hour period in which they were deprived of all sleep.

Despite this, they were able to maintain the same level of alertness and cognitive performance on tests such as reaction time and mathematical processing.4].

The people who took the placebo? His performance continued to decline on all cognitive measures.

• Modafinil May Help Highly Impulsive People Inhibit Bad Behaviors

If you know someone who finds it very difficult to give up alcohol, the following point may be of interest to you.

Alcohol-dependent patients were recruited into a study and given 200 mg of modafinil.

For patients who initially had little control over their responses, Modafinil significantly reduced their impulsivity [5].

However, the slightly opposite effect was observed in patients who initially had better response control. This finding implies that modafinil may be useful in treating non-stimulant addictions and possibly behavioral addictions such as gambling.

• Modafinil May Improve Logical and Emotional Intelligence

There are generally two types of cognition: “hot” cognition has to do with information processing, while “cold” cognition has to do with emotional intelligence.

It turns out that Modafinil can effectively increase both types of cognition, which could make any ordinary human being a better version of themselves for a few hours [6].

No wonder people are already concerned about the supposed ethics behind the use of Modafinil!

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Contraceptive benefits

• Contraceptives can increase verbal memory

Verbal memory can be best defined as the ability to remember words, definitions, and any abstractions of language.

A systematic review exploring the effect of oral contraceptives on cognition found that the most consistent result is an improvement in verbal memory.7].

To no one's surprise, it is still highly debated as there are no published studies that dictate the opposite effect.

• Contraceptives can improve working memory in sleep-deprived people

An interesting study in 1998 found that women taking oral contraceptives performed better during sleep deprivation compared to women not using any birth control.8].

Working memory is what allows you to immediately remember new information you just learned.

Considering that lack of sleep is known to decrease working memory, this little discovery is pretty fascinating!

• Birth Control Could Potentially Increase Resilience to Stress

When we get stressed, our body releases the stress hormone known as cortisol. Chronic stress is often thought to affect memory recovery.

It appears that women taking oral contraceptives have a reduced sensitivity to cortisol surges and therefore their memory is not as affected.9].

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Understanding the benefits of birth control and modafinil

This section is not an attempt to suggest that people should take modafinil and contraceptives together to obtain an enhanced nootropic effect.

It is NOT recommended to take Modafinil when taking contraceptive methods.

But we wanted to educate him as best we can. At best, these are hypothetical benefits that one MAY experience when both medications are taken together at the same time.

Let's delve into:

• Modafinil and contraceptives could improve emotional memory

We already know the power of modafinil to increase emotional intelligence, but what are the possible effects of contraceptives on a woman's emotions?

It turns out that hormonal contraceptives increase emotional memory, the types of memories that are linked to an emotion deep within our psyche.10].

So if you are taking both medications at the same time and an important event occurs, you will be much more likely to remember it for a long period of time.

• Modafinil and birth control may reduce ADHD symptoms

One interesting article postulated that a woman with ADHD will respond differently to prescription medications, such as Ritalin or Adderall, depending on which hormone is higher.

If she is estrogen, she will have a better response. If it is progesterone, the response will decrease [11].

This one is definitely in the “gray” area. Yeah Modafinil improves concentration, so in theory, an ADHD patient with elevated estrogen levels will do better when she takes her medication.

• Modafinil and contraceptives could improve sleep quality

Remember the statement I shared earlier about Modafinil not affecting sleep patterns once the medication wears off?

With birth control, it is hypothesized that a woman's sex hormones are crucial to getting a better night's sleep.

A systematic review published in 2018 analyzed some human trials with oral contraceptives and came to some interesting conclusions...

Women who take hormonal contraceptives tend to snore less, wake up fewer times during the night, and have more efficient sleep overall.12].

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Side effects

The benefits of birth control and modafinil taken together are purely speculative.

However, the side effects are better established and deserve your attention.

Make sure you take the time to read this section before thinking about taking the two together!

• Children!

This is no joke: modafinil literally reduces the effectiveness of birth control.

For the women reading this… your chances of getting pregnant are much higher if you are using Modafinil at the same time.

According to a drug interaction study, Modafinil reduces body levels of ethinyl estradiol by up to 18%.13].

(FYI: ethinyl estradiol is commonly used in birth control pills along with other hormones)

This is because Modafinil increases the activity of the CYP3A4/5 enzyme, which is used to metabolize hormonal contraceptives.

In fact, the four types of contraceptives negatively affected by the use of Modafinil are the following: subdermal implants, a pill composed of one or more hormones, the patch and vaginal rings.

However, the three types of contraceptives that are not affected by Modafinil are the copper IUD, DMPA (depot medroxyprogesterone acetate), and the LNG-IUS (levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system).

Any scientist will note that none of these methods are affected by drug interactions [14].

It's a tough road for sexually active women who want to take their mental focus to the next level.

Men don't have to worry about any of these problems when take modafinil and have sex. However, make sure the man is wearing protection too!

• Birth defects

Another unfortunate result of simultaneous use of modafinil and contraceptives could be fetal harm.

To provide some context, the FDA classifies modafinil as a “Category C” drug [15]:

"Animal reproduction studies have shown an adverse effect on the fetus and there are no adequate and well-controlled studies in humans, but the potential benefits may justify the use of the drug in pregnant women despite the potential risks."

Some of the possible birth defects include heart deformities, fetal toxicity, and poor physical development.

In case you think people are freaking out, Health Canada issued a warning about this finding and every label attached to Modafinil lists birth defects as a possible side effect in pregnant women.16].

Bottom line: Taking Modafinil and birth control together increases your chances of getting pregnant, and continuing Modafinil during pregnancy may not be the best idea.

• Less perseverance

The basis for this comes from a single scientific study that states that women taking contraceptives have lower levels of perseverance when completing cognitive tasks.

Apparently, this was true regardless of how simple or complex the tasks were [17].

Why is this important?

As you've probably already deduced, Modafinil can help you persevere at tasks you would otherwise perceive as impossible.

If this study I cited is taken at face value, it would appear that birth control reduces the mental advantage that Modafinil provides.

Just something to think about.

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Is it worth taking the risk? | Verdict

So what can we conclude about Modafinil and contraceptives?

Obviously…

Women are not recommended to take both medications at the same time if they want to avoid becoming pregnant and/or minimize the chance of their newborn having a birth defect.

As for the cognitive benefits, it is totally individual for the woman who takes it. Some may feel better while taking birth control and modafinil, and others may feel worse.

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