Modafinil and Sports | Legal performance enhancer?

Modafinil and sports?

A strange combination or a perfect combination? Well, that depends on who you ask. No matter how you look at it, over the years we have seen world-class competitors caught using Modafinil in sports.

While the smart drug offers a wide variety of mental performance benefits, such as increased focus and longer-lasting alertness, it can also boost physical performance for athletes looking for a competitive advantage.

And as every good athlete knows, a superior mindset can be the slight advantage that makes the difference between 1st and 2nd place.

So how exactly does modafinil help athletes stay “in the zone” and improve their ability to perform in the spotlight? Also, why is modafinil a banned substance?

This article will answer all those questions and show how the use of Modafinil in sports became a widespread phenomenon.

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What is modafinil?

First, let's understand what modafinil is and how it became a popular doping drug among athletes at the highest level of competition.

Modafinil (brand names: Alertec, Provigil) is a wakefulness-promoting drug known to treat excessive daytime sleepiness. It is approved by the FDA to do so for three specific medical conditions [1]:

• Narcolepsy
• Obstructive sleep apnea
• Sleep disorder in shift work

It has also been examined for effectiveness in reducing fatigue, drowsiness, and tiredness in other conditions such as cancer, depression, and multiple sclerosis.

However, modafinil has been used off-label since the 2000s to help smart drug enthusiasts improve their cognition.

This claim was purely anecdotal and it wasn't until 2015 when scientists had enough evidence to say that Modafinil can do this safely and effectively.2]:

"...in the face of very few side effects in these controlled settings, modafinil can be considered a cognitive enhancer...and we need to find better ways to test normal or even supranormal cognition in a reliable way."

With respect to "improving cognition," this can include tangible benefits such as increasing productivity, increasing concentration, and easily working 10 to 12 hours after midnight.

Since Modafinil could keep its user alert and completely eliminate even the slightest form of mental fatigue, athletes were curious to see if they could use Modafinil in sports to improve their performance.

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Modafinil in sports | Legal performance enhancer?

To understand why the use of Modafinil in sports is banned worldwide, we must take a look at what constitutes a "banned substance."

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) uses three criteria to determine which substances fall on its prohibited list [3]:

“It has the potential to enhance or enhance sports performance: Before adding a substance or method to the Prohibited List, WADA examines emerging doping threats and reviews research from scientists around the world.

It represents a real or potential risk to the athlete's health: The use of banned substances to enhance performance and recover from injuries can pose health risks ranging from immune and toxicity reactions to infections and death.

Violates the spirit of sport: …the pursuit of human excellence through the dedicated perfection of each person's natural talents. Only when the playing field is level can people experience the true value of sport, including its power to inspire joy, develop character, teach teamwork and instill respect.”

Additionally, these substances are classified into drug classes and the scope of their prohibition:

“The Prohibited List describes substances and methods that are prohibited at all times, only in competition and in particular sports.

“Prohibited List substances and methods are identified in several categories, including anabolic agents, hormonal and metabolic modulators, stimulants, and others.”

Modafinil, in this case, is included in the “Stimulants (S6)” category of the WADA Prohibited List for use in competition in all sporting events.

This is how researchers have come to define a "stimulant" in the context of a drug whose use is prohibited in competition [4]:

"...refers to agents that stimulate the central nervous system (CNS) and have a marked effect on mental function and behavior, producing excitement and euphoria, reducing the sensation of fatigue, and increasing motor activity."

According to the article cited above, stimulants were the third most detected class of prohibited drugs (just behind cannabinoids and anabolic steroids) in 2008-2009. And between 2004 and 2010, nearly one-fifth of all positive drug tests contained at least one stimulant.

Modafinil's rise to status as a banned substance occurred at the 2003 US Track and Field Championships, when six athletes tested positive for modafinil.

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) found it hard to believe that all of these athletes suffered from narcolepsy, which affects 0.02-0.05% of the US population.

Therefore, starting in 2004, modafinil was added to WADA's list of banned substances [5].

With all this in mind, one might wonder why caffeine is not a banned substance in the Olympic Games or other major competitions.

It was initially a banned substance between 1984 and 2004 if you had high enough concentrations of caffeine in your urine at the time of testing. This would be equivalent to approximately 8 full espressos (or 12 μg/ml).

It may become a banned substance in the future, but it was removed from the “banned list” for two specific reasons [6]:

“Because performance-enhancing doses of the stimulant were found to be nearly indistinguishable from normal consumption, WADA removed caffeine restrictions to avoid unfairly penalizing athletes.”

“…According to a WADA spokesperson, the organization determined that caffeine no longer met at least two of the three criteria for inclusion on the list of prohibited substances”

Now that we understand why modafinil is banned in competition, let's delve into how modafinil in sports can provide an unfair advantage.

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How modafinil *may* benefit athletes

Here is a short list of ways athletes claim Modafinil helps their performance [7]:

• Increase heart rate and blood flow.
• Less fatigue
• Improved resistance
• Suppressed appetite
• A greater feeling of concentration and alert.
• Higher energy levels

In more casual moments, Modafinil allows you to maintain 100% concentration for several hours and helps you give your full attention to a task.

Modafinil can give an athlete a psychological advantage over someone who is a "natural," while helping them compete much longer while reducing the likelihood of making costly mistakes.

But what does the scientific research published to date say about the use of Modafinil in sports?

Stay in the area

When an athlete “gets in the zone,” this is what he talks about [8]:

“The “zone” is a supreme state of concentration that helps athletes in all sports perform at their peak potential. It’s when your mind becomes completely connected to achieving a goal, like getting a hit or stealing a base.”

Imagine being able to consistently operate at 100% of your potential and replicate your performance time and time again. That's what modafinil can do for athletes.

This was confirmed in a review of numerous studies involving the use of modafinil in military soldiers suffering from chronic sleep deprivation.9]:

"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."

“In a study conducted by the US Army.In the US, volunteer helicopter pilots received 600 mg of modafinil or placebo during two 40-hour periods of sleep deprivation.

“The results of that study showed that modafinil attenuated the effects of sleep deprivation during simulated flight maneuvers and decreased subjective problems with mood and alertness, compared to placebo.”

Eliminating mental fatigue

Modafinil can eliminate the physical and mental fatigue that arises from consecutive days of intense competition.

In a 2004 study involving healthy male adults doing vigorous aerobic activities, modafinil increased the time it took for participants to feel exhausted [10]:

“Acute ingestion of modafinil prolonged exercise time to exhaustion at 85% VO2max and reduced RPE [ratings of perceived exertion]. "The RPE results suggest that the reduction in feelings of fatigue was probably a factor responsible for the increase in performance."

Modafinil's ability to reduce fatigue is also seen in patients with multiple sclerosis, making it useful for both athletes and those suffering from diseases where fatigue is a common symptom.11].

Shorter reaction times

Athletes know that a split-second difference in reaction time is more than enough to create an unbeatable gap between themselves and their opponents.

While more human clinical trials are needed to confirm this, studies in rats appear to provide some support for modafinil's ability to reduce reaction times [12]:

“Modafinil produced a dose-dependent pattern of greater response precision and impulse control (fewer premature responses) and shorter response latencies, without affecting omission errors, motivation, or motor control.

Although the biochemical mechanism of modafinil is unknown, these results suggest a different profile than typical psychostimulants (e.g., amphetamine).”

Both scientific evidence and anecdotal reports clearly show how (and why) modafinil and sports cannot coexist.

Get the most powerful smart drug in the world...Modafinil!

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High-profile athletes taking modafinil

Modafinil is not simply a rogue pharmaceutical drug that has been banned because some desperate athlete came up with the idea of ​​taking it before competing.

In fact, there are many cases of high-profile athletes getting stuck with Modafinil in their systems.

Wikipedia has a complete collection of all the athletes who were penalized for using Modafinil until its eventual ban in 2004 [13].

However, here are some notable examples of champions who used Modafinil in sports and suffered the consequences.

Kelli Blanco

After failing multiple drug tests for Modafinil use, the American sprint champion lost all of her placings from 2000 to 2004 (1m and 200m), in addition to receiving a 2-year ban from competing.

She was surprised at the 2003 World Championships, the same competition mentioned above, where six other track and field athletes tested positive for Modafinil [14].

Barry Bonds

Major League Baseball (MLB) legend Barry Bonds was investigated for steroid use by the Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative (BALCO) in 2004.

Additional documentation found that he was taking Modafinil, but Bonds vehemently denied ever using Modafinil or ever knowing of its existence.

However, many people speculate that he used Modafinil since the increased focus could have easily contributed to his impressive track record [15].

Dwain Chambers

This champion sprinter from the United Kingdom was banned for life from competing in the Olympic Games when he tested positive for the use of Modafinil in 2003.

In his autobiography published in 2007, he admitted to using Modafinil to increase mental alertness and speed up reaction times.16].

Diana Taurasi

This Women's National Basketball Association (WBNA) powerhouse was banned from competing in Turkey in 2010 when both of her drug tests came back positive for Modafinil use.

However, she vehemently denied the accuracy of the tests. Taurasi was able to challenge these tests in 2011 and both tests were found to be false positives.

The laboratory that performed the tests apparently did not meet the WADA's testing quality standards. Therefore, they lost a significant amount of credibility [17].

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Is modafinil a banned substance? | NCAA, Olympic Games and more

Modafinil is undoubtedly a banned substance, but who exactly are the major sports organizations that have banned the use of Modafinil in sports?

World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)

As mentioned earlier in this article, WADA banned the use of modafinil in competition in 2004 as a non-specific “S6” product. Stimulating” [18].

National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)

As far as the NCAA and Modafinil are concerned, they banned the smart drug between 2005 and 2006 [19].

The NCAA allows a “therapeutic use exemption” (TUE) for athletes taking modafinil and other psychostimulant medications. However, this is a very long process with very little chance of success [20]:

"The policy requires student-athletes with ADHD who take psychostimulant medications to provide" evidence that the student-athlete has undergone a clinical evaluation to diagnose the disorder, is being routinely monitored for the use of psychostimulant medications, and has a prescription. current in their records.

"...The NCAA Committee on Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports has issued a new mandatory reporting form containing criteria, including any known history of substance abuse, to help differentiate fair use worthy of a medical exemption from abusive use".

United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA)

USADA operates under WADA rules, which means Modafinil is an automatically banned substance [21].

Olympics

Like USADA, the Olympic Games also follow WADA criteria for determining which drugs are prohibited substances.

However, athletes can also apply for a TUE if they meet three specific criteria [22]:

1. the athlete would experience a significant deterioration in health if the medication were discontinued;

2. the banned substance would not increase the athlete's performance any more than restoring her health to normal;

3. the athlete could not use a permitted alternative

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Should I take modafinil during sporting events?

If you have to ask if you can use Modafinil in sports, you can safely assume that the answer will always be A resounding NO!

Any athlete competing collegiately or professionally will be subject to random drug testing by the organizing body of their respective sport. Any time money is at stake (scholarships, contracts, etc.), you can bet that Modafinil is a banned substance.

Anyone who thinks they can outwit the latest Drug Testing Science for Modafinil is, at best, naive.

100 mg of Modafinil lasts in your system for at least 80 hours and can be easily tracked through a blood or urine test.

It would be best to completely refrain from using Modafinil for at least a week before a drug test if you don't want to test positive.

Even if you apply for a TUE and have a legitimate medical prescription for Modafinil, “WADA reserves the right to overturn any decision by an international sports federation regarding a TUE” [23].

And with the recent increase in TUE applications from athletes who are obviously trying to "game" the system and bypass anti-doping rules, there is a good chance that their application will be rejected outright [24].

If you overcome all these obstacles, pass all the drug tests, and successfully use Modafinil to beat your competitors, you can still get caught [25]:

“WADA rules allow samples to be stored for up to eight years so they can be subjected to new tests that occur long after an event.

…This type of retrospective testing cost Rashid Ramzi his gold medal in the 1,500-meter race at the 2008 Olympics after he tested positive for [continuous erythropoietin receptor activator] months after the Games ended.” .

The same thing happened with sprinter Kelli White..
Bottom line, don't try it. Don't risk your reputation and your career for a single use of Modafinil.

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Modafinil and Sports | The verdict

It should be pretty obvious to any competitive athlete that Modafinil and sport do not mix together.

In fact, Modafinil possesses several cognitive and physical benefits for its users, which is why competitors have fought tooth and nail to get away with using Modafinil in sports.

Is modafinil a banned substance for these competitors? Yes, and in practically all existing sports organizations.

This smart drug is considered illegal and you could be banned from competing if traces of the pharmaceutical drug are found in your system.

Additionally, it is extremely unlikely that athletes will obtain a therapeutic use exception for using Modafinil in competition. Examiners are starting to detect people who use this tactic and have the final say in approving your exception.

For these reasons alone, athletes should avoid using Modafinil completely during competition.

They should also refrain from using Modafinil completely one week before any drug test to avoid testing positive.

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