Staying Awake with Modafinil

Maintaining enough energy is often a problem for many people who have busy schedules. By the time two o’clock rolls around, they feel like it’s time to call it a day. Many turn to caffeine for a boost of energy but, as countless know, caffeine’s major downfall is tolerance. After a couple weeks of an afternoon cup of Joe, it’s time to increase to two cups, and then three cups. Then pretty soon you realize you’re ingesting 1200mg of caffeine a day (one cup is around 100mg). As a result you decide to cut off your caffeine supply and as it turns out, like many drugs, withdrawal is a huge problem. You’ll be sleeping 13 hours a day, feeling exhausted and irritable all the time.

Having an ample source of energy to cycle with is one of the best ways to combat this tolerance issue. Cycling is a simple and effective concept. Essentially, after a couple weeks of caffeine, you switch to an alternative energy source for a couple weeks. Thus, when you come back to coffee (or caffeine supplements), it feels like your first cup in years. Mmm, energy!

Benefits of Modafinil

This is where modafinil come into play. Some people say it’s a study aid, but for some it is useful for everything, some people even take modafinil and caffeine. Users reported taking one tablet (200mg) in the morning made them feel well-rested and awake the rest of the day with no crash. The military tested modafinil on pilots and found that pilots could be out for longer flights without fearing fatigue. It feels cleaner than caffeine supplements – no anxiety, jitters, or stimulation – just feeling really awake and well-rested.

Avoiding Modafinil Withdrawal

Like caffeine, however, tolerance will become an issue. Some users find they become dependent on modafinil as they did with coffee, taking up to one to two tablets a day. This is why cycling is so useful. Alternating between the two will allow for energy boosts, but avoid tolerance.

Because modafinil requires a prescription, some may not be able to obtain it. Users can obtain similar results through other means. Since the goal is to achieve a wakefulness feeling without caffeine, you might find that ALCAR (Acetyl-L-Carnitine) and DMAA (1,3-dimethylamylamine) achieve comparable effects.

Chasing the PEA Dragon: An Uncomfortable Euphoria

DMAA Powder Stack

I was looking for quality DMAA powder (a stimulant in Jack3d that gives you great energy) and I came across a mix consisting of Caffeine, DMAA, Hordenine, and Phenylethylamine. Usually when I come across something like this, I quickly disregard it because it has all the “extras” while I’m trying to find an isolated solution. I had never even heard of Hordenine or PEA (Phenylethylamine) but when I read some of the reviews, people were continually blown away by the combination and that it was the best energy they’ve ever had. So now I was curious and decided to do a little research.

I learned about MAOIs (Monoamine oxidase inhibitors) and how there are enzymes in the brain that destroy certain neurotransmitters. Hordenine acts as a temporary MAOI to allow PEA (and even Caffeine and DMAA supplement to an extent) to pass through the brain blood barrier without being metabolized. To put it simply, Hordenine makes the other three ingredients significantly more potent.

So I ordered the energy stack from Powder City and when I got it, I decided to take it all at the maximum recommended dose. What followed was what I can best describe as an uncomfortable euphoria. Fortunately, that night I decided to log how the day went:

“After 25 minutes I started feeling really happy. I ran out to my roommate’s car as he was leaving for work and explained that my new stack was working. But then it all went downhill once I got back inside. I had to lie in bed, and I was essentially staring at the ceiling needing to consciously breathe, and I was noting my heartbeat. For the most part I didn’t move. Maybe 20 minutes later of staring up at the ceiling, I got myself up and went to take an ice cold shower. I was freaking out pretty bad and the thoughts of ODing and needing to call 911 were always on my mind.

About 30 minutes later, I went climbing (at an indoor bouldering gym) with my friend: “…I started climbing. I got way into it and it turned out to be my best climbing session ever. I got routes that I had never been able to do before. If I had to guess, the short ‘High’ that PEA gave finally wore off and the caffeine and DMAA were finally able to help me climb.”

PEA, Hordenine, Caffeine and DMAA Powder Stack Reviewed

So while I did experience the energy boost others reported, the uncomfortable euphoria is certainly worth noting. Users should start low with this stack and work their way up to suitable levels.