nucleus accumbens region, a “pleasure center” of the brain.
“The data are consistent with what we’ve known about modafinil for 16 years, that it was a very, very weak inhibitor of dopamine uptake,” said Jeffry Vaught, chief scientific officer and executive vice president of Cephalon Inc., which makes the medication. “At its launch, we worked with several groups to track the illicit use of modafinil and evaluate any misuse or abuse. The conclusions continually have been that, if there is any, it is very limited. Could this be part of the drug’s mechanism? Maybe. Does it explain the mechanism? I don’t think so, and I don’t think it changes the abuse liability we’ve tracked now for some 15 years.”
Currently, there is no cure for narcolepsy, but medications can improve symptoms for people so they can lead normal, productive lives. However, if you feel you cannot handle medications, alternative behavioral treatments are also available to you.
For more information on sleep disorders and narcolepsy, visit our Health Conditions tab on BlackDoctor.org.
SOURCES: Nora D. Volkow, M.D., director, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Bethesda, Md.; Richard A. Friedman, M.D., director, Psychopharmacology Clinic, and professor, clinical psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York City; Jeffry Vaught, Ph.D., chief scientific officer, and executive vice president, Cephalon Inc., Frazer, Pa.; March 18, 2009, Journal of the American Medical Association