8 Famous People Who Use Modafinil

Tomas Thorne

Last Updated: February 2, 2023

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Do you want to use Modafinil?

Maybe you’ve watched ‘Limitless’ and heard that ‘NZT-48’ was inspired by a real drug. Perhaps you’ve read a Modafinil review from someone onling. Or it could be that you’ve heard your favorite YouTuber talking about using it.

You’re intrigued…could a little pill really make you smarter?

Well, yes!

Modafinil has legions of fans the world over — including numerous famous people, including one ex-President of the USA.

Many users describe it as the real-life “Limitless” pill and rave about its effectiveness online.

Surprisingly, Modafinil lives up to the hype – and then some. This smart drug truly works and offers benefits like:

  • Improved overall cognition
  • 12+ hours of heightened focus
  • Inability to feel fatigued
  • Increased productivity

Below, we’ll dive in and look at some famous people who take this smart drug.

You maybe surprised who uses and abuses Modafinil…

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Disclaimer: The contents of Modafinil.com are for informational and educational purposes only. We do not provide legal advice. Likewise, we do not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult your physician prior to consuming Modafinil or related nootropics. Your access to Modafinil.com is subject to our full Disclaimer and Terms of Use.


What is Modafinil?

Unlike ‘NZT-48’, Modafinil isn’t the brainchild of Hollywood scriptwriters. It’s a well-tested drug known as a ‘eugeroic’ that helps people stay awake. If medical jargon isn’t your forte, a eugeroic is simply a substance that helps prevent people from feeling tired.

Modafinil was discovered by French scientists in the 1970s and was developed to treat a condition called ‘narcolepsy’, where people fall asleep at random times during the day.

It is exceptionally effective at keeping people awake and is also used to treat sleep apnea (where people’s airways are obstructed at night) and Shift work disorder (which affects people who have to work night shifts and struggle to sleep) [1].

France was the first country to approve Modafinil and it was launched there in 1994 as ‘Modiodal’. It was subsequently released worldwide under various brand names like ‘Provigil’, ‘Modasomil’, and ‘Vigil’ [2]. Doctors and medical researchers soon found that it offered numerous ‘off label’ benefits [3].

In other words, it could do other things besides helping people stay awake. Modafinil has been shown to help treat everything from schizophrenia [4] to ADHD [5], and even cocaine addiction [6]. Simply put; it’s an incredibly versatile and useful drug.

In fact, that’s probably the reason why you’re reading this guide right now…

When you take Modafinil ‘off prescription’ – i.e. not to treat a medical condition – it acts as a so-called ‘smart drug’ or ‘nootropic’ [7].

You will experience things like:

  • No feelings of fatigue: Modafinil boosts levels of histamine in the brain which prevents you from feeling tired or sleepy. This effect lasts for over 12 hours, helping you work tirelessly on anything you focus on, no matter how dull or boring it may be [8].
  • ‘Laser-sharp’ focus: The slew of extra histamine makes you feel hyper-alert and extremely focused. You can blank out almost any distraction and put your attention 100% on your work or study [9].
  • Enhanced memory: Modafinil also raises levels of dopamine in the brain, which gives you a better working memory and episodic memory. You can complete tasks faster, recall facts more easily, and generally get through whatever you need to much quicker than normal [10].
  • Insane productivity: As well as increasing histamine and dopamine levels, Modafinil also increases levels of serotonin and norepinephrine. These two powerful neurotransmitters send your productivity into overdrive. You can easily accomplish 2-3 days’ worth of work or study in one day [11].

Now, let’s look at the seven famous people known to use Modafinil for its cognitive benefits.


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Famous People Who Use Modafinil

Without further ado, here are seven famous individuals who use Modafinil. Some have admitted to using the smart drug, while others have been “caught” or are suspected of using this nootropic to improve cognition:

  • Joe Rogan

Joe Rogan is an outspoken proponent of nootropics. During one of his podcast episodes with Tim Ferris, Rogan details what he feels like when using Modafinil [12]:

“It’s not like coffee, you are like fucking sharp as shit and it lasts for at least 6 hours!”

Now, we know 200 mg of Modafinil should last longer than six hours, as the half-life of Modafinil is 12+ hours. But that’s beside the point. Joe Rogan, one of the most influential Internet personalities in the world, loves Modafinil and has repeatedly talked about the smart drug.

Learn more here.

  • Barack Obama

Part speculation, partially factual – many have suspected that former U.S. President Barack Obama was taking Provigil, brand name Modafinil, while in the White House.

When President Obama was in office, there was a mysterious pharmaceutical drug on his mandatory medical report. What was it? Something prescribed for jet lag and time zone management.

Unless Obama was taking something no one knows about, the drug was likely Modafinil. But don’t just take our word for it. Many physicians have said the same thing, including Dr. Lisa Shives, medical director of Northshore Sleep Medicine in Evanston, Illinois [13]:

“If they’re going to give him something to wake him up, Provigil is the way to go.”

Learn more here.

  • Tim Ferris

If you’re working online, then there’s absolutely no doubt you know who Tim Ferris is. As the creator of a cult classic, The 4-Hour Work Week, Tim Ferris has been making money on the Internet since before it was cool.

He’s been open and honest about his smart drug usage from the beginning. Ferris tends to use Modafinil in cases where he really needs the smart drug [14].

Ferris claims he uses Modafinil to pull all-nighters and overcome the occasional writer’s block – but that he does not take the smart drug regularly.

Learn more here.

  • Dave Asprey

Dave Asprey might be the biggest fan of Modafinil on the Internet. The creator of Bulletproof Coffee, Asprey has taken Modafinil daily for nearly eight years [15]. He’s written countless articles on the topic and continually sings the praises of everybody’s favorite nootropic:

“The stuff is amazing. I took it every day for 8 years. I started taking it as I had “brain fog” working at a startup that we sold for $600 million, so high performing. Your ability to focus goes way up, and you just feel more like yourself.”

Learn more here.


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  • Hillary Clinton

While Hilary Clinton has never claimed to take Modafinil, many suspected she was taking something to combat the stressors of global politics. Then a document was released showing Clinton’s personal doctors were asked to research Provigil in 2011 [16].

With the 2016 Presidential Election demanding so much of Clinton, many believe she used Modafinil or something similar to meet the rigors of the election, improve cognition, and battle fatigue.

Learn more here.

  • Barry Bonds

Surprisingly, Modafinil may offer performance-enhancing benefits for athletes – not just online hustlers, CEOs, and students. Barry Bonds may have been using Modafinil to enhance mental performance while playing baseball.

Documents in Bonds’ trial claim he was taking Modafinil, along with steroids and HGH, during his time as the home run king [17]. While Bonds denied such claims, many suspect Modafinil offers heightened focus that ensures baseball players are always in the zone while in the batters’ box.

Learn more here.

  • Kelli White

Tim Ferris has talked about the benefits of Modafinil for many Olympic athletes. The World Anti-Doping Agency has banned Modafinil. Clearly, it may offer some benefits.

The female American sprinter Kelli White was caught taking Modafinil and a myriad of other performance enhancers. She was banned from competing for a while and stripped of her medals from her World Championship [18].

The heightened focus that Modafinil offers seems to help athletes tap into the mind and reach a level of focus that’s typically only attainable on their best days.

Learn more here.

  • Best Selling Novelists

There’s no denying Modafinil can cure writer’s block.

In an article MJ Hyland of The Guardian, the author talks about meeting an award-winning novelist who regularly uses Modafinil to beat writer’s block and produce as many words as possible each day [19].

In the words of the “famous novelist”, Modafinil offers major benefits:

“Yes, the change was major. Not to my psyche or personality, but it was dramatic. I went from utter fatigue to feeling like me on my best day.”

Learn more here.


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Good Enough For You?

Not everyone needs smart drugs, and we’re a firm believer that you shouldn’t take them every day unless you have been prescribed them by a doctor.

But there’s no denying that Modafinil and other nootropics can offer tremendous cognitive benefits in a wide variety of situations.

From battling writer’s block to pulling all-nighters and dominating athletic endeavors – Modafinil can work wonders.

P.S: If you’re looking to get a great deal, ordering Modafinil from our top-rated vendor.

P.S: If you're looking to get a great deal, ordering Modafinil from our top-rated vendor.


References

  1. Ballon JS, Feifel D. A systematic review of modafinil: Potential clinical uses and mechanisms of action. J Clin Psychiatry. 2006;67(4):554‐566. doi:10.4088/jcp.v67n0406
  2. Modafinil Oral: Uses, Side Effects, Interactions, Pictures, Warnings & Dosing. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-16962/modafinil-oral/details
  3. Modafinil: Indications, Side Effects, Warnings. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.drugs.com/cdi/modafinil.html
  4. (2019, August 18). Retrieved from https://www.drugs.com/cdi/modafinil.html
  5. Biederman J, Swanson JM, Wigal SB, Boellner SW, Earl CQ, Lopez FA; Modafinil ADHD Study Group. A comparison of once-daily and divided doses of modafinil in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled study. J Clin Psychiatry. 2006 May;67(5):727-35. doi: 10.4088/jcp.v67n0506. PMID: 16841622.
  6. Dackis CA, Kampman KM, Lynch KG, Pettinati HM, O’Brien CP. A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of modafinil for cocaine dependence. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2005 Jan;30(1):205-11. doi: 10.1038/sj.npp.1300600. PMID: 15525998.
  7. Baranski JV, Pigeau R, Dinich P, Jacobs I. Effects of modafinil on cognitive and meta-cognitive performance. Hum Psychopharmacol. 2004 Jul;19(5):323-32. doi: 10.1002/hup.596. PMID: 15252824.
  8. Ishizuka T, Sakamoto Y, Sakurai T, Yamatodani A. Modafinil increases histamine release in the anterior hypothalamus of rats. Neurosci Lett. 2003;339(2):143-146. doi:10.1016/s0304-3940(03)00006-5
  9. Brown RE, Stevens DR, Haas HL. The physiology of brain histamine. Prog Neurobiol. 2001;63(6):637-672. doi:10.1016/s0301-0082(00)00039-3
  10. Zolkowska D, Jain R, Rothman RB, Partilla JS, Roth BL, Setola V, Prisinzano TE, Baumann MH. Evidence for the involvement of dopamine transporters in behavioral stimulant effects of modafinil. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2009 May;329(2):738-46. doi: 10.1124/jpet.108.146142. Epub 2009 Feb 5. PMID: 19197004; PMCID: PMC2672878.
  11. Minzenberg MJ, Carter CS. Modafinil: a review of neurochemical actions and effects on cognition. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2008 Jun;33(7):1477-502. doi: 10.1038/sj.npp.1301534. Epub 2007 Aug 22. PMID: 17712350.
  12. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wh-t75Fi20w> [Accessed 23 October 2020].
  13. [online] Available at: <https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-white-house-mystery-drug> [Accessed 23 October 2020].
  14. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2OjNebEwXk> [Accessed 23 October 2020].
  15. [online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=zY7m5tYY3Cc#t=26s> [Accessed 23 October 2020].
  16. com. 2020. Do Entrepreneurs/Politicans (Elon Musk/Obama) Or Other Extremly Successful People Take Nootropics Or Other Stimulants? – Quora. [online] Available at: <https://www.quora.com/Do-entrepreneurs-politicans-Elon-Musk-Obama-or-other-extremly-successful-people-take-Nootropics-or-other-stimulants> [Accessed 23 October 2020].
  17. Lance Williams, M., 2020. What Bonds Told BALCO Grand Jury. [online] SFGATE. Available at: <http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/What-Bonds-told-BALCO-grand-jury-2667365.php> [Accessed 23 October 2020].
  18. bbc.co.uk. 2020. BBC SPORT | Athletics | White Stripped Of Medals. [online] Available at: <http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/3177582.stm> [Accessed 23 October 2020].
  19. the Guardian. 2020. The Drugs Do Work: My Life On Brain Enhancers. [online] Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/may/03/brain-enhancing-drugs-mj-hyland> [Accessed 23 October 2020].

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