Modafinil and Kratom | What You MUST Know

If you’re looking for the Internet’s most comprehensive guide on combining Modafinil and Kratom together, you’ve come to the right place.

Both drugs have gained a notorious reputation within the medical community, but for different reasons.

Modafinil is what you would call a “super-performance” drug for insane productivity.

Not only can it be used on its own for hours of much-needed focus in today’s age of non-stop distractions, but it can also be stacked with other nootropics to create a killer combination.

Kratom, on the other hand, has a different story behind it. If you ask the FDA and other government officials, Kratom cannot safely or effectively treat any medical condition.

But if you ask people who have actually used it, you’ll hear a different picture. Kratom is useful for relieving anxiety, dealing with the side effects of opioid withdrawal, and managing moderate to severe pain.

Kratom and Modafinil seem like an odd combination — one relaxes you, the other energizes you.

So, can Modafinil and Kratom actually work together?

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What is Modafinil?

In case you’re hearing about Modafinil for the very first time, allow me to catch you up to speed…

Modafinil is a wakefulness-promoting prescription drug that was approved by the FDA in December 1998 for the treatment of narcolepsy.

However, it has been prescribed for other conditions such as shift work sleep disorder and obstructive sleep apnea. Basically, any condition where excessive sleepiness is a big problem for the patient[1].

But since 1998, people have discovered that Modafinil can do so much more.

Several healthy individuals – especially those in very stressful jobs – found out that Modafinil can REALLY enhance the intensity and duration of your concentration.

Today, Modafinil is well known for its off-label use: Helping people get “stuff” done better and faster, while literally outworking their competitors. 

And as for exactly how this nootropic works in your brain? It’s not exactly clear to researchers who have been studying this drug for the past couple decades.

What we do know for certain is that Modafinil increases dopamine, (the “feel good” neurotransmitter, in the brain by preventing its breakdown.

This explains why users of Modafinil tend to feel an incredible surge of motivation when they take it.

With this in mind, why would anybody even conceive the idea of stacking Modafinil and Kratom together? Let’s find out…

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What is Kratom?

By gaining a deeper understanding of Kratom’s origins and what it does to our mental performance, we can better understand why combining Kratom and Modafinil doesn’t sound so far-fetched.

Kratom, or Mitragyna speciosa, is a tropical tree that is indigenous to Indonesia, Thailand and various other countries in Southeast Asia. In those countries, it goes by several aliases such as “Ketum” and “Thom”.

The leaf extracts have been used for hundreds of years in traditional medicine to treat digestive problems, fatigue, pain, and several other ailments.

But its use has shifted significantly since then. Today, you’ll notice that many people are using it as a recreational drug so they can get high in a whole new way,

At the same time, there are many medical patients who are highly vouching for Kratom as an effective way to manage chronic pain and deal with the symptoms of opioid withdrawal.

So how does Kratom work?

Its effects can be traced to two primary active components[2]:

• Mitragynine
• 7-hydroxymitragynine

Both of these compounds bind to the main opioid receptors found in our brain and spinal cord, which is why many people believe Kratom operates as an opiate.

By doing so, Kratom delivers its pain-relieving effects to the user.

It is worth noting that morphine, fentanyl, and other strong opioids also bind to these same receptors. Yet they bind 10-100x more strongly to these receptors than either mitragynine or 7-hydroxymitragynine, so it’s unfair to classify Kratom as a “strong” drug.

Other notable benefits of these two compounds include relaxing stiff muscles, anti-inflammatory activity, and sedation when taken in larger quantities.

In summation, it seems like Kratom is a multi-purpose drug.

Take just a little bit and you’ll find yourself feeling more energized. Take a lot and you will feel sedated. Either way, Kratom takes a few minutes to kick in and its effects can last for hours.

If we apply the same train of thought to Modafinil, it seems like low doses of Kratom would be the perfect companion for achieving higher levels of cognitive performance.

But does the science agree with mixing Kratom and Modafinil together?

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What the Science Says About Modafinil and Kratom

Modafinil and Kratom seem to be like the awkward nerd and the hot cheerleader dating in high school: Nobody would have seen it coming from a mile away, but sometimes opposites attract!

Let’s dig deeper into the science and see if this combination is a match made in heaven.

Modafinil Benefits

• Modafinil Literally Improves Your Thinking

Modafinil’s worldwide recognition as a “smart drug” happened virtually overnight after researchers reviewed 24 placebo-controlled studies published between 1990 and 2014 in healthy people who were NOT sleep-deprived[3].

Modafinil allows you to make better decisions, plan ahead for the future more effectively and improves your performance on long and complicated tasks.

Many people were worried about these findings – what if students now have an unfair advantage over everyone else?

Even international video game organizations have Modafinil listed as a banned substance in tournaments…some going as far as to subject gamers to blood tests before they play.

Make no mistake about it: Modafinil actually works!

• Modafinil May Help With Pain-Induced Fatigue

A very interesting case report done in 2004 involved a patient who had chronic pain in their lower back and neck, which lead to severe fatigue[4].

When Modafinil was given to the patient, they were better able to use their lower back and neck, while also experiencing much less fatigue.

A possible explanation for this would be that Modafinil indirectly helps with pain management by improving one’s wakefulness, which helps them become more active.

• Modafinil Reduces The Mental Energy Needed For Tasks

Have you ever stared at a task and felt completely overwhelmed? Something that looks simple on paper, but ends up feeling too complicated to even get started on?

You end up in the “I don’t feel like it” mood where nothing important gets done.

From personal experience and from speaking to several digital nomads, Modafinil eliminates “analysis by paralysis” and gets you started on the task right away.

How, you may ask?

Because Modafinil improves wakefulness, you actually have more mental energy available at your disposal.

And since Modafinil enhances focus, all of your energy is appropriately laser-focused on the task at hand.

Your mental energy is not being wasted by thinking or worrying about anything else, so it’s almost like you’ve blasted through an invisible wall of procrastination.

Kratom Benefits

• Kratom Relieves Pain

As mentioned above, the #1 reason individuals take Kratom is for the pain relieving benefits. Kratom is a potent “natural opioid” and supposedly helps numerous individuals stay off prescription medications.

While the FDA certainly isn’t fond of the stuff, there’s no denying that Kratom has a team of loyal followers — many who use the supplement every single day to manage their pain.

• Kratom Relieves Physical Fatigue

Many people don’t know this, but manual laborers in southern Thailand have used Kratom to reduce fatigue brought on by working long hours under the scorching sun[5].

How exactly does this happen? A likely explanation is that Kratom improves blood flow and circulation at the right dose, which gives you more energy to work harder and longer.

• Kratom Can Help You Be More Sociable

This one is purely based on reports from other people, so no scientific studies for this one…yet.

Many people find themselves more comfortable in social situations after taking Kratom [6]. Their anxiety tends to melt away, and unfamiliar circumstances are far easier to navigate.

Used appropriately and responsibly, it’s a lot better than relying on liquid courage!

• Kratom May Help You Feel Less Depressed

There are times when you just have to hit deadlines no matter how blue you’re feeling.

While many people report feeling less anxious and depressed while using Kratom, this has not been verified in any human clinical trials.

To date, the only scientific evidence we have in relation to Kratom and depression is the antidepressant effect it has on mice models [7]

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Benefits of Kratom and Modafinil…When Combined

So when it comes to Modafinil and Kratom, what exactly happens when you put them together?

It’s honestly hard to say – there are VERY few studies examining their interactions together, and any Google search is full of subjective experiences from nootropic enthusiasts.

But with some degree of accuracy, we can definitely say the following:

• Modafinil and Kratom Help You Balance “Working Hard” And “Playing Hard”

Remember this good ol’ gem from The Wolf Of Wall Street movie…

“On a daily basis I consume enough drugs to sedate Manhattan, Long Island, and Queens for a month. I take Quaaludes 10-15 times a day for my “back pain”, Adderall to stay focused, Xanax to take the edge off, pot to mellow me out, cocaine to wake me back up again, and morphine…Well, because it’s awesome.”

In a way, you could say that Modafinil keeps you focused while Kratom mellows you out. Which means if you’re using both drugs to balance each other out, avoid taking them at the same time.

Take your normal dose of Modafinil before you start working, and make sure you get all of your important tasks done.

When you’re completely done, take a higher dose of Kratom to induce a relaxed state.

This combination should work fairly well because you need something to “fight” against the long-lasting wakefulness brought on by Modafinil.

In plain English, taking Kratom helps accelerate the transition from super-focused to super-relaxed

• Modafinil and Kratom Can Fight Opioid Addiction Together

For someone who is already using Kratom to fight the symptoms of opioid withdrawal, it turns out that Modafinil may help the recovery process.

In a study involving opiate-seeking rats who were hooked on morphine, higher doses of Modafinil helped the rats reduce the internal conditioning that made them addicted to morphine [8]:

“These findings indicate that modafinil may be a new preventive therapy for opiate dependence relapse in human addicts although this has to be approached cautiously.”

• Modafinil and Kratom Can 10x Your Productivity

Before you yell at me for saying that I’m contradicting the very first benefit of combining Kratom and Modafinil, hear me out…

Earlier in the article, I said that Modafinil combined with a low dose of Kratom could theoretically lead to a synergistic effect between the two.

This means would have even MORE focus and concentration than if you were taking either nootropic alone.

One person’s experience on the Shroomery Forum confirms that this combination could potentially have a significant effect on your daily productivity [9]:

“I have now on multiple ocassions taken 600-700 mg of adrafinil with 1-3 tsp of white vein, green maeng da or green borneo kratom.  all occasions have been fruitful, high mood. high energy, high motivation, very good for studying hanging around just really living.  not seizures or ill effects.”

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Side Effects | Modafinil and Kratom

Although I’ve set up the Modafinil and Kratom combo as the next best nootropic stack, there are some downsides you should be aware of.

Some of these side effects are worth second-guessing your decision to stack Kratom and Modafinil together, so pay close attention.

• Tonic-Clonic Seizures

A tonic-clonic seizure takes place when your muscles alternate between rhythmic jerking (clonic) and instantaneous stiffening/contracting (tonic). In most cases, it starts on both sides of your brain and proves fatal if not treated immediately.

There are several reported hospital cases where combining Kratom and other drugs to cope with opioid withdrawal led to these kinds of seizures [10].

Go on any nootropics forum and this is the very first thing people bring up when mentioning Modafinil and Kratom in the same sentence.

But if you take a look at these studies more closely, some of these patients were in pretty poor health already (one was a 64-year-old man who was a very liberal drinker and smoker for most of his adult life).

If there is ANY side effect you should be most cautious of, this would be the one!

• Dry Eyes And Mouth

One interesting property Modafinil and Kratom have in common is their ability to make the user feel dehydrated.

Since both nootropics release water from your body, you may find your eyes and your mouth feeling unusually dry.

It wouldn’t surprise me if this effect was synergistic in nature, so I recommend the following if you’re going to stack Kratom and Modafinil:

Drink AT LEAST a gallon of water (4 litres) on the day you use both drugs.

Trust me, this is not an unreasonable amount of water to be drinking in a 24 hour period.

Depending on how dehydrated you feel, you may even need to up your water intake to 6 litres (1.5 gallons) for the day.

• Hypertension

While Kratom won’t cause your blood pressure to rise when used responsibly, repeated use at a very high dose will likely lead to hypertension (i.e. elevated blood pressure).

And while Modafinil is one of the world’s safest nootropics, it can definitely increase blood pressure in people who are susceptible to heart problems.

You’ll definitely want to consult a medical professional if you’re someone who has struggled to manage blood pressure in the past.

• Absolutely Nothing Happens

Having read through several pages of forum discussions, this is indeed a real possibility. It’s entirely possible that Modafinil and Kratom’s positive effects could cancel each other out if taken at the same time.

Some users feel nothing. Some users feel their chest tightening up. And some people feel like they’re on “Cloud 9” the whole day long.

“Your mileage may vary”, or YMMV, as the popular Reddit expression goes.

If you find yourself in this position, there are two things you could investigate…

(1) Examine the strain of Kratom you are using.

The type of Kratom you are using can absolutely make a difference in the effect you feel, whether taken alone or used in combination with Modafinil.

For instance, the “Indo” strains are the most sedating while the “Maeng da” variant acts like a stimulant [11].

(2) Examine the dose of Kratom you are using.

You can use the following scale to assess how much Kratom you should be taking:

• Low doses (1-5 grams) = Stimulant-like effects such as reduced fatigue and better focus
• Moderate doses (5-15 grams) = A slight “high” and pain relief
• High doses (>15 grams) = Sedation, but a much higher risk of major side effects like dizziness and nausea

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Is It Worth the Risk? | Verdict

Modafinil and Kratom is a combination that doesn’t leave you with any kind of definitive answer.

When it comes to how they can enhance your day-to-day performance, you’re ultimately going to have to try it out and see if it works for you.

Your response is going to be very unique to you, and won’t necessarily match the experiences of other nootropic users.

So if you’re reading this and you’re 100% sure you want to stack Kratom and Modafinil together, you might as well get them from legitimate sources.

This comprehensive guide evaluates every legitimate Modafinil resource on the net and tells you where to spend your hard-earned money.

As for Kratom, considering that the DEA wants to make Kratom a Schedule I controlled substance, I can’t say for sure how long my American readers will be able to get their hands on it.

Fair warning: Make sure you check the state/federal laws in your country to ensure you can LEGALLY possess and use Kratom. 

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