Modafinil and eSports | What You MUST Know

Curious about Modafinil and eSports? If so, you’re in the perfect place.

Over the past decade, the eSports industry has experienced exponential growth, generating global revenue of over $160 billion last year alone. With a number of major gaming tournaments offering serious prize money, fierce competition has led many gamers to start experimenting with smart drugs in a quest to level up their game.

As one of the most popular and powerful cognitive enhancers in the world, Modafinil has attracted significant interest within the eSports community. Many players have reportedly tried this nootropic or are thinking about doing so, and many more have heard about its legendary benefits.

But whether you’re a casual observer, or an eSports gamer curious about Modafinil for gaming, there are a few things you must know.

In this guide, we’ll give you an overview of Modafinil, its benefits and side effects and what makes it potentially helpful for eSports gaming.

But because you should not take Modafinil outside your doctor’s supervision, you may also be interested to learn about natural, non-prescription based alternatives. At the end of this guide, we’ll share our top two recommendations for Modafinil alternatives that may help you succeed in eSports gaming.

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What Is Modafinil?

Modafinil is a prescription-only pharmaceutical used to treat sleep-related disorders such as narcolepsy and sleep apnea [1]. It’s a type of drug known as a “eugeroic” — meaning it has a very strong effect on wakefulness. Modafinil was first released in France in the early 1990s, and received FDA approval in 1998.

In the early 2000s, Modafinil started attracting widespread attention for its cognitive benefits. When healthy individuals take Modafinil, it acts as a powerful stimulant. Thus it became extremely popular in neuro-hacker circles as a nootropic, and quickly replaced Adderall as the study drug of choice among high-achieving students.

Studies have shown that Modafinil greatly increases focus, concentration, working memory and stress resistance, while producing few side effects of major concern [2].

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What Are eSports?

For any non-gamers out there, the term “eSports” (or electronic sports) encompasses any type of competitive video game playing. While some eSports tournaments take place entirely online, others are held in front of a live audience, just like a football or baseball match, where crowds watch elite players (or teams of players) duke it out to win prizes.

The eSports scene has grown exponentially over the past decade and is now a global, multi-billion dollar industry with millions of players and fans. The most popular eSports tournaments, such as those based on the games League of Legends and Fortnite, attract global audiences of spectators, both in-person and online, and have prize pools worth millions of dollars.

Unlike most other sports, eSports competitions do not generally classify players based on their physical traits or characteristics.

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Is Modafinil Legal in eSports?

The short answer is that Modafinil is banned by almost all major eSports organizations. Every major eSports tournament currently offering serious prize money has strict rules about what players can and cannot take, and Modafinil is strictly forbidden.

ESL, the world’s largest eSports organization, works in partnership with NADA (the National Anti Doping Agency of Germany) and WADA (the World Anti-Doping Agency) to implement a drug testing policy for its eSports tournaments [3]. Modafinil is listed as a prohibited substance by WADA [4] and is banned at all eSports competitions.

In practice, online-only eSports competitions have no way of reliably drug testing players. But most major in-person eSports tournaments have started conducting saliva tests during tournament days while respecting players’ privacy.

In cases where eSports players have a valid prescription for Modafinil, they must notify the tournament organizer in advance to verify that the medication is taken for the right reasons.

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Modafinil and Gaming | Benefits

In a gaming context, there’s no denying that Modafinil offers research-backed benefits. It’s perhaps the most effective brain-boosting compound on the planet and can be extremely helpful for gamers looking to increase their performance.

Based on years’ worth of research and clinical data, let’s outline some of the potential benefits of Modafinil for gaming:

Increased Focus and Concentration

As a eugeroic, Modafinil’s main effect is that it increases levels of histamine in the brain far beyond normal levels [5], giving the user a sense of hypervigilance and alertness. A single 200 mg Modafinil pill is generally enough to keep histamine levels elevated for over 12 hours, making it very tough to lose focus or feel sleepy [6]. Modafinil gives the user an ability to stay focused for hours on end, and we believe this would readily translate to success in the focus-intensive environment of eSports.

More Mental Energy

Many users compare Modafinil’s energy-boosting effects to taking a massive amount of caffeine. It might help the user game for hours on end, which is perfect if you’re trying to succeed in eSports. Unlike caffeine, however, Modafinil doesn’t make the user feel jittery and it won’t cause energy levels to crash after a few hours. The user typically experiences a smooth boost of mental energy that lasts for over 12 hours.

Enhanced Working Memory and Creativity

Working memory, also known as short-term memory, is one of the keys to success in eSports. Modafinil gives working memory a huge boost because it increases levels of dopamine [7]. This important neurotransmitter increases both working memory and the ability to concentrate for extended periods [8]. Dopamine has also been linked to creative thinking and could thus help gamers out-strategize their opponents [9] [10].

Stress Resistance

While playing eSports, it’s easy to crack under the pressure and underperform. Modafinil could help here, too. It has been proven to reduce the sensitivity of the part of the brain that processes fear, the amygdala [11]. Even when a user is facing huge levels of stress and pressure, Modafinil is likely to help them think clearly and logically.

Overall, there’s no denying that Modafinil will likely enhance your eSports performance. However, it doesn’t necessarily come at no cost. In the next section, we’ll look at some of Modafinil’s main side effects that you must know about.

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Modafinil and eSports | Side Effects, Safety and Risks

As you’re already well aware, Modafinil isn’t perfect and does cause some side effects. After all, there’s a reason why it’s a prescription-only medication in most countries around the world.

The good news is that Modafinil is generally considered to be a safe drug. It’s been widely studied since the 1980s and is non-addictive and well-tolerated by healthy adults.

Studies have shown that the most commonly reported Modafinil side effects include headaches, diarrhea, anxiety, nausea, a dry mouth or throat and, of course, insomnia [12]. If that list seems unsettling, it’s helpful to know that Modafinil is routinely given to military pilots so there’s a ton of data about how people react to it. The latest studies suggest that a small percentage of pilots who take Modafinil experience an adverse reaction [13].

If you do decide to take Modafinil to help with your eSports gaming — a use of the drug which we do not encourage, you can mitigate many Modafinil side effects by taking a few simple precautions.

First, Modafinil acts as an appetite suppressant, which makes it easy to forget to eat and drink while you are gaming or doing any task, for that matter. All users need to stay well-hydrated and stick to their regular meal times when taking this drug. Drinking at least two liters of water per day will help the user avoid things like headaches and a dry throat or mouth.

Secondly, Modafinil can interfere with sleep and cause insomnia. Unless you’re actually trying to stay up all night for a mammoth gaming session, experience suggests it’s best to take your dose early in the morning, before 10 am. Modafinil’s half-life is about 12 hours, so if you decide to use the drug, you have to bear in mind that it’ll still be in your system when you lay down to sleep at night. However, based on our own experience, coupled with anecdotal user reports on Reddit, it’s certainly possible to maintain a normal sleep schedule while taking Modafinil off-label [14].

The most serious risk of taking Modafinil is that it can, in extreme circumstances, lead to dependence. As it increases dopamine in the brain, it must be used responsibly. But to date, the only documented case of someone becoming “hooked” on Modafinil was a man who had been taking 1,200 mg per day [15]. That’s far more than the recommended dose of 200 mg per day.

To avoid any issues related to dependence, we would take no more than 200 mg of Modafinil per day, two or three times per week. After two months, we give ourselves a two-week break.

By following this basic protocol, we have been able to avoid issues with Modafinil.

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Modafinil Alternatives for Gamers

As Modafinil is banned by most eSports organizations, together with the fact that it’s a prescription drug, you may have to look elsewhere to get your cognitive boost. Fortunately, there are two natural nootropics that can help you improve your eSports gaming without falling afoul of competition rules.

While these nootropic supplements cannot match the power of Modafinil, we find them to be safe, legal and effective alternatives for both aspiring gamers and professional eSports competitors.

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Mind Lab Pro

Mind Lab Pro® is hands down the most powerful nootropic for gamers we’ve ever reviewed (outside of Modafinil, of course). We think it’s the closest thing you can get to Modafinil without needing a prescription — in short, it works. Its formula is made up of 11 research-backed natural nootropic ingredients that will help you power your way to victory in any eSports tournament.

Every serving of Mind Lab Pro contains:

• Bacopa monnieri, a natural herb extract that’s been scientifically proven to increase reaction times [16] and boost cognition [17]. Just what you need to excel in eSports.
• Citicoline is a naturally occurring compound found in cell membranes. Studies have shown that it can improve mood [18] and protect the brain from stress [19]. This makes it helpful for those who engage in high-stakes eSports competitions.
• Lion’s Mane Mushroom, a safe cognitive booster that improves short-term memory [20] and helps guard against cognitive impairment [21].
• L-theanine, an amino acid that’s great for creativity [22], and will help you out-strategize your competition.
• Maritime Pine Bark, a natural extract shown to improve spatial memory [23].
• N-acetyl L-tyrosine, an amino acid that studies have shown helps prevent fatigue [24] while boosting mental energy [25].
• Phosphatidylserine, a fatty substance that helps keep your short-term memory sharp. This is great for mental clarity and ideal for eSports [26].
• Rhodiola rosea, a plant extract shown by scientific studies to increase mental energy while combating stress [27].
• Vitamins B6, B9, and B12, all of which have been shown to promote healthy blood flow to the brain.

As you can see, all of these ingredients are 100% backed by solid research. They work in synergy to help you excel at eSports while also looking after your long-term brain health, something that Modafinil does not necessarily do.

So if you’re looking for an all-in-one cognitive booster to help you succeed in eSports, Mind Lab Pro is highly recommended!

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G FUEL

The second Modafinil alternative for gamers that we recommend is G FUEL. In case you had not heard, G FUEL is well-known as “the official drink of eSports” and gives you an immediate increase in energy, focus and concentration, without the side effects of sugar, toxic chemicals, or additives that are found in other popular energy drinks.

Some of the reasons why we rate G FUEL so highly are:

• Fast Acting: G FUEL takes just 10-15 minutes to kick in and starts producing a boost in energy and alertness.
• Long-Lasting: A single serving of G FUEL gave us increases in energy and focus lasting up to 6 hours!
• No Crash: As a sugar-free drink, there’s NO CRASH once the effects of G FUEL wear off!
• Extremely Convenient: You can buy G FUEL ready-to-drink, or as a powdered formula to mix with water. You can buy either a 40-serving tub or single-serving stick packs, giving you convenience on the go.

If you’re looking for the mental energy and focus of Modafinil without falling afoul of eSports rules, G FUEL is ideal. It will help you level up your brain, and maximize your gaming performance without the side effects of prescription-grade nootropics.

Highly recommended! Order here.

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eSports and Modafinil | Verdict

If you were curious about Modafinil and eSports, we hope that this guide has addressed all of your questions and concerns. While there’s no doubt that gamers can significantly enhance their performance with Modafinil, it comes with a host of side effects and is prohibited by all major eSports organizations.

That’s why if you’re looking to crush your competition, we recommend sticking with non-prescription cognitive enhancers like Mind Lab Pro and G FUEL. Leave the prescription drugs and sugary energy drinks to the noobs and level up your game without getting the banhammer.

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