Modafinil
An oral drug first approved by the FDA in 1998 for the treatment of narcolepsy, a condition in which there is an uncontrollable desire to sleep. Modafinil promotes wakefulness. In 2004 the FDA also approved modafinil for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea and sleeping problems caused by shift work.
Modafinil is said to be in common “off-label” use by college students, truckers, and others who want to stay awake when normally they should be sleeping. The drug is reportedly also being prescribed for numerous other problems including fatigue, depression, multiple sclerosis, and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). Some of these “off-label” uses may prove legitimate while others may be abuses of the drug.
Modafil stimulates the brain without producing the jitteriness of caffeine or the addiction and euphoria of amphetamines. Modafinil is believed to act by affecting dopamine and other neurotransmitters including histamine and norepinephrine. It is sold under the brand name Provigil.
Read Also:
- Modifiers, biological response (BRMs)
Substances that stimulate the body’s response to infection and disease. The body naturally produces small amounts of these substances. Scientists can produce some of them in the laboratory in large amounts for use in treating cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and other diseases. BMRs used in biological therapy include monoclonal antibodies interferon, interleukin-2 (IL-2), and several types […]
- MODY
Maturity onset diabetes of the young.
- Mohs surgery
A type of surgery that is used for the treatment of skin cancer, especially basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin. Mohs surgery is designed to remove all the cancerous tissue while removing as little of the healthy tissue as possible. This type of surgery is especially helpful when the physician is not […]
- Moisturize
To dampen; to replenish lost liquid; to add vapor; to humidify. “Moisturize” usually suggests that the thing receiving liquid is made slightly wet, but is not saturated. Over-the-counter (OTC) skin lotions contain ingredients that moisturize dry skin, making it soft and supple but not wet. Humidifiers vaporize water to moisturize dry air. The term “moist […]
- Molar
In dentistry, a molar is one of the posterior teeth well adapted to grinding, in keeping with its origin from the Latin mola meaning millstone.