Modafinil And Birth Control - Everything You Should Know

Ever wondered what would happen if you took Modafinil and birth control pills together? If yes, then you are in the right place.

This detailed blog is going to clear all your doubts regarding the interaction of these two drugs, including their benefits and side effects. 

Basics About Modafinil And Birth Control Pills

Modafinil is a prescription wakefulness-promoting agent designed to treat excessive daytime sleepiness resulting from sleep disorders like narcolepsy, obstructive sleep apnea, and shift work sleep disorder. Its use is approved by the U.S. Food And Drug Administration and is sold under various brand names: Provigil, Modalert, and Modvigil [1]. 

Birth control pills are medications that consist of a small amount of hormones that work to prevent pregnancy by stopping ovulation (a phase of the menstrual cycle that involves the release of an egg from one of the ovaries) [2]. 

Birth Control Pills And Modafinil Interactions 

Modafinil is an enzyme inducer, meaning it increases the synthesis and activity of enzymes found in the liver. These enzymes are also responsible for breaking down the birth control pills. When the action or activity of the liver enzymes is enhanced, the contraceptive in the blood is swiftly broken down, giving it less time to show its effects as intended. 

Provigil And Birth Control - Clinical Studies

According to the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Modafinil during pregnancy can cause a 15% likelihood of birth defects and also reduces the effectiveness of oral contraception [3]. 

Modafinil increases the metabolism of hormonal contraception. Thus, they decrease the effectiveness of hormonal contraception, including injections, implants, vaginal rings, birth control pills, and transdermal patches, as stated by the reproductive psychiatry resource & information center [4]. 

Benefits Of Mixing Modafinil And Birth Control

This section of this blog is not an attempt to suggest that people should be taking birth control and modafinil together.

The motto of this section is to educate you on some of the hypothetical benefits that some people may experience while taking both drugs at the same time. 

This Combination Improves Emotional Memory

It is well-known that Modafinil increases emotional intelligence. Hormonal birth controls are also known to foster emotional memory (memories that are attached to a deep emotion within our psyche). If both medicines are consumed together, and a significant event happens, you would be far more likely to remember it for a long time. 

Reduces The Symptoms Of ADHD

An article postulated that a woman with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder would respond to her prescribed medication, such as Adderall and Ritalin, differently depending on which hormone is increased or elevated.

If estrogen is elevated, she will have a better response, and if it is progesterone, the response will be diminished.

Modafinil is effective in treating the symptoms of ADHD, and combining it with birth control can lessen the symptoms of the disorder significantly. 

Controls Depression

Mood changes and depression are frequent negative effects that women face while taking birth control pills. 

Modafinil, together with antidepressants, reduces the severity of depression. It has also shown beneficial effects on sleepiness as well as fatigue. 

Therefore, if you combine modafinil and antidepressants with birth control, you will reduce the symptoms of depression associated with the use of contraceptives. 

Adverse Events Of Mixing These Drugs Together:

Taking Modafinil with birth control simultaneously could lead to probable birth defects (as mentioned previously in this blog), such as fetal toxicity, poor physical development, and heart deformation. 

However, animal reproduction studies depicted an adverse event on the fetus, but there aren't adequate studies in humans. 

Females using birth control experience alleviating levels of perseverance when doing cognitive tasks, regardless of how simple or complex the tasks are. 

However, Modafinil can assist you in persevering through tasks that seem otherwise tough to accomplish. 

It would generally appear as if birth control lowers the mental edge being offered by the nootropic Modafinil [6]. 

The Key Takeaway 

Women who take birth control medicines while taking the wakefulness-promoting agent should know that the latter can decrease the efficacy of the former. It means one can even get pregnant even if they plan to stay away from it.

Make sure that you use another method of contraception while you're taking Modafinil to avoid unwanted pregnancy.