New 'smart drug' abused by university students

Students across the UK are abusing a drug designed to combat sleeping disorders to help them to study for longer. The drug is Modafinil, and it has been estimated that around 25% of all Oxford university students are now using it.

Modafinil was developed to treat narcolepsy, the severe sleeping disorder that causes its victims to suddenly fall asleep with no warning. Narcoleptic patients have a disruption with the internal clock within the brain that controls sleep; the result is that the brain induces sleep during the day. The condition also causes insomnia. Modafinil boosts alertness of patients to help prevent the onset of sudden sleep.

Modafinil helps some students to become very focused and to concentrate on a single task. Its main benefit is that it causes wakefulness. Some websites market it as an alternative to drinking coffee and taking Pro Plus.

It is not just students who are using it. Dr Anders Sandberg, a research fellow at Oxford University, told Sky News that he has tried the drug.

The use of prescription drugs is not illegal in the UK; however, it is illegal for students to buy and then resell prescription drugs. Modafinil is readily available from internet shops, so there is little need for students to purchase it from their peers.

Modafinil is a relatively new medication and its long-term effects are not known; the drug was first developed during the 1970’s and approved for use in the UK in 2002.