armodafinil: Price, Dosage & Where to Buy

Armodafinil is a wakefulness-promoting medicine used to improve alertness in adults with excessive sleepiness linked to obstructive sleep apnoea, narcolepsy or shift work disorder. It treats sleepiness rather than the airway blockage in obstructive sleep apnoea, and normal alertness may not fully return during treatment. Armodafinil requires a prescription in the United Kingdom.

Armodafinil is used for excessive sleepiness in adults with obstructive sleep apnoea, narcolepsy or shift work disorder. Its purpose is to improve wakefulness in these conditions. In obstructive sleep apnoea, it treats sleepiness but does not treat the underlying airway blockage.

Where continuous positive airway pressure, known as CPAP, is the chosen treatment, the label calls for an adequate effort to use CPAP before armodafinil is started for sleepiness. Treatment does not necessarily restore normal alertness, so ongoing assessment of sleepiness remains necessary.

The label lists oral tablets in strengths of 50 mg, 150 mg, 200 mg and 250 mg. The label lists 150 mg to 250 mg once a day as a single morning dose for obstructive sleep apnoea or narcolepsy. The label lists 150 mg once a day as a single dose approximately one hour before the start of a work shift for shift work disorder.

The label lists doses up to 250 mg/day for obstructive sleep apnoea as well tolerated, but with no consistent evidence of additional benefit beyond 150 mg/day. The label lists a reduced dose for people with severe liver impairment. The label lists consideration of lower doses and close monitoring for older people.

These are label dosing facts, rather than a personal treatment plan. The appropriate regimen depends on the condition being treated and the prescriber's assessment.

Armodafinil belongs to a group of medicines called wakefulness-promoting agents. These medicines affect chemical signals in the brain that help regulate sleep and alertness. Armodafinil can reduce the removal of dopamine, a chemical messenger, from the spaces between nerve cells.

This helps support signals involved in staying awake. Its full wakefulness-promoting mechanism is not completely understood. Improving alertness does not remove the underlying airway blockage in obstructive sleep apnoea.

There are limited human pregnancy data, and these are insufficient to establish the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Restricted growth in the womb and miscarriage have been reported in association with armodafinil and modafinil. Animal studies suggest that armodafinil may harm an unborn baby.

There are no data on armodafinil in human milk, its effects on breastfed infants or its effect on milk production. Modafinil was found in rat milk. Discuss pregnancy or breastfeeding with a doctor so that treatment needs and potential risks can be considered.

A missed dose may mean that sleepiness is less well controlled. Do not double a dose to make up for a missed dose.

Timing matters with a wakefulness-promoting medicine, as insomnia can occur. Ask a pharmacist or prescriber how to handle a missed dose, especially if it is close to the next scheduled dose or the usual sleep period.

The label specifies storage at 20° to 25°C. Keep the tablets out of the sight and reach of children, and follow the storage directions on the pack to maintain quality.