Since the movie "Limitless" came out, a lot of people have been yearning to get a real life version of NZT-48.
While that isn't highly possible, some have found a drug called "moda" which seems to be giving the same results: it helps them work better, have better focus, and stay awake.
"Really helps my typing speeeeed omg I am so fast so fast so fast so fast so fast so fast so fast so fast so fast," a user said on a Facebook page dedicated to the drug. While another user wrote, "My brain is ninja level."
So what is moda? It's short for modafinil, a drug approved by the U.S. FDA for narcolepsy. The drug is sold in the country with the brand name Provigil.
Of course, those who use the drug to heighten their cognitive abilities as an NZT-48 alternative obtain the drug illegally and have taken it off-label, in addition to the lack of prescriptions.
According to VICE News, the drug has been pushed into the spotlight thanks to a review of 24 studies that date as far back as 1990.
It was found that while the drug does improve cognitive abilities, researchers say that the findings were subtler than what the headlines actually perceive it to be.
Modafinil has been compared to Adderall and Ritalin, two drugs approved in treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and specific sleep disorders.
The three drugs have been popular in individuals who don't actually have the disorders, but use the drug to help with working or studying.
It is still not clear how modafinil works on the brain. Although it's deemed as a stimulant like Adderall and Ritalin, modafinil doesn't increase dopamine and norepinephrine.
In fact, modafinil has been deemed to decrease gamma-aminobutryic acid that slows the brain. Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital pharmacist Amy Potts claims that the drug's "double negative" effect is what makes modafinil as a stimulant.
