PlainPill

Amphetamine vs Modafinil for focus

Short answer: For focus, users rate them about the same: 85% report improvement with Amphetamine (428 reports) and 86% with Modafinil (689 reports).

Amphetamine has 258 meta-analyses and 521 randomized trials on PubMed; Modafinil has 155 and 297.

Based on 878 reports about Amphetamine and 1,613 about Modafinil. Not medical advice.

Amphetamine
Medication
Modafinil
Medication
Users say it helped35%helped606 reports · high confidence50%helped936 reports · high confidence
Verdict
Mixed
Mixed
ResearchAResearch: StrongAResearch: Strong
Meta-analyses / RCTs258 / 521155 / 297
Mainly used for
Focus
% reporting improvement
85% (428)86% (689)
Energy
% reporting improvement
75% (146)93% (485)
Mood
% reporting improvement
48% (132)64% (125)
Anxiety
% reporting improvement
38% (56)30% (87)
Sleep
% reporting improvement
9% (35)21% (94)
Common side effectstolerance, anxiety, insomnia, jitterinessinsomnia, anxiety, headache, tolerance
Typical dose reportedNot listedNot listed
Amphetamine
Latest review conclusion

Overall, despite a class effect of improving clinical response relative to placebo, there were few differences among the individual ADHD pharmacotherapies, and most studies were at risk of at least one important source of bias. Furthermore, the certainty of the evidence was very low to low for all outcomes, and there was limited reporting of long-term adverse events. As such, the choice between ADHD pharmacotherapies may depend on individual patient considerations, and future studies should assess the long-term effects of individual pharmacotherapies on patient-important outcomes, including qu

PLoS One, 2020 ↗
What a user said
“Unfortunately the only thing that's ever works for me was using adderall. I didn't feel hungry until 3 pm and it was perfect.”
Full Amphetamine profile →
Modafinil
Latest review conclusion

Our findings represent the most comprehensive available evidence base to inform patients, families, clinicians, guideline developers, and policymakers on the choice of ADHD medications across age groups. Taking into account both efficacy and safety, evidence from this meta-analysis supports methylphenidate in children and adolescents, and amphetamines in adults, as preferred first-choice medications for the short-term treatment of ADHD. New research should be funded urgently to assess long-term effects of these drugs.

Lancet Psychiatry, 2018 ↗
What a user said
“It did make me focused and alert. I was working two jobs at the time and needed every ounce of energy I could muster.”
Full Modafinil profile →

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Percentages come from first-hand user reports and are not clinical outcomes. Talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or combining anything. How we rate