Modafinil is a medication used to improve wakefulness in people with excessive sleepiness. It is commonly used to treat narcolepsy and shift work sleep disorder. Modafinil is also used off-label for other conditions that cause excessive sleepiness, such as chronic fatigue syndrome and multiple sclerosis.
Modafinil was first developed in France in the 1970s. It was approved for use in the United States in 1998. Modafinil is a Schedule IV controlled substance in the United States, meaning that it has a potential for abuse but is also considered to have a medical use.
