New study finds positive effects of modafinil on mental illness

Nov 28, 2013 11:50 GMT  ·  By

According to the conclusions of a new scientific study, a drug commonly used for treating sleep disorders shows great promise as a side-kick to antidepressant medication in patients suffering from mental illness. The research was carried out by experts at the University of Cambridge, in the UK.

The study focused on modafinil, a compound that has proven to be very efficient in fighting sleep disorders. What researchers noticed was that the chemical appears to complement the actions of regular antidepressants, thus reducing the symptoms of depression in patients whose condition did not previously respond to treatment.

The work was carried out by experts at Cambridge, who worked closely with colleagues at the University of East London and King's College London. Full details of their research appear in a paper that was published in a recent online issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

This conclusion could help nearly a third of all diagnosed depression patients. For people in this group, taking antidepressants – even if coupled with counseling – does little to alleviate their symptoms. By adding modafinil to their treatment, doctors could also suppress the two main factors leading to relapse.

In people who are receiving treatment for depression, sleep disorders and fatigue syndrome often encourage a relapse of symptoms. The sleep medication can help prevent that, ensuring that the positive results of depression treatments last longer.

“Modafinil has actions on a number of neurotransmitter systems. This may explain why adding it to traditional anti-depressants, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, has beneficial effects on the symptoms experienced by depressed patients,” says Cambridge professor Barbara Sahakian.

“This is good news for individuals struggling to fight depression. Depression affects all aspects of life, leading to occupational and social disability at varying levels,” adds UEL professor Cynthia Fu, who was involved with the research effort while holding an appointment at King's College London.

The research group conducted its research on 568 patients suffering from unipolar depression and some 342 test subjects previously diagnosed with bipolar depression. Modafinil proved effective in improving participants' work performance as well.

Depression is one of the leading causes of low productivity in the work place. It is often the underlying factor for both presenteeism and absenteeism. The next step in this research “is for longer trials to evaluate potential benefits of supplementing antidepressants with modafinil more comprehensively,” concludes Cambridge professor, Dr. Muzaffer Kaser.