Whats the status of the drug modafinil in thailand?

[P4K]

So I have adhd and for what I do I need to stay focused for long periods at a time but ritalin and adderall are imposibble to get here. Theres a fairly new drug called modafinil thats effects are very similar to these other drugs, from what I've read online its legality/illegality is yet to be made official in thailand and its safe to have. In the states its a prescription only medication but the most recent thread I read states its okay to have but that was almost a year ago. I know 2 guys here who have already purchased them online and got the shipment and everything and it was fine but they also seem to not know its status in thailand and they are also a bit paranoid when it comes to ordering the pill from this chinese website. I really want these pills for concentration purposes so could I get in any sort of trouble for ordering 40 of them online?

Edited February 27, 2016 by P4K

[Sheryl]

There is no brand of Modafinil is approved for use in Thailand yet. Since there is no registered prepation, the Thai FDA has not yet assigned it a classification, but if/when they do it is a pretty good bet it will be a controlled substance.

While it is true that Adderrall is completely illegal here, Ritalin (and several generic equivalents) is not. It is, however, strictly controlled and can only be gotten from a hospital on doctor prescription, and they will probably not give you more than a month supply at a time. The main problem is that few Thai psychiatrists are familiar with ADHD in adults.

Get your complete medical records from whomever diagnosed your ADHD initially and consult a psychiatrist. Try this place for it as your average Thai pysch will not be familiar with ADHD in adults http://www.manarom.com/index_eng.html

[maanoi]

I ordered some online and had them sent here. No issues.

I did some research into the legality in Thailand at the time.

I believe you run the tiny risk of a small package being seized. But no fine or anything worse.

[inbangkok]

Modafinil is actually not that new. It has been sold under the brand name "Provigil" in the USA for a while now. However, it is absolutely nothing like adderal or ritilin. Both of those drugs act as central nervous system stimulants. Modafinil does not. Modafinil is actually a medicine used to keep narcoleptics awake. If you are used to taking one of these stimulants, I can assure you that modafinil comes nowhere near mimicking such an effect.

Adderall is not available in Thailand (most Asian countries for that matter) but ritilin is.

As Sheryl has stated, most Dr's here seem to be under the impression that ADD only exists in children and still don't seem to know much about it.

Modafinil is part of a drug group called "nootropics". There is another nootropics called "piracetam" which is available in Thailand at pharmacies.

Edited February 27, 2016 by inbangkok

[P4K]

Thanks for the replies, the guys who i know who have used adderall before compared the effects of modafinil to them but they did say its different but i guess the fact that it helps you stay awake longer also will increase your attention spam? Can someone who has used ritalin/adderall AND modafini further comment on this please?

The thing is ive actually never been diagnosed with adhd but my sister has and my middle school teacher even said he thinks i may have it, and i match all the symptoms to like the absolute max so im very sure i do have adhd but havent actually ever been diagnosed with it so have no prescription for such drugs. Probably a stupid question to ask here but is there anyway of aquiring ritalin without prescription?

Edited February 28, 2016 by P4K

[inbangkok]

Thanks for the replies, the guys who i know who have used adderall before compared the effects of modafinil to them but they did say its different but i guess the fact that its helps you stay awake longer also will increase your attention spam? Can someone who has used ritalin/adderall AND modafini further comment on this please?

The thing is ive actually never been diagnosed with adhd and my middle school teacher even said he thinks i may have it, and i match all the symptoms to like the max so im very sure i do have adhd but havent actually ever been diagnosed with it so have no prescription for such drygs. Probably a stupid question to ask here but is there anyway of aquiring ritalin wothout prescription?

I use both modafinil and ritilin when needed. I have a prescription for the ritilin here in Thailand. Do not attempt to acquire ritilin illegally. It will be viewed the same as attempting to acquire prescription narcotics illegally.

Modafinil is not the magic drug it is hyped up to be. Something keeping you awake longer will not necessarily translate to increased focus or productivity.

If you really think you have ADD, go see a psychiatrist, explain what's going on, and see if he is willing to let you try ritilin. Ritilin does have some unpleasant side effects though. Definitely not the first thing I would recommend trying.

Can I ask why you want medicine for what you believe is ADD? Are you a student? Are you studying? Or do you believe it will just have a generally positive effect on your life and maybe offer some improvements?

[P4K]

Thanks and i need it due study/work related issues its for something that ive given a lot of time trying to do naturally (diet,sleep) but now ive realised that at some points i will need something extra stronger such as ritalin and or aderall, ive only tried aderall a couple of times but it helped me alot. And i know that i cant officially say i have adhd (its not something im trying to blame for my lack of self discipline) but name any symptom and i have it, i realised i had adhd in highschool but unfortunetly was never able to see a psychiatrist over this.

Could i as a foreigner see a psychiatrist for ritalin here in thailand? Im gonna be hear until the end of the year and i cant really wait until i got back home

[inbangkok]

Thanks and i need it due study/work related issues its for something that ive given a lot of time trying to do naturally (diet,sleep) but now ive realised that at some points i will need something extra stronger such as ritalin and or aderall, ive only tried aderall a couple of times but it helped me alot. And i know that i cant officially say i have adhd (its not something im trying to blame for my lack of self discipline) but name any symptom and i have it, i realised i had adhd in highschool but unfortunetly was never able to see a psychiatrist over this.

Could i as a foreigner see a psychiatrist for ritalin here in thailand? Im gonna be hear until the end of the year and i cant really wait until i got back home

Of course you can see a psychiatrist here. Whether or not he agrees to prescribe you ritilin will of course be up to him. But again, I would highly advise against trying to obtain it any other way.

[P4K]

My goal is to better keep to my schedule which includes study and put more hours towards my job (which requires a heavy ammount of mental focus), in this case would modafinil help? My goal isnt to stay up longer but rather to be more consistent with my schedule and to work longer hours without being distracted.

Is modafinil a drug you can safely take on a semi daily basis? Pretty much i should be working 6 hours a day and in the past 6 months ive been doing under 3. I feel like i have roughly 8 hours after waking up to be mentally efficent enough to do my job well because around 9-10 hours after waking up i start feeling mental lack of focus. And also im pretty hyper/energetic in mornings and tend to only start work like 4-5 hours after waking up so you can see the problem. Ive tried many times to keep to a schedule but it never last more than 5 days max

[P4K]

(Ignore this post)

Edited February 28, 2016 by P4K

[inbangkok]

My goal is to better keep to my schedule which includes study and put more hours towards my job (which requires a heavy ammount of mental focus), in this case would modafinil help? My goal isnt to stay up longer but rather to be more consistent with my schedule and to work longer hours without being distracted.

Is modafinil a drug you can safely take on a semi daily basis? Pretty much i should be working 6 hours a day and in the past 6 months ive been doing under 3. I feel like i have roughly 8 hours after waking up to be mentally efficent enough to do my job well because around 9-10 hours after waking up i start feeling mental lack of focus. And also im pretty hyper/energetic in mornings and tend to only start work like 4-5 hours after waking up so you can see the problem. Ive tried many times to keep to a schedule but it never last more than 5 days max

In my honest opinion, no modafinil is probably not going to help with what you describe. However, it is obviously up to you if you wish to try it.

Modafinil has a pretty good track record in terms of safety ( besides possibly rendering birth control inefficient when used by women).

Considering you have tried adderall and claim it helps, ritilin would probably work better for you then modafinil. I am assuming you obtained the adderall illegally since you say you have never seem a psychiatrist and I would not recommend revealing that to whatever Dr you may see in Thailand.

[Sheryl]

Serious trouble if you are caught with unprescribed ritalin here...very serious. Don't even consider it.

Contact the hospital I gave the link to, ask to see a psychiatrist familiar with ADHD in adults and take it from there.

Note that anxiety disorders will cause difficulty in concentration too, so a differential diagnosis is important.

[Maestro]

Removed a post with a commercial link.

[Hal65]

Anyone hear news regarding shifting legal status for Modafinil? I don't want to buy a pack and then it become controlled shortly after.

[Sheryl]

I have not heard anything, but there is no registered brand of it in Thailand i.e. you will not be able to buy it here.

 

It is not on the list of restricted drugs, though, and the generic is on the drug list. To my understanding that would mean OK  to bring it in with you in small amount.