Adderall/Modafinil: Off-label uses of prescription drugs?

Question

I take adderall. It sharpens my brain and its great for me. I need this, it's the only way I can survive. My problem is my dependency. If I don't take it, I basically lose the day in my bed. Also, its an amphetamine. I've seen pictures of methheads years after. I don't know if adderall would contribute to aging like that but DANG. I'm also worried about it speeding my heart up too dramatically.

Now I've been reading about Modafinil. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modafinil)

Apparently its main use is for narcolepsy, but it significantly increases (for lack of better words) brain power. The FDA decided not to offer it to people with ADHD even though it helps basically because it may cause a skin rash in some people. I would be interested in taking that risk and trying to see how I like it.

How would my psych react if I suggested something like this? Would a doctor even consider encouraging an FDA decided off-label use? Would I have to fake narcolepsy to even try out a script?

Answer 1

For one, Doctors are allowed to proscribe any drug, to treat any symptom or disease they want, provided they have a rational for using it. You don't have to have a diagnosis of 'narcolepsy', though some insurance companies would decline to pay for it if you didn't.

Adderall is an amphetamine, but there's a massive difference in potency here. Meth is smoked and taken in huge doses, or injected. Adderall is in small doses and in a pill. You would literally have to take dozens of times a normal dose, if not more, to have comparable damage.