Waking up to sleepiness: Modafinil, the media
and the pharmaceuticalisation of everyday/night life
by
Williams SJ, Seale C, Boden S,
Lowe P, Steinberg DL.
Department of Sociology,
University of Warwick, UK.
Sociol Health Illn. 2008 Apr 28.

ABSTRACT

This paper examines the social construction of the new wakefulness-promoting drug Modafinil (brand name Provigil) in the British press. Key themes in this newspaper coverage include the potential 'uses' and 'abuses' of this drug in relation to: (i) medical conditions; (ii) lifestyle choices; (iii) military operations; and (iv) sporting competition. The British press, we show, play a dual role in reporting on these trends and developments: on the one hand constructing this as something of a 'wonder drug' in relation to the treatment of a number of medical complaints or conditions, on the other hand articulating and amplifying a range of cultural concerns and anxieties about the non-medical 'uses' and 'abuses' of this drug, both now and in the future. These issues, it is argued, are best interpreted in terms of media concerns over the pharmaceuticalisation rather than the medicalisation of everyday/night life. The paper concludes with some further thoughts and reflections on these issues, including the potential reworking of notions of 'pharmaceutical Calvinism' and the 'elective affinity' between this 'smart' new drug and the spirit of (bio)capitalism.

Mood
Orexins
Serotonin
Dopamine
Glutamate
The sleep-switch
Modafinil: structure
Atypical depression
Modafinil and the aviator
Modafinil: pharmacokinetics
Modafinil and the marmoset
Modafinil wakes up sleepy flies
Modafinil versus amphetamine
Modafinil versus methylphenidate
Modafinil v amphetamine v placebo
Fatigue, sleepiness in major depression
Modafinil plus SSRIs for depression and fatigue
Dosing regimen effects of modafinil in narcolepsy
Mood-lifting effect of caloric restriction is mediated by orexin
Modafinil plus selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)

Refs
and further reading

HOME
HedWeb
Nootropics
cocaine.wiki
Future Opioids
BLTC Research
MDMA/Ecstasy
Superhapiness?
Utopian Surgery?
The Abolitionist Project
The Hedonistic Imperative
The Reproductive Revolution
Critique of Huxley's Brave New World

The Good Drug Guide
The Responsible Parent's Guide
To Healthy Mood Boosters For All The Family