Bipolar disorder is a type of mental illness that frequently has serious consequences. Delay in diagnosing BPD is caused by a number of myths and misconceptions about the disorder. The condition’s diagnosis and therapy are likewise tricky and ill-defined. The hazards connected to BPD, however, are rather severe. BPD patients suffer self-harm at a rate of 30–40% and 6% commit suicide. More BPD awareness has to be spread so that individuals may quickly identify its symptoms and seek treatment. It is also crucial for BPD therapy to continue to advance.

Modafinil, a new smart drug, has been helping people with various mental illnesses. It is fairly safe to consume even though it is a CNS stimulant. As a result, it is now possible to buy Modafinil online, even without a prescription. In this article, we’ll go through all we currently know about BPD from the perspective of medical professionals before examining if Modafinil could be able to treat BPD.

 

An overview of Bipolar Disorder 

Bipolar disorder, as its name implies, is a mental condition in which 2 very extreme mental illnesses appear at the same time or in cyclical patterns. This means that individuals with BPD experience the symptoms of two distinct mental illnesses. Mania and sadness are these ailments. While most of us are aware of the term “depression” and recognize it as a disease, mania is frequently not considered a disease despite the fact that it can be more harmful than depression and is associated with a higher risk of suicide.

A cyclical cycle of sadness and mania affects those with BPD. The strength and frequency of each, however, differs from individual to individual. For instance, while the strength of the phases may vary, some persons experience profound depression with only rare mania while others undergo phase transitions on cue. This leads to the classification of bipolar disorder into three subgroups.

Subtypes 

• Bipolar I Disorder – A severe form of bipolar disorder, type I BPD, is characterized by occasional episodes of intense mania and profound depression. Each phase may occur more frequently or continue longer, and they are not required to be on schedule.
• Bipolar II Disorder – In type II BPD, people still experience major depression, but the severity of the manic phases is somewhat less severe. Since the depressed stages of this variety of BPD sometimes continue longer than the manic episodes, it is frequently misinterpreted as depression or Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).
• Cyclothymia – Cyclothymia is a more common kind of BPD that shows alternating mania and depression in cycles of submaximal intensity.

 

Cause

The exact pathophysiology of BPD is yet to be fully explained, much like most other mental diseases. However, it is mostly thought to be a disorder where patients’ brains lose some degree of control over their emotions. Patients with BPD typically have abnormalities in the limbic system, which is part of the ventricular prefrontal cortex region of the brain. There seem to be reasons to think BPD is hereditary, and those who have close relatives who have the disease are more likely to get it themselves. Additionally, three genes have been found to closely relate to BPD. However, BPD can also be brought on by environmental factors, like trauma. Bipolar illness is frequently brought on by acquired neurological disturbances.

 

Treatment 

Psychotherapy and medication are used to treat BPD. To treat BPD, the following drugs are commonly used:

• Lithium, carbamazepine, valproic acid, and lamotrigine and similar mood stabilizers
• Aripiprazole with SSRI antidepressants
• Olanzepine, haloperidol, and risperidone, like antipsychotic medications.

 

Symptoms

Cycles of depression and mania are among the signs of BPD. Hypomania is a milder kind of mania that can also emerge. The following is a list of these conditions’ warning signs:

 

Depression	Mania	Hypomania
significant lack of interest irregular sleeping patterns sad mood weariness or sluggish behavior  restlessness or energy loss sense of insignificance unsuitable guilt  uncertainty suicidal ideation	unusual happy, jittery, or frantic increased energy, activity, or excitement inflated feeling of happiness and confidence  fewer sleep hours required excessive talkativeness flustered thinking distractibility inadequate decision-making	euphoric  extreme sensation of well-being  excessively energized  angry and irritated increased sexual vigor distracted  lack of attention

 

Modafinil for BPD Treatment: Would it Work?

Modafinil is a CNS stimulator that mainly works by altering the dopamine pathway in the body. Modafinil is a molecule that can bind to the dopamine reuptake proteins in neurons. As a result, both the amount of time dopamine spends in neural synapses and its effect increase. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter responsible for creating feelings of focus, satisfaction, pleasure, and euphoria. This means that you will feel good whenever dopamine is present in the neural synapses. Naturally, the body also has a contrasting mechanism to deactivate these feelings. This happens when small reuptake proteins on the neurons actively bind to the dopamine in the neural synapse and remove it from there. Modafinil binds to these reuptake proteins so that they cannot bind to dopamine and therefore remove it from the synapse. 

Can modafinil be used to treat BPD?

Several psychiatrists now prescribe modafinil to people, especially young adults, with early-stage BPD. 

As we discussed above, the treatment of BPD often involves treating depression and mania as separate conditions. Modafinil has been found to be quite effective in the treatment of depression. Most present-day drugs involve prolonging the effect of serotonin in the body. Drugs that affect the amount of dopamine, although available, are usually not prescribed to patients with depression due to the high risks of dependency. Modafinil does not run the risk of dependence. It opens the avenue for bringing dopamine into the conversation regarding the treatment of depression. Several recent studies suggest that dopamine is more effective for depression than serotonin. 

Speaking of the treatment for mania, it might sound counterintuitive to prescribe a drug that can give euphoria to manic individuals. It is important to note here that modafinil is only a mild DRI and does not cause strong euphoria. Its effects are mostly seen as motivation and, most importantly, focus. It is likely for manic individuals to lose focus, a problem that modafinil can definitely help with. 

Conclusion

We went into great detail on the symptoms and causes of BPD in this blog. We also spoke about how Modafinil affects our body and how it operates. Our conversations made it clear that utilizing Modafinil to treat BDP can provide a fresh approach to care and produce incredibly effective outcomes.