Can You Take Modafinil With Energy Drinks? Risks, Warnings, and Who Should Avoid It

Yes, you can take modafinil with an energy drink, but doing so increases total stimulant exposure and makes side effects more likely. Modafinil is a wakefulness-promoting medication approved for narcolepsy, shift work disorder, and obstructive sleep apnea–related sleepiness. Energy drinks typically contain caffeine, another stimulant. The combination is not listed as contraindicated, but overlapping stimulant effects can increase insomnia, anxiety, palpitations, and cardiovascular strain, particularly in susceptible individuals.

What matters most for safety

Modafinil is classified as a central nervous system stimulant with wakefulness-promoting properties. Its exact mechanism of action is not fully understood. It inhibits dopamine reuptake, and it has been postulated to influence orexin and histamine pathways. The drug has an elimination half-life of approximately 15 hours, meaning its effects can persist throughout the day after a morning dose.

Common adverse effects of modafinil include headache, nausea, decreased appetite, anxiety, insomnia, dizziness, and diarrhea. These effects are well documented. Because energy drinks also contain stimulants, combining them increases overall stimulant burden and makes these effects more likely.

Insomnia is already one of the most common adverse effects of modafinil. Adding additional stimulant intake increases the probability of sleep disruption.

Cardiovascular considerations

In short-term controlled trials, modafinil did not produce clinically significant mean changes in blood pressure compared with placebo. However, a greater proportion of patients taking modafinil required new or increased antihypertensive medication. Prescribing guidance advises caution in patients with preexisting cardiovascular disease, including left ventricular hypertrophy, uncontrolled hypertension, unstable angina, or recent myocardial infarction.

Additional stimulant exposure increases sympathetic activation. In healthy adults this may result in palpitations or jitteriness. In patients with cardiovascular disease or poorly controlled blood pressure, extra stimulant intake increases risk and warrants medical supervision.

Psychiatric cautions

Modafinil should be used cautiously in individuals with a history of psychosis or mania. Reported psychiatric adverse effects include hallucinations, delusions, mania, aggression, and suicidal ideation. Anxiety and insomnia are among the more common side effects.

Increasing total stimulant exposure can aggravate restlessness and sleep disturbance. Anyone with a history of mood instability or stimulant sensitivity should approach combined use carefully and seek medical guidance if symptoms worsen.

Pregnancy and special populations

Modafinil is not recommended in pregnancy. Data suggest a potential increased risk of congenital malformations, including cardiac defects and orofacial clefts. Animal studies demonstrated developmental toxicity. Human data are limited, and causality cannot be confirmed, but regulators advise against use during pregnancy.

In older adults, drug elimination may be reduced and lower doses are often considered. Severe hepatic impairment requires dose reduction. Severe renal impairment warrants caution.

Energy drinks do not alter these precautions. They add stimulant exposure without changing modafinil’s safety profile.

Does combining them improve wakefulness?

Modafinil has demonstrated wakefulness-promoting effects in approved sleep disorders. It produces psychoactive and alerting effects similar to other stimulants, with a low observed propensity for euphoric effects.

Caffeine also increases alertness. Clinical studies have evaluated modafinil and caffeine separately, not in combination. There is no evidence in the referenced materials showing that combining them provides superior clinical benefit compared with modafinil alone. What is established is that higher stimulant exposure increases the likelihood of dose-related side effects.

Bottom line

Taking modafinil with an energy drink is not formally prohibited, but it increases total stimulant exposure and the likelihood of insomnia, anxiety, and cardiovascular symptoms. Healthy adults may tolerate modest caffeine intake, but individuals with heart disease, uncontrolled hypertension, mood disorders, pregnancy, or hepatic impairment should discuss additional stimulant use with a clinician before combining the two.

Sources

• Greenblatt, K., & Adams, N. (2023). Modafinil. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK531476/
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2015). PROVIGIL® (modafinil) tablets, for oral use, C-IV: Prescribing information. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2015/020717s037s038lbl.pdf
• Wingelaar-Jagt, Y. Q., Bottenheft, C., Riedel, W. J., & Ramaekers, J. G. (2023). Effects of modafinil and caffeine on night-time vigilance of air force crewmembers: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 37(2), 172–180. https://doi.org/10.1177/02698811221142568