chrono eric, do you have any personal experience with Modafinil?
Like I've said in other threads, I...wouldn't really do this kind of thing, but man, I've been reading an awful lot about it and it sounds like a priceless gateway to lucidity.
Ah, Modafinil. Quite the wonder drug, isn't it? Effective for everything from weight loss to alleviating some of the neurological symptoms of MS. I do not have any "personal experience" with it, since it is a practice of mine to not use mind-altering drugs to alleviate transient problems (such as fatigue) for the long term. I don't even drink caffeine anymore. Nor do I know anybody that has used it for that purpose. And as for using it for entheogenic purposes...it seems to have little promise for that, so I have no interest in it in those regards.
If you want to research it further, I always recommend Erowid. Everything from media reports to accounts of personal use can be found there. It's populated by people ready and willing to be human guinea pigs. Psychonauts much more daring than yours truly:
http://www.erowid.org/smarts/modafinil/But I do find it interesting from a chemical standpoint. It is a stimulant, but not an amphetamine (although the "tail" is vaguely like one). It promotes wakefulness by increasing levels of histamine in the hypothalamus, which is interesting to me because the diphenyl group resembles that of the structure of diphenhydramine (benadryl) which
decreases histamine levels. The sulfur group connected to this part of the molecule in Modafinil serves the same elecronegative purpose as the oxygen that is present in diphenhydramine. So that part of the molecule should behave biochemically similar to diphenhydramine. And the "tail" of it is just...unique. Completely different from diphenhydramine electrochemically and yet at the same time reminiscent of it. The effects of Modafinil are probably produced by that part of the molecule. Very strange chemical indeed. /End rambling chemistry talk
... tachycardia? That doesn't sound good at all. Looks like... something with the heart. I don't take MAO-Is. I'm not even sure what they are. And the feeling of merging with adjacent objects... sounds... freaky man. Just freaky. But... cool in a way.
Tachycardia is an elevated heartrate above normal levels. Many drugs can produce tachycardia. It's not that big of the deal if it is only slightly above normal and for a short time.
And merging with adjacent objects is incredibly freaky. Often one will feel as if they are melting into them. As your mind is dissociating from your body and you are losing your sense of self your brain starts to associate identity with objects other than your body. LSD is famous for this, and so is Salvia. It is scary, but it can also be enlightening. The brain can do amazing things when it is freed from its normal constraints.
This is often the goal of intense meditation and sensory-deprivation chambers as well.
