Unsuccessful suicide attempt of a 15 year old adolescent with ingestion of 5000 mg modafinil

Modafinil (Provigil) is a wake-promoting drug approved for patients with narcolepsy or other causes of excessive daytime sleepiness. Each pill is 100 to 200 mg; maximal daily dose of modafinil in adults is 400 mg (the medication is not approved by the FDA for children younger than 16 years of age). We report the case of an adolescent who attempted to commit suicide by ingesting 50 pills of modafinil. The medication was prescribed for her mother to treat symptoms associated with multiple sclerosis. Approximately 2 hours following ingestion the patient complained of headache, nausea and abdominal pain. Her ECG demonstrated prolonged QTc interval. Observation for 72 hours revealed 24 hours of inability to sleep, tachycardia, and dyskinesia. There was no deterioration of kidney or liver functions, and no change in complete blood count or blood pressure.