Modafinil is the most popular "smart drug" or "study drug", along with Ritalin and Adderall.
Basically, taking a pill of Modafinil is like drinking a coffee in the morning, only 10 times stronger. It helps you stay focus, it keeps you awake and motivated, and it prevents your mind to wander. It is especially popular with students preparing exams: In the UK or in the US, it is reported that between 25% and 30% of them have tried them at least once.
What has made this drug so appealing is that it has been considered safe by researchers from both Harvard and Oxford. According to them, the side effects are mild (sometimes headaches or migraines) and there are no risks of physical addiction.
However, I also read elsewhere that it is not recommended in the long term as your brain will adapt and the stimulating effect will slowly fade away. After a few weeks, you might feel less alert and more tired than before.
Can you Buy Modafinil in Indonesia?
The first time I heard about Modafinil, I was living in Bali. I got a bit curious and I tried to see if I could buy a few pills locally.
I tried the chain pharmacies like Guardian, Century, Kimia Pharma and Apotek K-24. Not only they didn't have it, they had never heard of it.
Then, I went to the smaller, independent pharmacies, and I got the same answer: "Obat itu untuk apa?" (what is this drug for?).
Finally, I ended up looking at social media for hashtags like #modafinilindonesia, #belimodafinil, #modafiniljakarta, or #modafinilbali. On Instagram, I found this Indonesian company that advertises quite a lot called Nootropics ID (nootropic is another term to call smart drugs).
They have a Tokopedia page selling all kinds of imported drugs and supplements with ingredients like L-Theanine or Caffeine, but no Modafinil.
Conclusion: Modafinil was clearly not available in Indonesia (and this is still true today)
So this led to a second question:
Is Modafinil Legal in Indonesia?
If Modafinil is so hard to find, maybe it is simply because it's forbidden?
As it often turns out in Indonesia, the situation is more complicated:
Modafinil doesn't exist according to Indonesian law. It is neither legal or illegal.
There are no laws (as of 2019) classifying it as a narcotic (see the full list of forbidden substances here) but pharmacies are not allowed to sell it as it hasn't been given a license.
To summarize: You can possess it, but you can't import it or sell it.
How Can I Get Modafinil if I'm in Indonesia?
Since you can't buy it in Indonesia, your only solution is to buy it abroad, logically.
I used the website Modafinilstar.com, which has been around for quite some time already and has glowing reviews on Trustpilot (9.3/10 out of 2,3000 comments).
They are not too expensive, about 1 dollar per pill, as they sell the generic version.
They can ship for free everywhere in the world, BUT for some countries, they do not offer a refund if the products are stopped by the customs.
This is the case with Indonesia (or the countries listed here Shipping and Payment).
Therefore, you have two choices:
- Order anyway and take the risk to lose money if your package gets seized
- Or, you can order and send it to an address outside of Indonesia (any address where you can get a refund), for instance in the US, in Australia, in the UK, in New Zealand, in Malaysia, in Singapore, etc. It should be somewhere where you often go, like your parents' home or a friends' place in Southeast Asia. Once the package is delivered, you can just go pick it up and bring it back in your luggage to Indonesia. As long as you have a reasonable amount with you, the Indonesian customs won't say anything.
Personally, I chose the second option. I ordered from Bali and had it delivered to my friend in Thailand. Since I often go to Bangkok, it was not a problem to pick it up.
Conclusion:
As of today, I believe that's the best way to buy Modafinil for Indonesia. It is both safe and legal.
How about you? Have you ever tried buying some? How did you do to bring them to Indonesia? Please share your experience by leaving a comment below.