[miketery]

They still do. Some of these sorties / missions are 10 hours long. You bet the military will give them dexedrine to keep them alert, and not hungry.

[toomanybeersies]

They use modafinil now, since it has less side effects and potential for abuse.

[kiliantics]

ISIS was using Captagon. Getting people addicted is part of the benefit to using drugs in war, I believe

[sandworm101]

"it has less side effects and potential for abuse"

... which was the exact wording used to sell Oxycontin.

[asdff]

Peeked the modafinil wikipedia and found this interesting quote:

"Monkeys will self-administer modafinil if they have previously been trained to self-administer cocaine.[28] As such, modafinil is classified by the United States FDA as a schedule IV controlled substance, a category for drugs with valid medical uses and low but significant addiction potential.[1][29]"

Never new it was a monkey that determined US drug policy, but I guess I'm not surprised!

[Ghjklov]

Just wait until you find out what other things monkeys determine in our country.

[TheAdamAndChe]

Without looking into the pharmacology of modafinil, this is a baseless comment. Seriously, look at the pharmacology of modafinil[1] and compare it to methylphenidate[2]. Modafinil may have some dopamine reuptake inhibition, but its affect on histamine receptors counters a lot of the hedonistic response that comes with methylphenidate.

Speaking as someone with a modafinil prescription and that has taken Vyvanse, the experience is extremely different. I don't feel an urge to take more modafinil, and I don't feel extreme fatigue when taking a break from it. I'm taking a break from it now in fact.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modafinil

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methylphenidate

[toomanybeersies]

I'm not saying that there's no potential for abuse, but less.

On the same basis, Oxycontin is a more appropriate painkiller than heroin in most cases due to its lessened potential for abuse.