Modafinil and Drug Tests: How It’s Detected in Urine, Blood, and Hair

Modafinil is a prescription medicine approved for narcolepsy, obstructive sleep apnea, and shift work disorder. It is also sometimes used off-label for other conditions. Many people wonder whether taking modafinil will affect the outcome of a drug test. The answer depends on the type of test, the purpose of testing, and the detection methods used.

Does Modafinil Show Up on Standard Drug Tests?

Most standard workplace drug tests, such as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) five-panel test, check for substances like marijuana, cocaine, opiates, amphetamines, and phencyclidine (PCP). Modafinil is not part of these standard screenings because it is not considered a traditional stimulant with high abuse potential (Dubey et al., 2009).

However, extended or specialized panels can identify modafinil. These are more likely to be used in sports, forensic settings, or in certain professions where safety and alertness are critical.

What Type of Test Can Detect Modafinil?

Urine Tests

• Standard urine drug screens do not include modafinil.
• Advanced testing with gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) or liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) can confirm its presence (Dubey et al., 2009).
• Detection window: usually up to 72 hours, though metabolites such as modafinilic acid can persist slightly longer (Nowak et al., 2025).

Blood Tests

• Routine blood work does not check for modafinil.
• Specialized toxicology tests can measure it with LC-MS/MS or UHPLC-QqQ-MS/MS (Nowak et al., 2025).
• Detection window: typically 10 to 24 hours, depending on dose and metabolism.

Hair Tests

• Rarely used outside forensic investigations.
• Hair analysis can reveal modafinil use weeks to months after ingestion. One study confirmed detection in beard hair 10 days after a single 200 mg dose (Ameline et al., 2020).
• Detection window: up to 90 days, depending on hair growth and length.

Why Might Modafinil Be Screened For?

Sports and Athletics

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) banned modafinil in 2004 because of its potential to enhance performance. Anti-doping laboratories use LC-MS/MS to detect it, and the WADA threshold is 500 nanograms per milliliter (Dubey et al., 2009).

Military and Aviation

Fatigue is a major concern in long missions. Studies in fighter pilots have shown modafinil improves alertness without harming safety or sleep quality (Wingelaar-Jagt et al., 2022). However, use is restricted, often requiring medical authorization and ground testing before flight.

High-Security Jobs

Certain defense, intelligence, or law enforcement agencies may test for non-prescribed stimulant use. Cases have shown that unauthorized modafinil use can raise concerns in security clearance evaluations (Nowak et al., 2025).

Can Modafinil Cause False Positives?

False positives are not common. Modafinil’s structure is different from substances typically included in workplace drug tests. Poorly calibrated assays could theoretically misidentify it, but confirmatory GC-MS or LC-MS/MS testing prevents this risk (Dubey et al., 2009).

How to Handle Drug Testing If You Take Modafinil

• With a prescription: Inform the testing agency, employer, or athletic organization in advance. Provide documentation from your prescribing doctor.
• Without a prescription: Use outside medical supervision may violate policies in workplaces, sports, or government roles.

Safety and Legal Notes

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (2015), modafinil is approved only for narcolepsy, obstructive sleep apnea, and shift work disorder. It is a controlled substance because of its potential for misuse. Clinical references note possible side effects such as headache, nausea, insomnia, and rare but serious rashes (Greenblatt & Adams, 2023). Misuse can also carry psychiatric and cardiovascular risks.

FAQs

Does modafinil show up on workplace drug tests?

No, most routine workplace tests do not screen for modafinil. Only extended or specialized panels will detect it.

How long does modafinil stay in your system?

Modafinil has a half-life of about 15 hours. It can be detected in urine for up to 72 hours, in blood for less than a day, and in hair for up to 90 days (Greenblatt & Adams, 2023; Ameline et al., 2020).

Can I be disqualified from sports for using modafinil?

Yes. Modafinil is banned by WADA, and athletes testing above the set threshold may face penalties (Dubey et al., 2009).

Is modafinil safe to take without a prescription?

No. Using modafinil without medical guidance increases the risk of side effects and legal consequences. It should only be taken under prescription (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2015).

References

• 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
• Greenblatt, K., & Adams, N. (2023, February 6). Modafinil. In StatPearls [Internet]. StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK531476/
• Nowak, K., Chłopaś-Konowałek, A., Szpot, P., & Zawadzki, M. (2025). The issue of “smart drugs” on the example of modafinil: Toxicological analysis of evidences and biological samples. Journal of Xenobiotics, 15(1), 15. https://doi.org/10.3390/jox15010015
• Dubey, S., Ahi, S., Reddy, I. M., Kaur, T., Beotra, A., & Jain, S. (2009). A novel study of screening and confirmation of modafinil, adrafinil and their metabolite modafinilic acid under EI-GC-MS and ESI-LC-MS-MS ionization. Indian Journal of Pharmacology, 41(6), 278–283. https://doi.org/10.4103/0253-7613.59928
• Ameline, A., Gheddar, L., Raul, J.-S., & Kintz, P. (2020). Identification of adrafinil and its main metabolite modafinil in human hair: Self-administration study and interpretation of an authentic case. Forensic Sciences Research, 5(4), 322–326. https://doi.org/10.1080/20961790.2019.1704482
• Wingelaar-Jagt, Y. Q., Wingelaar, T. T., Riedel, W. J., & Ramaekers, J. G. (2022). Subjective effects of modafinil in military fighter pilots during deployment. Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance, 93(10), 739–745. https://doi.org/10.3357/AMHP.6072.2022