3.8. Medication adherence
Medication adherence was measured by pill count. The percentage of pills taken was calculated by subtracting the number of pills returned each week from the number of pills dispensed. Both groups showed very good adherence. On average, patients in the placebo group took 92% of prescribed pills, and patients in the modafinil group took 90% of their prescribed pills (t = .514, df = 92, p = .608).
3.9. Safety analyses
Adverse events were assessed at each visit. Modafinil was well tolerated. Adverse events were mainly mild and generally evenly distributed between the modafinil and placebo groups (see Table 2). The most commonly reported adverse events, at least possibly attributable to study medication, included headaches, insomnia, and anxiety. More modafinil-treated subjects reported insomnia and anxiety compared to placebo-treated subjects but the differences were not statistically significant (Fischers exact test p > .05). An elevation in blood pressure that was at least possibly attributable to study medication was noted in six modafinil-treated subjects and none of the placebo-treated subjects. Three of the modafinil-treated subjects who experienced elevated blood pressure had preexisiting diagnoses of hypertension or had elevated blood pressure noted in their medical history. Blood pressure elevations were relatively mild (140–170 mm Hg Systolic and 100–108 mm Hg Diastolic). The elevations were transient and did not require adjustment in the study medications. One subject had metoprolol added to his hypertension medication regimen. In all cases, blood pressure returned to normal at the end of the trial.