What the research found

A four-week randomised controlled trial examined solriamfetol (a wake-promoting drug already approved for narcolepsy and sleep apnea) in 78 early-morning shift workers with diagnosed shift work disorder. Participants took either the drug or placebo on workdays while researchers measured their alertness during simulated work hours using low-stimulation testing, alongside self-reported functioning.

Those receiving solriamfetol showed measurable improvements: they remained more alert throughout an eight-hour simulated shift and reported better overall functioning and work performance. Clinicians also noted improvements in daily task management. The drug appeared to sustain wakefulness without substantially disrupting sleep opportunities later in the day—a limitation of some older alternatives like modafinil.

Why it matters for you

Early-morning start times (3–7 a.m.) create a circadian mismatch: you're forced alert when your brain is neurologically programmed for sleep. If you work these hours and track sleep biomarkers, you've probably noticed poor sleep quality, low total sleep time, and impaired HRV or other recovery markers. This isn't laziness—it's a documented medical condition affecting roughly a quarter of the working population.

For MyKine users managing early shifts alongside training and supplementation, solriamfetol might reduce the performance and safety gaps created by shift work. Better sustained alertness could improve workout quality, decision-making around training volume, and adherence to your recovery protocol. It also sidesteps the afternoon-rebound sleepiness that makes conventional stimulants problematic when you need to sleep before your next shift.

If you're considering this route, the key takeaway is that this is the first evidence specifically in early-morning workers—previous drug trials focused on overnight shifts, which have different circadian challenges.

Caveats

• Short duration: Four weeks of treatment; long-term effects and safety unknown
• Healthy population: Trial excluded people with comorbidities; unclear how it works in less healthy early-shift workers
• Industry-funded: Jazz Pharmaceuticals manufactures solriamfetol, introducing potential bias
• No head-to-head comparison: Study was vs. placebo only, not vs. existing treatments like modafinil
• Limited sample: 78 participants is modest for establishing robust real-world effect size
• Regulatory status pending: Approval for shift work disorder specifically has not yet been confirmed; current approvals are narrower