MoD denies 'stay awake' pills use

The MoD says personnel suffer sleep disorders just like the general public

The MoD denies using pills which help people stay alert despite lack of sleep on its personnel.

The Guardian newspaper reported that the MoD had bought 24,000 Provigil pills, which could theoretically be used to keep pilots and soldiers awake.

The MoD denied using the pills or any other stimulants "for operational or training purposes".

It said it used them to treat people with sleep disorders like narcolepsy and apnoea, just as the NHS would.

Also known as modafinil, the drug has been demonstrated to help with the excessive sleepiness suffered by shift workers, as well as tackling the more conventional disorders.

But the MoD told BBC News Online it had only bought quantities to treat a very small number of people, sometimes as few as half a dozen a year.

Using information released under the open government code, the Guardian reported that the MoD had bought 5,000 pills in 2001 and 4,000 in 2002, spending a total of £43,000 on the drugs.

The Guardian said the pills were a possible alternative to stimulants like caffeine, and amphetamines, used by some armed forces, which can leave users addicted and suffering more serious side effects including aggression.