Health - Modafinil for a teen with lethargy/concentration issues?

[Routemaster Flash]

Hi guys,

I'd like some advice on modafinil. It's not me that's (possibly) going to be taking it. I work as a private tutor in maths and physics, and have just taken on a new maths student who's a 15-year-old girl. She's having tuition because she's missed nearly a whole year of maths at school due to having had some kind of neurological illness (I'm not sure what, exactly). Anyway, I think she's still recovering from it and one of its effects is that it's affected her memory. Also, she's taking drugs for it that make her very sleepy during the day, which by the sound of it is making it difficult for her to sleep at night, which of course makes it even harder for her to keep her eyes open during the day...anyway, you get the idea.

So I was wondering if anyone here has any experience with using modafinil as a medicine to increase alertness and energy due to a specific illness? Or any parents of teenagers who've been given a prescription for a problem like this? I suggested it to the mother because, from what I've read, it's quite mild when used in clinical doses, doesn't have unpleasant physical or psychological side-effects like caffeine can (the girl isn't allowed coffee by her mother, which sounds sensible) and doesn't interfere with normal sleep at night if taken during the day.

Any advice would be gratefully received.

Also, if anyone here has experience with other nootropics that might help her with memory/concentration/learning problems, that'd be great. She's clearly far from stupid but it's going to be a tall order getting her maths up to scratch, as it's not her favourite subject at the best of times.

Obviously she's not going to start any new drug regimen without proper medical supervision - but I thought it might be good to speak to people who've used modafinil or other relevant drugs themselves.

Thanks a lot in advance!

RF.