Thomas Thorne
Are you curious about the side effects of adrafinil? Help is at hand.This comprehensive guide will explain what you need to know about the side effects and safety of this medication.
Below, we will describe what adrafinil is, its possible benefits, and its safety and side effects. Whether you are a researcher, a test subject, or someone with a modafinil prescription, read on to learn the key side effects and safety concerns related to adrafinil.
PS order your Adrafinil today!
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What is adrafinil?
Adrafinil is a wakefulness-promoting drug discovered in 1974 and developed by Louis Lafon Laboratories. Adrafinil was launched as “Olmifon” in 1985 as a prescription medication for elderly patients who had difficulty staying alert during the day.1]. Olmifon was later prescribed to treat patients with narcolepsy and other sleep-wake disorders.
The active metabolite of Adrafinil is modafinil, a potent wakefulness-inducing compound.2]. Both drugs are very similar at a structural level [3].Lafon launched modafinil in France in 1994 and quickly replaced adrafinil as the company's primary narcolepsy treatment.
Lafon was acquired by Celaphon in the early 2000s and continued to produce Olmifon in France until 2011. Subsequently, several pharmaceutical companies and laboratories began producing generic adrafinil products for sale as “reference material.”
Adrafinil benefits
Since Olmifon was discontinued in 2011, you may be wondering why adrafinil is still manufactured and sold. The answer is that it offers three benefits from the researcher's perspective:
- Low cost
- Readily available for research purposes.
- Cognitive improvement potential
We'll discuss these three potential benefits in more detail below.
Low cost
A potential benefit of adrafinil is that it is generally more affordable than modafinil. This makes it attractive to researchers who want to conduct trials with this drug.
Anecdotally, adrafinil also appears to be popular among those who are prescribed modafinil by their doctor and cannot or do not want to pay for brand-name modafinil such as “Provigil” [4].
Readily available for research purposes.
Unlike modafinil, which is a prescription-only medication in most of the world, the sale of adrafinil is not restricted in the same way. In most countries, it is sold as reference material to researchers interested in using it in experimental settings. The only country that currently classifies adrafinil as a prescription drug is Australia.
Researchers are attracted to adrafinil because of its ease of availability. Many suppliers routinely ship the medication around the world without customs or import issues.
Cognitive improvement potential
While neither adrafinil nor modafinil have been approved for their cognitive-enhancing potential, a cross-sectional study in 15 countries found that modafinil is widely used for this purpose, especially among students.5].
The purported cognitive benefits of adrafinil arise from animal studies that found that doses of 120 mg/kg of adrafinil increased the nocturnal activity of rhesus monkeys by 400 percent.6], and a canine study that found that adrafinil significantly increased performance motivation in dogs while increasing their “electroencephalographic activity” [7].
Modafinil, the active metabolite of adrafinil, has been found to provide cognitive neurological improvement in healthy subjects who are not sleep deprived.8], and, based on findings that both adrafinil and modafinil can be used to improve cognitive and physical performance, both modafinil and adrafinil were banned by the World Anti-Doping Organization (WADA) in 2004 [9].
Now that we've looked at the possible benefits of adrafinil, let's look at its side effects and safety.
Side effects and safety of adrafinil | What you should know
Unlike modafinil, which is an FDA-approved narcolepsy medication, adrafinil is available only as a reference compound and does not have the same body of research documenting its side effects and safety.
What side effects can adrafinil cause?
The package insert included with “Olmifon” indicated that clinical trials had linked adrafinil to the following four side effects:
- Stomach aches,
- Headaches,
- Internal tension and
- skin irritations
However, Olmifon's package insert said that adrafinil “had not yet been tested in people other than the elderly.”Manufacturing of Olmifon was discontinued in 2011, and to date, no further human clinical trials have been conducted on its side effects or safety.
Medical research has linked adrafinil to "orofacial dyskinesia," a condition that causes involuntary facial movements. Researchers have found that this condition can persist even after adrafinil is stopped, and may be one of the reasons Olmifon was discontinued in 2011.
What should subjects expect when taking adrafinil?
Anecdotal evidence from real-world subjects indicates that adrafinil causes side effects similar to modafinil, including [10]:
- Dry throat, nose and mouth.
- Anxiety,
- Insomnia and/or difficulty sleeping,
- Dependence (if taken in excessive doses for long periods).
However, some of the side effects listed above can be mitigated or avoided entirely if the subject takes some simple precautions:
Adrafinil should be taken early in the morning.
As with modafinil, it is commonly recommended to take adrafinil early in the morning to prevent it from disrupting sleep.
Hydration after administration of adrafinil.
Like modafinil, adrafinil is known to cause loss of appetite. People taking adrafinil may forget to eat and drink normally, causing some side effects such as headaches, dry mouth, throat and mouth. Adrafinil researchers have suggested that staying well hydrated and drinking at least two liters of water on the days of taking adrafinil may help avoid these side effects.
Doses must be adapted to each subject.
While modafinil is typically sold in 200 mg pills, adrafinil is sold as a reference material and comes in solution or powder form.This allows researchers to easily test the drug over a wide range of doses.
While the recommended dosage listed in the original Olmifon package insert was 2 to 4 tablets per day (600 to 1200 mg), we were able to establish alternative guidelines based on our experience researching the drug for cognitive enhancement purposes. We have found that the drug is effective in healthy subjects at the following doses:
- A “threshold dose” (or “microdose”) of adrafinil is about 100 mg per day.
- A "typical" dose of adrafinil is between 200 and 300 mg/day. This is believed to be equivalent to approximately 100 mg of modafinil.
- A dose of 600 mg of adrafinil is considered equivalent to a standard dose of 200 mg of modafinil.
It is important to note that these doses are based on our own specific findings and, to date, there have been no clinical trials on the use of adrafinil as a cognitive enhancer. People or test subjects experimenting with adrafinil are advised to start with a low dose and see how it affects them before increasing the dose until the desired effect is achieved.
Cycle Adrafinil with Other Nootropics
As a prodrug of modafinil, adrafinil should be administered responsibly. Modafinil is a prescribed medication in most countries and has shown a low risk of dependence. While a review of clinical data indicated that “intoxication and dependence associated with modafinil are rare” [11], limited research has shown that high doses of modafinil over prolonged periods can lead to dependence and hypersexuality [12].
Our experience suggests that adrafinil intake should be limited to three days per week to prevent it from becoming habit-forming. At the time of this writing, there has been no research on long-term use of adrafinil among non-elderly people.
Adrafinil and the liver?
Both modafinil and adrafinil are metabolized in the liver, but in slightly different ways. While modafinil is metabolized to modafinilic acid and then to modafinil sulfone, adrafinil must first be metabolized to modafinil before the last two steps can take place. A portion of adrafinil remains as modafinilic acid and is not metabolized to modafinil.3]. This is one of the reasons why adrafinil is considered less potent than modafinil.
Cephalon (the American pharmaceutical company that acquired Lafon in the early 2000s) has cited this additional step in the metabolization of adrafinil as a potential danger of adrafinil. Research indicates that adrafinil may raise liver enzyme values if taken in high doses for long periods.
Extremely limited anecdotal evidence from one individual who took liver enzyme readings before and after using adrafinil suggests that the drug does not significantly increase levels when taken at doses of 100 to 200 mg per day.13].
Despite this, medical literature from the original manufacturer of Olmifon, Lafon, and Cephalon, indicates that patients with pre-existing liver diseases should not take products containing adrafinil.
Adrafinil versus modafinil
Although adrafinil is a prodrug of modafinil metabolized in the liver, there is no research to indicate that the two drugs are interchangeable. Anecdotally, some patients prescribed modafinil use adrafinil as a cost-effective alternative, but there are noticeable differences between the two medications.
Modafinil is an FDA-approved narcolepsy medication
A key difference between modafinil and adrafinil is that only modafinil is an FDA-approved narcolepsy medication. Adrafinil, by contrast, has never received FDA approval for any use and therefore has not been subject to to the same degree of medical scrutiny. The only country that currently classifies adrafinil as a medicine is Australia, where it is a prescription-only S4 medicine. In all other countries, adrafinil is sold as a reference material and is available to researchers who wish to use the drug in experimental settings.
Modafinil works faster
Patients with shift work sleep disorder (SWSD) are recommended to take modafinil one hour before starting work.14], indicating that modafinil has an onset period of one hour. Limited anecdotal evidence from adrafinil users indicates that modafinil acts faster than adrafinil [4], and one user suggested that adrafinil has an onset period of between one and two hours [15].
Adrafinil is cheaper than modafinil
As a reference material, adrafinil is more cost-effective than modafinil. This makes it popular among researchers who want to experiment with eugeroica. Adrafinil's legal status means that it is generally easier to access than modafinil in most countries.
Where to buy Adrafinil online | Guide 2023
Although adrafinil is a reference material, purchasing it is not as simple as it seems. While there are dozens of online providers to choose from, finding a reliable provider is far from easy.
Fortunately, we did the hard work for you and found an established and reputable supplier:
science.bio
Our top pick for an adrafinil supplier is science.bio. After fully reviewing their service and placing a few test orders, we concluded that they offer the purest and most consistent adrafinil powder and solution on the market today.
These are just a few of the things they do exceptionally well:
- Well-established quality control practices: Buying adrafinil online can be a little hit and miss. Powdered adrafinil has a whitish-orange appearance and you can't tell much, if anything, about its purity just by the color of the smell. Fortunately, Science.bio has well-established quality assurance practices. An independent laboratory tests each batch of adrafinil (both solution and powder). This ensures that each batch meets exacting standards, giving you the best experience possible.
- Analysis certificate: For maximum transparency, Science.bio publishes the certificate of analysis for each batch of adrafinil on its website. This allows you to verify the exact grade and purity of adrafinil before making a purchase. Each product is batch and batch coded so you can see exactly what's in it before placing an order.
- Tamper-proof and UV-resistant packaging: Science.bio's Adrafinil Solution and Adrafinil Powder come in tamper-proof, UV-resistant packaging to ensure purity and freshness. This innovative packaging extends the shelf life of the product and ensures that you get the best quality product.
- Worldwide Shipping and Same Day Shipping: Science.bio offers same-day shipping on all orders and ships worldwide. Orders over $300 ship free.
- 30 days money back guarantee: In the unlikely event that you are not completely satisfied with your order, you will have 30 days to return it for a full refund. This allows you to place orders with complete peace of mind.
As you can see, Science.bio offers everything you would expect from a high-quality provider. We found their customer service staff to be very responsive to any queries, which takes the hassle out of placing an order.
Highly recommended!
PS order your Adrafinil today!
Adrafinil Side Effects | Verdict
If you were curious about the side effects of adrafinil, we hope this guide answered your questions. Adrafinil is an oral amphetamine-free wakefulness drug that was developed to improve alertness in elderly patients. It is known to produce minimal side effects and is available to researchers as an experimental drug that offers cognitive enhancement.