Adrafinil was discovered in the late 1970s by scientists working with the French pharmaceutical company Group Lafon. Adrafinil is a mild central nervous system stimulant drug used to relieve excessive sleepiness and inattention in elderly patients. It is also used off-label by individuals wishing to avoid fatigue, such as night workers or others who need to stay awake and alert for long periods of time.
Adrafinil does not currently have FDA approval and is thus unregulated in the United States.
Abstract
Adrafinil is a mild central nervous system stimulant drug used to relieve excessive sleepiness and inattention in elderly patients. It is also used off-label by individuals wishing to avoid fatigue, such as night workers or others who need to stay awake and alert for long periods of time.
Adrafinil does not currently have FDA approval and is thus unregulated in the United States.
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Brand Names
Olmifon
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History
Adrafinil was discovered in the late 1970s by scientists working with the French pharmaceutical company Group Lafon. First offered in France in 1986 as an experimental treatment for narcolepsy, Lafon later developed modafinil, the primary metabolite of adrafinil. Modafinil possesses greater selective alpha-1
adrenergic activity than adrafinil without the side effects of stomach pain, skin irritations, feelings of tension[citation needed], and increases in liver enzyme levels.
As of September 2011, Cephalon has discontinued the Olmifon product.
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Pharmacology
The chemical formula for Adrafinil is: C15H15NO3S
The pharmacology of adrafinil is identical to that of madafinil. Like other stimulants, it increases the release of monoamines – specifically, the catecholamines norepinephrine and dopamine – from synaptic terminals. However, adrafinil also elevates hypothalamic histamine levels, leading some researchers to consider modafinil a "wakefulness promoting agent" rather than a classic amphetamine-like stimulant.Evidence in this direction includes the effects of the co-administration of a dopamine antagonist, which is known to decrease the stimulant effect of amphetamine, but does not entirely negate the wakefulness-promoting actions of modafinil.
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Uses
Adrafinil has the same use as any other stimulant but without those side effects. It is used to help you stay awake during work hours for people with work schedules that interfere with a normal sleep routine (shift work sleep disorder-SWSD). However it is a banned substance for athletes.
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Scheduling
It is an Unscheduled drug in the US. It belongs to whole new generation of safe, non-addictive stimulant. Hence there are no psychological or physical addiction liabilities.
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Psychological and physical addiction liability
As it is not an addictive substance, there are no withdrawal effects observed. Long-term use has also been associated with occasional instances of elevated liver enzymes, specifically SGOT, SGPT, GGPT, and hepatic alkaline phosphatase.
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Withdrawal Effects
There are no unpleasent side effects associated with adrafinil.
Long term effects
As it is not an addictive substance, there are no specific withdrawal symptoms associated with it. There is no need for medical treatment options, associated with adrafinil. If any long-term effects are observed, breaking away from the loop of taking the drug is recommended. Besides that there are no other psychological treatments needed.
Related drugs
Modafinil
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References
[1] http://www.drugs.com/international/adrafinil.html
[2] http://www.smarternootropics.com/2012/01/cephalon-europe-discontinues-olmifon-adrafinil/
[3] http://www.smart-publications.com/articles/adrafinil-alertness-without-stimulation
[4] http://www.antiaging-systems.com/27-adrafinil-olmifon
[5] http://smart-drugs.net/modafinil-adrafinil.htm
