Adrafinil vs Modafinil revisited
steelsky
18 Jan 2009
1. Is Modafinil more potent (meaning that you need a lower dose for the same results? I'm mainly referring the the AUC - the total (or average) effectiveness, not per period of time (as it is well known that Adrafinil takes longer to "kick in")
2. Continuing the first question - does Adrafinil (lasts longer)? What is the effectiveness period of each?
3. Do they really have different drawbacks and advantages regarding their cognitive effects? If so, what are they?
4. How bad Adrafinil is really (for health) compared to other drugs and specifically to Modafinil?
Heliotrope
18 Jan 2009
1. I think it stands to reason for Mod to be more efficient, potent even. What is AUC??
2. similar half-lives , I heard/read. wiki.
3. I'm sure there're side effects.
4. I think adrafinil taxes the liver a bit, but the liver toxicity is low compared to other toxins
Duke
18 Jan 2009
The key difference is that you have to wait ~hour till Adrafinil is metabolized. The hour half-life of Adrafinil is irrelevant to the ~twelve hour half life of Modafinil. Once metabolized into Modafinil I'd wager the half life tendencies are the same in metabolized Adrafinil as in Modafinil stand-alone.
The other key difference is price, hahaha.
Main diff, one is legal, while the other technically not unless by doctor
1. I think it stands to reason for Mod to be more efficient, potent even. What is AUC??
If by efficient you mean you get the desired effects faster then I guess you're right.
Other than those one would normally get with Modafinil stand-alone, what other side effects can you point out other than traces of sulfur once metabolized--sulfur is harmless. I'm not saying there's no side effects, I'm just curious about further distinctions between the two drugs.3. I'm sure there're side effects.
Over prolonged periods of time, yes. Hey, sounds like alcohol! You shouldn't be using stimulants all the time anyways (unless you have ADHD, and yes I'm aware some believe that is a dubious claim). Just like alcohol, moderation is important, especially considering the many unknowns involving using these many of these drugs as nootropics in the long run.4. I think adrafinil taxes the liver a bit, but the liver toxicity is low compared to other toxins
Edited by Duke, 18 January 2009 - 02:07 AM.
steelsky
18 Jan 2009
Adrafinil is metabolized in vivo to Modafinil... their mechanisms of action are essentially the same at that point.
The key difference is that you have to wait ~hour till Adrafinil is metabolized. The hour half-life of Adrafinil is irrelevant to the ~twelve hour half life of Modafinil. Once metabolized into Modafinil I'd wager the half life tendencies are the same in metabolized Adrafinil as in Modafinil stand-alone.
The other key difference is price, hahaha.Main diff, one is legal, while the other technically not unless by doctor
1. I think it stands to reason for Mod to be more efficient, potent even. What is AUC??
If by efficient you mean you get the desired effects faster then I guess you're right.Other than those one would normally get with Modafinil stand-alone, what other side effects can you point out other than traces of sulfur once metabolized--sulfur is harmless. I'm not saying there's no side effects, I'm just curious about further distinctions between the two drugs.3. I'm sure there're side effects.
Over prolonged periods of time, yes. Hey, sounds like alcohol! You shouldn't be using stimulants all the time anyways (unless you have ADHD, and yes I'm aware some believe that is a dubious claim). Just like alcohol, moderation is important, especially considering the many unknowns involving using these many of these drugs as nootropics in the long run.4. I think adrafinil taxes the liver a bit, but the liver toxicity is low compared to other toxins
Regarding efficiency - I didn't mean getting results faster, but the overall dose/results ratio, disregarding the periods of effectiveness. Does taking Xmg of Modafinil equal to taking Xmg of Adrafinil, the difference being only the time each one starts being effective, and the time each lasts?
And yes - it did sound like alcohol. There were too many "BEWARE!" posts, and I'm not buying it. I believe that while Adrafinil is of course more taxing to the liver, it can't be much more harmful than any commonly marketed drugs out there (alcohol included). It'd still be better to take Modafinil, or to not take it at all, but I don't believe it is so disastrous (especially of one cycles).
What I'm most interested in is the difference in effect. Some claim that Adrafinil didn't do much for them while Modafinil was very effective. Are they evaluating the experience wrongly, or does this mean that some amount of Adrafinil ISN'T metabolized to Modafinil, and so lost (meaning that a higher dose is required)? Or maybe Adrafinil isn't coverted EXACTLY to Modafinil in vivo?
jackinbox
18 Jan 2009
Duke
20 Jan 2009
Just experiment with both under controlled circumstances and see which garners more efficacious results.
Edited by Duke, 20 January 2009 - 05:16 AM.
Pike
20 Jan 2009
If I was interested in possibly taking Mod occasionally, would it be a smart idea to give Adri a try? Or should I just not bother with it, and go with Mod when I can?
lastly, if I was to order the 10g bulk powder of Mod from airsealed, would it be a smart idea to invest in a capping set (probably size 4 or 3, due to the strength of it), or is it okay to just add it to a drink in 1/8teaspoon increments?
Edited by Pike, 20 January 2009 - 08:07 PM.
Duke
21 Jan 2009
I serendipitously read the modafinil article on Wiki just a bit ago, and, at the end of the second paragraph:
"Modafinil and its chemical precursor Adrafinil were developed by Lafon Laboratories, a French company acquired by Cephalon in 2001.[13] Modafinil is the primary metabolite of adrafinil, and, while their activity is similar, adrafinil requires a higher dose to achieve equipotent effects."
Again, no definitive "equation" but this clears up this conundrum at least partially.

I was kind of interested in trying Mod. I did once, but at the time, I didn't know exactly what it was/how it would affect me, and I irresponsibly stacked it with my prescribed Adderall. Long story short: UNPLEASANT.
If I was interested in possibly taking Mod occasionally, would it be a smart idea to give Adri a try? Or should I just not bother with it, and go with Mod when I can?
lastly, if I was to order the 10g bulk powder of Mod from airsealed, would it be a smart idea to invest in a capping set (probably size 4 or 3, due to the strength of it), or is it okay to just add it to a drink in 1/8teaspoon increments?
I'd just stick with Modafinil... less of a 'bureaucracy' so to speak to get the effects and so less chance something goes awry in the process (i.e.while it's metabolizing). And if what I quoted above from Wiki is true, the greater dosage necessary somewhat offsets the cheaper price of Adrafinil, no?
I'd imagine managing such a meager amount of Modafinil in powder form could lead to losing some of it in the process of getting it onto the teaspoon...then some is left over in your mouth and God knows what else. Just cap it, more precise and less mess. When you buy those caps they usually come in mammoth quantities so they can be used later as well. Sounds like a good investment to me.
Steve_86
21 Jan 2009
3. Do they really have different drawbacks and advantages regarding their cognitive effects? If so, what are they?
4. How bad Adrafinil is really (for health) compared to other drugs and specifically to Modafinil?
Read the posts by 'luv2increase' and 'edward' in: http://www.imminst.o...o...ic=25666=
Modafinil and Adrefinal might be linked with orofacial movement disorders.
Modafinil and Adrafinil are relatively new substance. Even though the related prevalence rates of orofacial or tardive dyskinesias are low now, maybe it is something that takes time to develop? 20 years from now there could be a significant portion of Modafinil/Adrafinil users with these incurable problems. Very scary...
Edited by Steve_86, 21 January 2009 - 04:36 AM.
Duke
21 Jan 2009
From the study luv2increase found:
"Orofacial or tardive dyskinesias are involuntary repetitive movements of the mouth and face. In most cases, they occur in older psychotic patients who are in institutions and in whom long-term treatment with antipsychotic drugs of the phenothiazine and butyrophenone groups is being carried out. These dyskinesias are frequent in occurrence and characteristically are irreversible. Several biochemical mechanisms have been proposed as causes, including hypersensitivity or partially deneverated brain dopamine receptors and low affinity of the offending drugs for brain muscarinic cholinergic receptors."
Read the first sentence of this post, then re read what I quoted just above.

Edited by Duke, 21 January 2009 - 05:13 AM.
steelsky
21 Jan 2009
@ Sky
I serendipitously read the modafinil article on Wiki just a bit ago, and, at the end of the second paragraph:
"Modafinil and its chemical precursor Adrafinil were developed by Lafon Laboratories, a French company acquired by Cephalon in 2001.[13] Modafinil is the primary metabolite of adrafinil, and, while their activity is similar, adrafinil requires a higher dose to achieve equipotent effects."
Again, no definitive "equation" but this clears up this conundrum at least partially.![]()
I was kind of interested in trying Mod. I did once, but at the time, I didn't know exactly what it was/how it would affect me, and I irresponsibly stacked it with my prescribed Adderall. Long story short: UNPLEASANT.
If I was interested in possibly taking Mod occasionally, would it be a smart idea to give Adri a try? Or should I just not bother with it, and go with Mod when I can?
lastly, if I was to order the 10g bulk powder of Mod from airsealed, would it be a smart idea to invest in a capping set (probably size 4 or 3, due to the strength of it), or is it okay to just add it to a drink in 1/8teaspoon increments?
I'd just stick with Modafinil... less of a 'bureaucracy' so to speak to get the effects and so less chance something goes awry in the process (i.e.while it's metabolizing). And if what I quoted above from Wiki is true, the greater dosage necessary somewhat offsets the cheaper price of Adrafinil, no?
I'd imagine managing such a meager amount of Modafinil in powder form could lead to losing some of it in the process of getting it onto the teaspoon...then some is left over in your mouth and God knows what else. Just cap it, more precise and less mess. When you buy those caps they usually come in mammoth quantities so they can be used later as well. Sounds like a good investment to me.
Yep - the reason I was asking was to see whether Adrafinil is even worth the cost difference. By a rough calculation, for the same price you can get 3-3.5 times Adrafinil than you would have gotten Modafinil. The real question now is how much more potent, relatively, is Modafinil over Adrafinil. I doubt 3 times more, but even if double - Modafinil might be a better choice health wise.
Pike - I was also interested in ordering the powder from Airsealed. Problem is that they don't accept credit card (other than American Express). This is weird since for pills (not in the "bulk" section) they DO accept VISA.
Speaking of caps - where do you buy them from? and is it hard to cap powder without making a mess?!
Thales
22 Jan 2009
Would a subtle eye and eyebrow twitching which has started since beginning modafinil be something to be concerned about? It is not a constant thing, but I do notice it several times a day.
It matches the description of orofacial dyskinesia below, in that it’s an involuntary repetitive movement of the face. However, last week I was convinced modafinil was causing my epidermis to separate from my dermis, so perhaps I’m just being paranoid again.
And I apologize for being off topic, but I had never heard of this side effect of modafinil and it has me kind of worried.
Edited by Thales, 22 January 2009 - 10:17 AM.
bgwithadd
22 Jan 2009
waldemar
24 Jan 2009
I've noticed that too, but I never thought that Modafinil would be the reason. No idea if this is a big deal, for me it's only slightly annoying atm. Does that stop when you stop taking Modafinil? Does it get worse over time?
Heliotrope
28 Jan 2009
Tool my first Adrafinil dose today. 300mg. Let's see what happens.
Ok, then see if it works. There's only one brand of adrafinil, olmifon, so you've the white round pills
flatline
29 Jan 2009
flatline
29 Jan 2009
steelsky
01 Feb 2009
Besides all that, Adrafinil has been around longer, and so it has been studied more. I've read indications that it might have more of a mood-brightening aspect than Modafinil does. On the other hand, Modafinil is more widely used, and it does not pose a risk of raising liver enzymes.
flatline - Modafinil IS Adrafinil (post-metabolized), there it's not like Modafinil is a new substance that should be studied.
Anyway - I've tried Adrafinil for two days (semi daily) now. I must say - It's exactly like Modafinil.
Seems like 300mg Adrafinil pretty much equals 200mg Modafinil.
While it isn't true that Adrafinil is MUCH cheaper than Modafinil (depending on where you buy), I'm also very concerned about liver damage. If I take Adrafinil semi-daily, and I don't drink (so no pressure on the liver on that front) - is Adrafinil still harmful? Is it an accumulating damage, or is it just pressure on the liver's action, become damage only if pressed too hard?
waldemar
05 Feb 2009
I've tried to find out how long it takes for the eye twitching to stop completely. For me it takes about ten days. Note that the effect was very weak to begin with, so I don't see much of a problem there.
chicha
26 Sep 2009
Lafon, the original patent-holder, was located in France, so I guess one can walk into any pharmacy there and purchase it.
But on the website of IAS, they say that they don't ship this drug (and many others) to the European Union. I've written to them about this and they say they do ship to Switzerland, though. So unless one is willing to move to France or Switzerland, where else might one readily purchase this drug, in person?
P.S. - I'm prepared to move to France, if need be!
Thanks
yoyo
26 Sep 2009
ModaMinds
05 Aug 2014
since i've never seen any primary literature describing adrafinil's 'liver toxicity' i just assume it is a statistical fluke that the manufacturer talked about to get people to switch to the newer more expensive drug
It's not necessarily that adrafinil is going to fry your liver the first time you take it, but that adrafinil is always going to utilize the liver more for metabolization. So if you're taking adrafinil every day (given some people rely on modafinil every day), you risk more liver damage than you would experience with modafinil.
Ruinmir
05 Aug 2014
vLondon
06 Aug 2014
Just a quick question, how bad would it be if I continuously self medicated 25mg of Moda for a year, I currently have CFS/ME, and find it difficult to focus and concentrate for more than 10mins on any given task, which is quite pathetic when I have so much to learn and do. Would Noopept and a choline source be fine to take with it aswell?
Ruinmir
06 Aug 2014
I don't know of any specific interactions with noopept/choline, just try low doses first to see how you react.
Karla Markovich
08 Aug 2014
Eh, I'm no scientist, but from what I understand adrafinil is metabolized by the body and one byproduct of that is it basically spits out modafinil... I'd imagine adrafinil is going to be a lot harder on your body, It's easy to get a modafinil script in the u.s. if you work anything that could remotely quality as creating 'shiftwork disorder'. Insurance doesn't cover it (not for me) but it's only like 20$ a pill, since I will only use it ONCE in a TEN DAY period, that's cheaper than coffee and really I'll only use it about once every two weeks (10-14 days between doses gives me the best bang for my buck).