Armodafinil
R-enantiomer of modafinil, responsible for the majority of the parent compound wakefulness-promoting activity. Same DAT inhibition and orexin modulation as racemic modafinil but with a longer effective duration due to slower clearance of the R-isomer. Higher plasma concentrations later in the dosing interval compared to modafinil.
Three tiers ordered by aggressiveness. Tier chips on every OPTIMIZE intervention let you filter the catalog by your evidence tolerance.
- alt
- ast
- creatinine
- egfr
- hypersensitivity-to-modafinil
- severe-hepatic-impairment
- left-ventricular-hypertrophy
- PMID:19663523Armodafinil: a review of its use in the management of excessive sleepiness — CNS Drugs, 2009
- PMID:20559064A double-blind, placebo-controlled study of armodafinil for excessive sleepiness — J Clin Sleep Med, 2010
Armodafinil exists because pharmaceutical companies discovered they could patent a single enantiomer of a molecule going off-patent. That is the business case. The pharmacological case is more nuanced. The R-enantiomer maintains higher late-day plasma levels than racemic modafinil, which means more sustained wakefulness without increasing the morning peak. For people who find modafinil wears off by 2pm, armodafinil at a lower milligram dose may extend the effective window. The clinical difference is real but modest. Choose based on your pharmacokinetic needs, not marketing.
This is not medical advice
Discuss with a licensed clinician before starting, stopping, or changing any compound. This page documents what the research literature describes — it is not a prescription.
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