Adrafinil Stats & Data
ONC(=O)CS(=O)C(c1ccccc1)c1ccccc1CGNMLOKEMNBUAI-UHFFFAOYSA-NPharmacology
DrugBankDescription
Adrafinil is a mild central nervous system stimulating drug typically employed to relieve excessive sleepiness and inattention in geriatric patients. It is also been used off-label to prevent fatigue or falling asleep for extended periods of time. Adrafinil does not currently have FDA approval and is thus unregulated in the United States. It was marketed in France and elsewhere in Europe under the trade name Olmifon until September 2011 when France's FDA equivalent reassessed the drug and withdrew marketing permission. Adrafinil is metabolized to modafinil.
Pharmacodynamics
Adrafinil is a prodrug; it is primarily metabolized in vivo to modafinil, resulting in nearly identical pharmacological effects. Unlike modafinil, the active metabolite must accumulate before the drug is able to act. Oral adrafinil without food usually begins to act within 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Indication
Used to relieve excessive sleepiness and inattention in elderly patients.
Receptor Profile
Receptor Actions
History & Culture
1974–1985
Adrafinil was discovered in 1974 by two chemists working at the French pharmaceutical company Laboratoires Lafon. The compound emerged unexpectedly during a screening program aimed at identifying novel analgesic agents. Rather than demonstrating pain-relieving properties, pharmacological studies revealed that adrafinil produced psychostimulant-like effects in animals, including hyperactivity and sustained wakefulness. Two years after the initial discovery, in 1976, researchers identified modafinil as the primary active metabolite responsible for adrafinil's wakefulness-promoting effects. Modafinil demonstrated greater potency than its parent compound in animal studies and was subsequently selected for parallel clinical development alongside adrafinil. The first human trials of adrafinil were conducted between 1977 and 1978, specifically investigating its potential for treating narcolepsy. Alexander Shulgin published the first detailed account of the compound's synthesis and pharmacology in 1980 in the journal Communications in Psychopharmacology. Despite this publication, adrafinil remained an extremely obscure chemical for nearly two decades. The drug reached the French market in 1984 under the trade name Olmifon, with approval for narcolepsy treatment following in 1985.
1994–2011
While adrafinil was establishing its presence in European markets, its more potent metabolite modafinil continued through clinical development, receiving approval in France in 1994 and subsequently in the United States in 1998. Both compounds were marketed simultaneously, though modafinil gained significantly more international traction. In 2001, the American pharmaceutical company Cephalon acquired Laboratoires Lafon, gaining control of both adrafinil and modafinil products. A decade later, in September 2011, Cephalon voluntarily discontinued Olmifon following a reassessment by French regulatory authorities that determined the drug had an unfavorable risk-benefit ratio. While adrafinil was withdrawn from the legitimate pharmaceutical market, modafinil continued to be marketed globally. Following its pharmaceutical discontinuation, adrafinil gained renewed attention in the late 1990s and early 2000s as a commercially produced research chemical and purported nootropic supplement, particularly in markets where it remained unscheduled.
Effect Profile
Curated + 42 ReportsStrong stimulation, focus, and anxiety/jitters with low euphoria
Experience Report Analysis
ErowidDemographics
Gender Distribution
Age Distribution
Reports Over Time
Effect Analysis
ErowidEffects aggregated from 42 experience reports (42 Erowid)
Effect Sentiment Distribution
Confidence Distribution
Positive Effects 7
Adverse Effects 5
Dose-Response Correlation
How effect frequency changes across dose levels
View data table
| Effect | Common (n=11) |
|---|---|
| Stimulation | 81.8% |
| Sedation | 63.6% |
| Anxiety | 27.3% |
| Increased Heart Rate | 18.2% |
| Psychosis | 18.2% |
| Focus Enhancement | 18.2% |
| Headache | 18.2% |
| Appetite Suppression | 18.2% |
Dose–Effect Mapping
Experience ReportsHow reported effects shift across dose tiers, based on 42 experience reports.
Limited tier coverage — most reports fall within the Common range. Effects at other dose levels may not be represented.
| Effect | Common (n=11) | |
|---|---|---|
| stimulation | ||
| sedation | ||
| anxiety | ||
| increased heart rate | ||
| psychosis | ||
| focus enhancement | ||
| headache | ||
| appetite suppression |
Dosage Distribution
Dose distribution from experience reports
Real-World Dose Distribution
62K DosesFrom 45 individual dose entries
Oral (n=39)
Form / Preparation
Most common forms and preparations reported
Body-Weight Dosing
Dose relative to body weight from reports with weight data
Redose Patterns
Redosing behavior across 27 reports
Legal Status
| Country | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| France | Withdrawn from market | Originally approved for sale in 1981 and marketed under the trade name Olmifon as a prescription medication. In September 2011, the French regulatory authority (ANSM) reassessed the drug and withdrew marketing permission due to an unfavorable risk-benefit ratio. |
| Laos | Unregulated | Reportedly available over-the-counter, though uncommon in practice. |
| New Zealand | Prescription only | Classified as a prescription medicine following a 2005 recommendation by the Medical Classification Committee to MEDSAFE NZ, partly due to concerns about potential misuse as a party drug. |
| South Africa | Unregulated | Reportedly available over-the-counter, though uncommon in practice. |
| United States | Unscheduled | Not a controlled substance, meaning possession without a prescription or license is legal. However, the FDA considers adrafinil an unapproved drug and has taken multiple enforcement actions against companies selling it. In 2017, the FDA rejected a New Dietary Ingredient pre-market notification, stating it could not be concluded safe. Warning letters were issued in 2019, and criminal actions were undertaken in 2019 and 2022 against sellers. In 2023, an Arizona company was fined $2.4 million for introducing misbranded drugs including adrafinil into interstate commerce. Products containing adrafinil are subject to FDA import alerts, and the Department of Defense prohibits military service members from using adrafinil-containing products. |