Fladrafinil
EmergingLafon-era research compound (CRL-40,941) — the bisfluoro analog of adrafinil that never made it past 1970s-80s animal pharmacology and has… | Pharmaceutical · Oral
Aliases (6)
▸Brand options3 known
StatusUnscheduled in US; not approved in any jurisdiction (research-chem only)
▸ Overview TL;DR
Lafon-era research compound (CRL-40,941) — the bisfluoro analog of adrafinil that never made it past 1970s-80s animal pharmacology and has zero published human trials. Marketed in 2010s-2020s nootropic forums on a "calmer modafinil with anti-aggression effects" pitch derived almost entirely from a single mouse study and structural extrapolation. SKIP-FOR-NOW for Dylan and every other archetype — modafinil itself is cheap, well-studied, and strictly dominant.
▸ Mechanism of action
Presumed mechanism (none of this is verified in humans):
Fladrafinil is the bis(p-fluoro) analog of adrafinil — adrafinil's diphenylmethyl group has both phenyl rings substituted with para-fluorine. Like adrafinil, it is theorized to be a hepatic prodrug that converts to a modafinil-class active metabolite — specifically, the bisfluoro analog of modafinil (sometimes called "lauflumide" or "fluoromodafinil" in research-chem channels, but this nomenclature is not standardized).
Once converted, the assumed downstream pharmacology mirrors modafinil:
- Weak DAT inhibition with downstream dopamine elevation in striatum
- Orexin → histamine → cortical wakefulness cascade
- Glutamate up, GABA down in hypothalamus/thalamus/hippocampus
- Mild norepinephrine + serotonin contribution
The bisfluoro modification's theoretical effect:
- Increased lipophilicity → potentially better blood-brain barrier penetration → potentially lower required dose
- Slower hepatic clearance of the active metabolite → potentially longer duration
- Different P450 substrate profile from racemic modafinil
Critical caveat — none of this has been demonstrated in humans. The mechanism section above is structural inference from adrafinil/modafinil pharmacology plus animal data from a small handful of 1970s-80s Lafon papers. There are no published clinical pharmacokinetic studies, no DAT-occupancy imaging, no controlled wakefulness trials. Fladrafinil is a structure that should behave like a slightly tweaked modafinil based on chemistry — but "should" is doing a lot of work in that sentence.
▸ Pharmacokinetics No data
▸Research protocols1 protocols
| Goal | Dose | Frequency | Solo | Cycle |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cycled use only | — | — | — | — |
Auto-extracted from dosing notes. For full context including caveats and Dylan-specific protocols, see the Dosing protocols section.
▸Quality indicators4 checks
▸ What to expect Generic
- 1Day 1PK-driven acute peak per administration. Verify dose tolerated.
- 2Week 1Steady-state reached for most daily-dosed pharma.
- 3Week 2-4Therapeutic effect established; titration window if needed.
- 4Long-termPeriodic monitoring per drug class (labs, BP, ECG as applicable).
▸ Side effects + safety Tabbed view
The fundamental problem: Almost everything in this section is inferred from modafinil + adrafinil. Fladrafinil's actual human safety profile has never been characterized. The "this is probably safe because it looks like modafinil" reasoning is exactly how compounds with novel toxicities slip through — modafinil itself didn't surface its SJS/TEN signal until thousands of patients had taken it.
Common (>10% users, presumed by class)
- Headache — reported by users; assumed modafinil-class.
- Reduced appetite — reported.
- Insomnia / shifted sleep onset if dosed late.
- Anxiety / nervousness — reported less frequently than with modafinil per anecdote, though this is unreliable.
Less common (1-10%, presumed by class)
- Nausea, GI upset
- Dry mouth, increased thirst
- Mild HR / BP elevation
- Dizziness
- Skin irritation
Rare-serious (<1%, presumed by class — but UNDOCUMENTED)
- Stevens-Johnson Syndrome / TEN / DRESS — theoretical risk inherited from modafinil class. The watch period is unknown for fladrafinil specifically because no surveillance database exists. Treat the modafinil 1-8 week watch period as a floor, not a ceiling.
- Hepatotoxicity — adrafinil's hepatic prodrug profile was bad enough to withdraw Olmifon from the French market in 2011. Fladrafinil's structural similarity (bisfluoro adrafinil) means the same hepatic-conversion toll plausibly applies, possibly worse given the additional fluorine substitution. There is no LFT-monitoring data because there are no humans being monitored.
- Cardiovascular — assumed modafinil-class (PVCs, BP elevation). Unverified.
- Psychiatric — assumed modafinil-class (rare psychosis, mania, suicidal ideation). Unverified.
- Idiosyncratic reactions — the unknown unknowns. Any compound with no human safety surveillance has a tail of rare reactions waiting to be discovered. Modafinil's took ~10 years of post-marketing data to map out fully. Fladrafinil's have never been mapped at all.
Specific watch periods
- Weeks 1-8: rash watch (modafinil-class SJS floor — possibly longer for fladrafinil given lack of data)
- Weeks 1-12: liver enzyme watch (adrafinil-class hepatic-prodrug floor)
- Indefinite: idiosyncratic reaction watch — there is no established safety boundary
▸Interactions6 compounds
- N/ASynergisticonce converted (assuming the prodrug hypothesis is correct), the synergy profile would be modafinil's (l-theanine, citicoline, rhodiola, bromantane, selegili…
- Other hepatotoxic compoundsAvoidalcohol, high-dose acetaminophen, statins, methotrexate, isoniazid, kava, comfrey, high-dose niacin. The presumed adrafinil-class hepatic load makes additive…
- CYP3A4 inducers/inhibitorsAvoidwould unpredictably alter conversion to active metabolite. With no human PK data, the direction of the interaction is unpredictable.
- Hormonal contraceptivesAvoidassumed CYP3A4 induction (modafinil-class) reduces efficacy; same partner-relevant caveat.
- Other research-chem eugeroicsAvoid(hydrafinil, flmodafinil, etc.) — combining undocumented compounds compounds the unknown safety surface.
- Cannot reliably define.CompatibleWithout characterized drug-interaction profile, "neutral" is inference, not knowledge.
▸References8 sources
Fladrafinil — Wikipedia 2026
2026primary structural and historical reference; Lafon CRL-40,941 development history; bisfluoro adrafinil analog; never advanced past animal…
Fladrafinil — PubChem CID 91524
chemical structure, CAS, molecular reference.
Adrafinil compound file
parent comparator; hepatic prodrug pathway, Olmifon withdrawal precedent.
Modafinil compound file
gold-standard eugeroic comparator; strictly dominant alternative.
Lafon Laboratoires CRL-series development history
context for why modafinil won the CRL-series race; other analogs (CRL-40,028 adrafinil, CRL-40,941 fladrafinil) shelved.
Modafinil/Armodafinil — LiverTox NCBI Bookshelf NBK548274
modafinil hepatic safety baseline (likelihood E); the comparator that makes adrafinil-class hepatic-prodrug concerns stand out.
WADA Prohibited List 2026
2026modafinil banned S6 in-competition; fladrafinil likely covered by S6 catch-all language.
Nootropics Encyclopedia 2026-05-05
2026internal reference; broader CRL-series and modafinil-family context.