Imagine being able to take a stimulant that provides you with a mental boost when you want it and without fear of side effects or becoming addicted!
Look no further than Olmifon (the brand name for adrafinil). Olmifon is both a stimulant and an anti-depressant, used to boost vigilance and alertness.
However, unlike many of the more conventional stimulants, Olmifon is a much gentler stimulant. It has the ability to stimulate only when stimulation is required and has far fewer of the anxiety, agitation and insomnia inducing side effects of the more well known stimulants.
What is Olmifon?
Olmifon is a mild central nervous system stimulant and bears the chemical name 2-(Diphenylmethyl) sulfinyl acetohydroxamic acid.
Olmifon was first discovered in the late 1970’s by the French Louis Lafon Laboratories. It was initially developed as a treatment for narcolepsy – a condition characterised by excessive daytime sleepiness, even after adequate night time sleep. A narcoleptic will often become drowsy or even fall asleep several times during the day, with the need to sleep being physically irresistible. By 1986 it was being offered as an experimental treatment for the condition in France.
Olmifon is part of a class of drugs known as eugeroics. The term eugeroics was introduced by Jouvet in his 1987 study into what he referred to as eugrégoriques. The word eugeroics is taken from the Greek language and literally means “good arousal” - a phrase which accurately reflects the effects of this unique type of arousal producing agent.
How does Olmifon work?
Researchers only broadly know how Olmifon (adrafinil) works. Olmifon (adrafinil) is widely believed to act as a selective a1-adrenergic receptor agonist – that is to say it can selectively stimulate the receptiveness of the brain’s adrenergic receptors to norardrenaline. Activation of the a1-adrenergic receptors in the central nervous system is believed to be associated with alertness, learning, memory and antidepressant action. Phenoxybenzamine, prazosin, and yohimbine, all a-adrenergic antagonists, have been shown to block the activity-enhancing effect of adrafinil. The fact that it is selective is what gives adrafinil it’s really unique characteristic. Conventional stimulants, by contrast, stimulate a much broader range of brain receptors.
More recent research has suggested at least two other possibilities as to how Olmifon (adrafinil) may work– namely that adrafinil may modify the intracerebral release of amino acids and adrafinil may increase cerebral metabolism.
Research into Olmifon (adrafinil) has been fairly limited. Most of the work that has been carried out has been undertaken in Europe - particularly in France. This means that much of the scientific literature is published in French. The studies have largely focused on the vigilance promoting and mood enhancing effects of adrafinil in the elderly.
Why is Olmifon so beneficial?
Olmifon is approved throughout Europe for the treatment of narcolepsy. But it is its benefits to the non-narcoleptic that make Olmifon a real stand out stimulant. Olmifon will provide you with the stimulation that you want when you want it. This means that if you want to you will be able to stay awake for long periods of time without feeling sleepy or feeling any of the effects of fatigue. At the same time Olmifon will be able to improve your mental alertness, awareness and memory. But unlike conventional stimulants, Olmifon will not interfere with your normal sleep patterns and will not induce insomnia. This means that even if you are taking Olmifon, you can still sleep when you want to.
As already mentioned, research into the effects of Olmifon has focused on the elderly. As a result of the studies that have been undertaken, Olmifon is particularly recommended for elderly patients who have difficulty staying alert and who suffer from a general slowing down of mental activity.
As Olmifon is so gentle and takes time to act (usually between 45 minutes to an hour after taking it with the benefit building up over a period of days), most people would struggle to tell if they were taking it. A common response from people using Olmifon is that they are not aware that they are taking anything until they need stimulation. But what you will find is that Olmifon gives you more energy and reduces fatigue, while at the same time improving cognitive function, mental focus, concentration and memory.
What is just as noticeable is that, unlike other forms of stimulants, Olmifon does not bring about some of the most common stimulant induced side effects. You will not suffer from the jitters, insomnia, euphoria and the eventual ‘crash’ that taking stimulants usually cause.
Furthermore, Olmifon is unlikely to increase your heart rate or blood pressure like so many of the more conventional stimulants do. More traditional stimulants act upon a much wider spectrum of brain receptors, including those involving dopamine. Dopamine increases the heart rate and blood pressure – the fact that Olmifon is more selective may account for the lack of adverse side effects in this regard.
Dosage
It is suggested that you should take one or two 300mg tablets twice a day, but not continuously without liver enzyme blood tests.
Are there any side effects?
As already discussed, Olmifon is very gentle but it may occasionally cause headaches, stomach pains and skin irritations, and in certain cases, feelings of inner tension.
Occasionally, long term use may result in elevated liver enzymes, specifically SGOT, SGPT, GGPT and hepatic alkaline phosphatise. Therefore, if it is your intention to use Olmifon over a long period of time, it is important that you have your liver function tested before you begin taking Olmifon to establish a baseline reading. You should then have your liver enzymes tested after 3 months and then every 6 months thereafter. If any abnormalities do appear, simply reducing your dosage or stopping Olmifon altogether should see your liver enzymes return to normal.
If you suffer from epilepsy, or serious hepatic or renal disorders, you should consult your doctor before taking Olmifon.
Due to the fact that the metabolites of Olmifon contain sulphur, you may notice that your urine will have a peculiar odour.
It is also important to be aware that in 2004, Olmifon (adrafinil) and its close relative modafinil were added to the list of substances prohibited for athletic competition according to the World Anti-Doping Agency.
source: www.antiaging-systems.com
