This Flmodafinil review is going to tell you everything you need to know about the hyped-up Modafinil analog.
The very few individuals who were brave enough to try this experimental drug claim it is more effective than Modafinil at enhancing cognition, all while being cheaper to buy and safer with respect to side effects.
But you will be extremely hard-pressed to find any scientific studies or published information from legitimate sources.
Which begs the ultimate question…
Is Flmodafinil an unsafe research chemical, or the true successor to Modafinil and its cousins Armodafinil and Adrafinil?
Furthermore, what is the best Flmodafinil dose to take? What are the side effects of Flmodafinil? And where can you buy Flmodafinil online?
This definitive guide to Flmodafnil will answer all of the above questions and many more in full detail!
Flmodafinil Review | Overview
Flmodafinil (a.k.a. Lauflumide, NLS-4, CRL-40,940) is an experimental analog of Modafinil that has a very similar chemical structure to the original drug [1]:
As you can see, Flmodafinil has a fluorine atom added to the “p” position of each benzyl ring on Modafinil. For this reason, scientists refer to Flmodafinil as the “bis(p-fluoro)” analog.
Not much else can be said about Flmodafinil, but many researchers have claimed that Flmodafinil has the following properties:
- Possesses similar eugeroic (i.e. wakefulness-enhancing) properties as Modafinil
- Affects the same neurotransmitters as Modafinil – glutamate, dopamine, histamine, etc.
- Exerts more powerful effects than Modafinil with respect to mood, memory, alertness, and overall productivity
- Enters the bloodstream faster than Modafinil and starts “acting” much faster
Unlike Modafinil, Flmodafinil is NOT approved by the FDA to treat the same three medical conditions as Modafinil: Obstructive sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and shift work sleep disorder [2].
However, this has not stopped biohackers from using Flmodafinil in the hopes of discovering a superior and more potent version of Modafinil.
Benefits
What cognitive benefits of Flmodafinil can we deduce from the few scientific studies available and the numerous testimonials from nootropic users who took a big leap of faith in using Flmodafinil?
Let’s find out…
Flmodafinil Will Make You More Alert
This is the one instance where we have a published study in mice demonstrating Flmodafinil’s alertness-boosting properties [3]:
“NLS-4 [i.e. Flmodafinil] at 64 mg/kg induced significantly longer wakefulness duration than modafinil at 150 mg/kg. “
“…Our results indicate that NLS-4 is a highly potent wake-promoting drug with no sign of hypersomnia rebound.
As opposed to modafinil, recovery sleep after NLS-4 treatment is characterized by less NREM amount and delta activity, suggesting a lower need for recovery despite longer drug-induced wakefulness.”
As we’ve written previously, Flmodafinil is a great Modafinil alternative for getting 6 hours of pure laser focus.
This benefit is by far the most common observation of human research subjects who have used Flmodafinil [4]:
“…completely legal Flmodafinil gives me about 12 hours of wakefulness and also boosts my awareness. It is not a stimulant either, so it causes no heart rate increase or jitters”
Put another way, Flmodafinil is not a traditional stimulant in the way we think about it. You may not directly “feel” more energetic, but you will subtly feel yourself becoming more focused and productive.
Flmodafinil Reduces Daytime Fatigue
While Modafinil is not FDA-approved for treating fatigue, many patients with medical conditions where fatigue is a major symptom feel far less tired if they are taking Modafinil at 200 mg per day [5].
Users of Flmodafinil have noticed the same effect, claiming it helps them overcome bad habits such as procrastination and other impulsive behaviors that are typically destructive [6]:
“I had shit sleep the night before. Maybe a total of 4 hours on and off… Took the recommended starting dose of 50mg. It tasted sweet/kind of metallic. I didn’t like the taste but it was definitely tolerable.
Within 10 minutes I started feeling less tired, like a lot less tired. Within 20 minutes, I wasn’t tired at all. It felt like I just woke up after getting a good nights rest.”
With Flmodafinil eliminating the burden of dealing with a condition that robs you of your mental energy, it becomes far easier to make better decisions throughout the day.
Flmodafinil Won’t Interfere With Your Sleep Schedule
Although limited pharmacokinetic data is available for Flmodafinil, anecdotal testimonials suggest that the experimental nootropic’s wakefulness-enhancing effects do not come at the cost of interfering with your sleep schedule [7]:
“On days where I don’t need all day stimulation I prefer Flmodafinil because of the shorter duration.
I can fall asleep much easier compared to Modafinil which keeps me up almost all night. Flmodafinil also seems to have more mood boosting benefits.”
This is explained by Flmodafinil’s more powerful yet shorter-lasting duration. You get a larger boost in cognition for 6-7 hours before the drug’s effects wane off – right in time for a good night’s sleep.
Flmodafinil Provides a Positive Boost to Overall Mood
In both scientific studies and personal testimony, Modafinil can positively boost your mood and have a slight effect on your overall happiness [8].
The same appears to be true of Flmodafinil, and arguably more so than Modafinil [9]:
“Definite increase in alertness. No anxiety/jitters (note: benzos are playing a role). Mood boost, but nothing near a good amphetamine buzz. Clear head.
No brain fog yet, which is surprising because of the benzos and lack of sleep. No increased desire to socialize, but socializing comes with ease. Overall feeling of contentment, but far from bliss.”
The encouraging feelings of motivation that come from Flmodafinil will be very helpful for anybody facing a near-impossible volume of work and tight deadlines.
Flmodafinil Provides Fewer “Jitters” Than Modafinil
For people who find that Modafinil may prove to be too overstimulating, a possible first impression might be that Flmodafinil would be even worse.
But for some bizarre reason, many nootropic users find that Flmodafinil’s supposed higher level of potency doesn’t lead to jitters or anxiety [10]:
“Concentration and energy are up 100% Focus is 100%… Theres no euphoria with this, its just all Wake up Alertness and Focus and f*cking Energy!
Jesus do i have some killer energy lol. NO Side effects like caffeine would bring, my heart rate is normal ect I don’t feel jittery or anxiety nothing, Just pure energy.”
This positive effect is one of the many reasons why we recommend Flmodafinil as a more legal alternative to Modafinil… either for those people who can’t access it, or people who find Modafinil does not provide them with the benefits they are looking for.
Flmodafinil May Be Useful for People With ADHD
This is NOT a direct recommendation to start using Flmodafinil for the treatment of ADHD symptoms. However, a few people diagnosed with ADHD who have experimented with Flmodafinil have reported the following effects [11]:
“Its 11am now and I took the 75mg dose at 7am. By now I can comfortably say that I feel as emotionally stable and focused as I do from 10mg Ritalin IR at 7am then another at 11am.
The biggest differences are… no anxitey or sense of feeling rushed. No jitters or sensations of CNS stimulation. Ive had about 200mg of caffeine by this point too. No side effects noted so far.”
Overall, Flmodafinil appears to be a suitable alternative to Armodafinil and Modafinil for people who want a stronger cognitive boost on a smaller dose without some of the associated effects associated with both drugs.
Flmodafinil Side Effects and Safety
Considering the lack of scientific research seen so far, you might be curious about the side effects of Flmodafinil or whether it’s safe to use Flmodafinil for enhanced cognition.
NOTE: There are no toxicology studies, human studies, or clinical reviews of Flmodafinil. You are 100% responsible for any effects – good or bad – that come with the responsible use of Flmodafinil.
From the testimonials we were able to gather, it appears as the side effect profile of Modafinil is highly similar to that of Flmodafinil.
Here are the most commonly reported side effects of Flmodafinil:
- Dehydration [12]
- Headache [13]
- Irritability [14]
- Anxiety [15]
- Nausea [16]
- Lack of any meaningful effects [17]
Overall, you should use Flmodafinil in the same way that Modafinil is properly used. This ensures the side effects described will be short in duration and mild in intensity.
We’ve previously written about safely using Modafinil, and our recommendations will be echoed here for proper use of Flmodafinil:
- Only use Flmodafinil once or twice a week as needed, for a maximum of 30 days before taking a 7-day break to reset your tolerance levels
- Your daily dose of Flmodafinil should not exceed 100 mg, and beginners are advised to start at 50mg before slowly working their way up
- We DO NOT advise stacking Flmodafinil with other nootropics due to its high potency [18]
- Drink more water than usual if you take Flmodafinil – 2-4 liters in the same day is highly recommended
- Only take Flmodafinil in the morning – between 8-9AM are the best hours to use Flmodafinil
If you follow the recommendations listed above, you will be able to safely use Flmodafinil.
Legality
Is Flmodafinil legal for you to buy and use? To make a long story short: It doesn’t exactly have the same legal status as Modafinil.
In the United States, Modafinil is a Schedule IV prescription drug. That means it is illegal for you to use without a prescription, and you are not allowed to share Modafinil or sell it to anybody.
But as you already saw in the introduction, Flmodafinil is an ANALOG of Modafinil.
And for those of you wondering if the infamous “Federal Analogue Act” passed in 1986 applies to Flmodafinil, it does not [19]:
“…[the act allows] any chemical “substantially similar” to a controlled substance listed in Schedule I or II to be treated as if it were listed in Schedule I, but only if intended for human consumption.
In other words…
Flmodafinil is an uncontrolled, unregulated research chemical in the somewhat-legal grey market that is not approved by the FDA for human use.
For this reason, you will see online vendors advertise Flmodafinil in the following manner:
“This material is sold for research purposes only. It s not meant for human consumption, medical uses, household uses, or veterinary uses”
But from our personal experience and having access to thousands of users who have used Flmodafinil themselves, here is a brief cheat-sheet that tells you what all of the above means:
- Flmodafinil will NOT show up on a drug test for Modafinil unless the examiner specifically screens for it
- While you can technically travel with Flmodafinil in small quantities, its grey-market status puts you at slightly greater risk than carrying Modafinil on a plane
- You can buy Flmodafinil online in small quantities without a prescription in the same way that Modafinil can be bought online
- It is 100% illegal for you to SELL Flmodafinil to other people due to its status as a research chemical [20]
In summation, you are responsible for the proper use of Flmodafinil and any legal ramifications that come about.
Pharmacology
Researchers have speculated that Flmodafinil’s primary mechanism of action is very similar to Modafinil, if not identical [21]:
“Modafinil seems to be able to increase extracellular levels of dopamine in the rat nucelar accumbens and prefrontal cortex and the dog caudate nucleus.
It has been shown to occupy both the dopamine and noradrenaline receptors (in the striatum) and prevention of dopamine receptor occupancy abolishes the sleep-promoting effects in mice, suggesting this mechanism of action is crucial to the sleep-promoting effects.”
Modafinil acts by binding to the dopamine transporter (DAT) and inhibiting dopamine uptake, which is why it is known as a dopamine reuptake inhibitor (DRI).
The only published study on Flmodafinil’s pharmacological properties reveals that it is 2-fold more potent than Modafinil in inhibiting dopamine reuptake [22]. In other words, 50 mg of Flmodafinil would be as effective as 100 mg of Modafinil in producing the same outcome.
Unpublished data also indicates that Flmodafinil’s ability to bind to DAT is “higher than methylphenidate and without deleterious effects on peripheral adrenergic systems involved in hypertension” [3].
Applying this data towards practical use, many users claim Flmodafinil takes 30-60 minutes before its effects kick in and lasts a total of 6-7 hours. For this reason, Flmodafinil likely has a shorter half-life compared to Modafinil’s 12-15 hours.
However, the real interest in Flmodafinl’s supposedly superior potency compared to Modafinil come in the form of the two additional fluorine atoms.
It is common knowledge amongst medicinal chemists in the pharmaceutical industry that adding additional fluorine atoms to drugs can result in the following changes [23, 24, 25]:
- Increased lipophilicity (i.e. improved ability to dissolve in fats, thus an improved ability to penetrate cell membranes)
- Decreased speed of drug metabolism (i.e. less of the drug is eliminated from your system via enzymatic breakdown)
- Better blood-brain barrier penetration
- Higher bioavailability (i.e. the fraction of a drug that reaches your bloodstream)
- More effective binding to its target receptor
Flmodafinil is a perfect example of how seemingly subtle changes to a drug’s chemical structure can radically change its properties. This could be the reason why several nootropic users claim Flmodafinl is a more effective version of Modafinil.
History of Flmodafinil
Supposedly, Flmodafinil was discovered alongside Modafinil in the late 1970s when Dr. Michel Jouvet of Lafon Laboratories was investigating novel treatments in the field of sleep medicine.
The first published instance of Flmodafinil can be found through its supposed precursor drug Fladrafinil (a.k.a. CRL-40,941, adrafinil with two additional fluorine atoms). A patent filed in 1984 by the pharmaceutical company noticed the following properties of Fladrafinil [28]:
- A maximum non-lethal dose of 1024 mg/kg in mice
- Anti-aggressive effects in mice receiving a dose of 256 mg/kg
- Reduces the duration of barbiturate-induced sleep at a dose of 64 and 128 mg/kg
- Better overall bioavailability than Adrafinil when taken orally
The concluding statement of this patent was rather interesting:
“From the clinical point of view, CRL 40941 acts at doses which are half those of CRL 40028.
Excellent results were obtained in man when it was administered per os, at the rate of 2 to 3 capsules or tablets (each containing 50 mg of active ingredient) per day, particularly for 2 to 8 weeks in the treatment of hypersommia and psychastenia.”
Another patent was filed in 1986 by Lafon Laboratories, this time investing both Flmodafinil and Fladrafinil. Here are some of the observations they made in mice who were given Flmodafinil [29]:
- Improves motor activity and recovery
- Reduces the duration of barbiturate-induced sleep at doses of 32 and 128 mg/kg
- “Gives excellent results as an arousing medicament”
Flmodafinil then disappeared out of nowhere, all the way up until 2013 when NLS Pharmaceuticals filed a patent for Flmodafinil under the name “Lauflumide” [30]. This took place a year after generic drug manufacturers were granted the ability to produce Modafinil [31].
Unlike the previous patents, this one made several extraordinary claims about Lauflumide’s potential for being used as a therapeutic treatment for ADHD symptoms:
- “Lauflumide (racemic mixture) has an expected effectiveness in plasma of 6 to 7 hours.”
- Lauflumide is at least as effective as methylphenidate (Ritalin) and more effective than Modafinil in “improving waiting ability in young Wistar rats subjected to the T-maze test” (a protocol used to assess impulsivity and therefore the efficacy of ADHD drugs).
- “[Lauflumide] is 20 times more effective than adrafinil and 4 times more effective than modafinil.”
Flmodafinil was later investigated in a Phase I clinical trial launched in 2015 involving patients with Alzheimer’s disease, but this was discontinued in late 2019 for reasons unknown [32].
This is the last historical mention of Flmodafinil from any reputable source. Since then, no further investigation has been done into Flmodafinil or its potential therapeutic applications.
Review of Flmodafinil | Verdict
So what can be concluded from this comprehensive Flmodafinil review?
Despite its status as an experimental research chemical, there are a significant number of users claiming Flmodafinil is an overall improved version of Modafinil.
More powerful cognition-enhancing effects, safer to take, easier to obtain, cheaper to purchase, and a must-have tool for shorter bouts of insane productivity and razor-sharp focus.
But not everyone will agree with the statements made above, and some individuals may not get the response they’re looking for when taking Flmodafinil.
Flmodafinil’s potency, therefore, is entirely individual to the user and their unique biochemical make-up
References
- Dowling G, Kavanagh PV, Talbot B, O’Brien J, Hessman G, McLaughlin G, Twamley B, Brandt SD. Outsmarted by nootropics? An investigation into the thermal degradation of modafinil, modafinic acid, adrafinil, CRL-40,940 and CRL-40,941 in the GC injector: formation of 1,1,2,2-tetraphenylethane and its tetra fluoro analog. Drug Test Anal. 2017;9(3):518-528. doi: 10.1002/dta.2142
- Modafinil. Retrieved December 5, 2020. webmd.com
- Luca G, Bandarabadi M, Konofal E, et al. Lauflumide (NLS-4) Is a New Potent Wake-Promoting Compound. Front Neurosci. 2018;12:519. doi:10.3389/fnins.2018.00519
- Stocking up a rarely thought of item – wakefulness eugeroic. Retrieved December 1, 2020. r/preppers
- Rammohan KW, Rosenberg JH, Lynn DJ, Blumenfeld AM, Pollak CP, Nagaraja HN. Efficacy and safety of modafinil (Provigil) for the treatment of fatigue in multiple sclerosis: a two centre phase 2 study. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2002;72(2):179-83. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.72.2.179.
- Flmodafinil review. Retrieved November 30, 2020. r/Nootropics
- Flmodafinil vs regular Modafinil? Retrieved November 31, 2020. gonootropics.com
- Taneja I, Haman K, Shelton RC, Robertson D. A randomized, double-blind, crossover trial of modafinil on mood. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2007;27(1):76-9. doi: 10.1097/jcp.0b013e31802eb7ea.
- First experiment with CRL-40,940 (flmodafinil). Retrieved December 2, 2020. r/Nootropics
- Flmodafinil (CRL-40,940) Review. Retrieved November 31, 2020. r/Drugs
- CRL-40,940 (Flmodafinil, Lauflumide). Retrieved December 3, 2020. addforums.com
- Is flmodafinil safe? Retrieved December 4, 2020. r/researchchemicals
- Tried flmodafinil about an hour or so ago. Retrieved December 4, 2020. r/afinil
- Need Some Feedback on Flmodafinil (Fluoromodafinil). Retrieved November 31, 2020. r/afinil
- Flmodafinil? Retrieved December 2, 2020. r/Tianeptine
- Side effects of flmodafinil for first two doses, negative outweighs positive. Retrieved December 3, 2020. longecity.org
- FLmodafinil, completely ineffective. Retrieved December 2, 2020. r/modafinil
- Lauflumide. Retrieved November 29, 2020. psychonautwiki.org
- Federal Analogue Act. Retrieved December 6, 2020. wikipedia.org
- Labeled “Research” Chemicals, Doping Drugs Sold Openly on Amazon.com. Retrieved December 7, 2020. hklaw.com
- Modafinil. Retrieved December 1, 2020. examine.com
- Cao J, Prisinzano TE, Okunola OM, Kopajtic T, Shook M, Katz JL, Newman AH. SARs at the Monoamine Transporters for a Novel Series of Modafinil Analogues. ACS Med Chem Lett. 2011;2(1):48-52. doi: 10.1021/ml1002025
- New method of incorporating fluoride into drugs. Retrieved December 4, 2020. phys.org
- Biological aspects of fluorine. Retrieved December 4, 2020. wikipedia.0rg
- Flmodafinil versus Modafinil. Retrieved December 3, 2020. r/afinil
- Fluoromodafinl. Retrieved December 3, 2020. instagram.com
- Science.bio. Retrieved November 30, 2020. ca.trustpilot.com
- Halogenobenzhydrylsulfinylacetohydroxamic acids. Retrieved November 29, 2020. worldwide.espacenet.com
- BENZHYDRYLSULFINYLACETAMIDE DERIVATIVES. Retrieved November 29, 2020. worldwide.espacenet.com
- Lauflumide and the enantiomers thereof, method for preparing same and therapeutic uses thereof. Retrieved November 29, 2020. patents.google.com
- Dyer O. Generic drug firm settles claim that it was paid to stay out of market. BMJ. 2015;350:h2282. doi: 10.1136/bmj.h2282.
- Lauflumide – NLS Pharmaceutics Ltd. Retrieved November 30, 2020. adisinsight.springer.com/
- Modafinil Blog – Dave Lewis. May 12, 2022. https://pay.pharmcenterxl.net