Modafinil V/s Armodafinil : Definition, mechanism and it’s costing

Have you ever given a thought that when it actually comes to the battle of Modafinil v/s Armodafinil, who clearly win the toss?

Both the smart drugs seem to have similar name but that doesn’t really conclude that they have the same properties too.

Yet the differences between the two nootropics are so subtle where one’s choice of nootropic really doesn’t matter which actually leaves us stuck with many questions.

What are the major differences between these two drugs when it comes to their effectiveness?

Does one lasts longer than the other? Is there any price difference when we compare between both the drugs.

The sole purpose of this guide is to answer all your questions. By the time you will finish reading this piece of article, you will be thorough enough with the debate between between them. You will also come to the climax that which nootropic is better for you to take!

What is Modafinil?

Most people already know what is Modafinil, but in this case you are clearly hearing about the smart drug, we shall clearly catch you up with the speed.

Modafinil is actually a drug manufactured by Cephalon. The USFDA approved Modafinil in the year 1998 under the brand name of Provigil to treat excessive daytime sleepiness in the following conditions.

Narcolepsy
Obstructive sleep apnea
Shift work sleep disorder

Modafinil is more famous for it’s off label use as cognitive enhancer. And after several years of people in high performance careers using the drug in this fashion, scientists have started investigating it further:

Clinical studies have also documented beneficial effects of Modafinil on cognitive performance in human subjects who have been experimentally sleep deprived.

Modafinil’s primary effect involves the promotion of wakefulness and alertness, which is why it is called as eugeroic.

We have to appropriately introduce the other side.

What is Armodafinil?

Armodafinil, like Modafinil, is also a non-narcotic prescription drug which that falls under schedule IV. It was approved by FDA in 2007 under the brand name Nuvigil, to treat the exact same problem as Modafinil, and for the same three medical conditions.

Armodafinil is a pharmaceutical which is used to treat narcolepsy and other sleep disorders. The purpose of the medicine is to increase alertness. This is achieved through effects on the body’s natural wake-sleep cycle and circadian rhythms. How well we sleep and how healthy we are are directly related to the schedules set by these systems.

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that plays a key role in its effectiveness. It accomplishes this by increasing dopamine levels in the brain by blocking their reuptake.

Armodafinil is available as a tablet and is administered orally. It is recommended to take it once a day. When treating narcolepsy, it’s best to take the medication first thing in the morning, preferably at the same time every day, with or without meals.

Armodafinil, used to treat narcolepsy, is typically administered in doses ranging from 150 mg to 250 mg once daily. Dosage recommendations, however, will change from patient to patient based on their specific conditions. Therefore, it is essential that people taking Armodafinil stick to the dosage their physician has prescribed.

Difference

Armodafinil and Modafinil differ in several ways.

Modafinil is sold under the trade name Provigil in the United States. For the treatment of insomnia, it was given the green light in 1998. In contrast, Armodafinil, sold under the brand name Nuvigil, was given the green light for use in 2017. It’s an up-and-coming medication. It is now known that armodafinil is the r-enantiomer of modafinil.

To put it simply, enantiomers are molecules that are mirror images of one another. Thus, they achieve the same result despite having distinct chemical structures. Armodafinil is a relatively new medication that has been shown to be somewhat more effective than older drugs like modafinil at inducing wakefulness.

Though they have a similar terminal half-life, the concentration of Armodafinil is slightly higher. Studies show that Armodafinil has a longer half-life in comparison to Modafinil. So, whilst Modafinil may be better at becoming effective more quickly, Armodafinil’s characterization as a medication with a longer half-life means that although it takes longer to kick in, once it has become effective, it stays in the bloodstream for longer.

The same study showed that concentrations of Armodafinil were higher later in the day which produced more effective results for longer.

Armodafinil v/s Modafinil

Whether you want to compare nuvigil v/s Provigil or Armodafinil v/s Modafinil, it doesn’t really matter. There are many more similarities between the two drugs than the differences.

The performance of both are helpful in their treatment of sleep disorders. Studies show that each greatly reduced excessive sleepiness, improved quality of sleep and wakefulness. Both are established as being equally effective, quick, and safe.

Additionally, characterized as ‘smart drugs’ and synthetic nootropics, they provide cognitive-enhancing benefits. The way the medications interact with the central nervous system to improve wakefulness creates cognitive enhancement benefits. These include boosting mood and improving memory, focus, attention, and general cognitive performance.

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Similarities

Provigil and Nuvigil are surprisingly alike when you compare the two. Instead you will be much more hard pressed to find any real difference between the two medical medications.

Same pharmacological mechanism of action

When it comes to the comparison of both the drugs, the exact mechanism of action is still unknown. However it just appears as if both central nervous system stimulants work in the same fashion. They stimulate the localized areas of the brain instead of broadly activating the entire brain itself.

Both the drugs block dopamine reuptake by binding to the dopamine transporter and increase the dopamine concentrations in certain regions of the brain. However dopamine receptor antagonists and dopamine synthesis inhibitor do not block Modafinil’s actions.

Affected by food intake

While you take your food alongside your regular dose of these drugs, it will likely delay the onset of it’s effect by 1-2 hours, the overall bioavailability of both the drugs remains unchanged. when it comes to the battle of both the drugs, you can expect to kick in quicker when you take either smart drug without food.

Same terminal half life

The half life of the drug can be defined as the time it takes for it’s concentration in the body to be reduced by 50. When you are taking either of the drugs, the terminal half life is essentially the same at 13-15 hours.

Boosted focus, cognition and productivity

Finally and most importantly, both appear to have the same cognitive enhancing effects. Here are the most common effects reported by countless test subjects:

Improved short term memory
Increased focus
Elevated confidence
Higher level of alertness
Longer lasting attention span

The only real competition found here is to observe closely that which smart drug provides most of the effects and which drug lasts longer. This tends to be entirely subjective4 and depend totally on the user.

Differences

Here’s where the debate gets more interesting. All the enthusiasts will argue endlessly on the over the differences that exists between the two.

The differences between them are not very significant in number.

Chemical structure

Modafinil is smoothing which has a racemic mixture of two separate compounds.

R- modafinil and S- modafinil are what they are called as enantiomers. They exactly have the same atoms, same 3D structure, but both the molecules are non super imposable mirror images of each other in the third dimension.

Here’s what we exactly mean! Your hands are enantiomers of each other. Even though both are very much identical with each other in their structure, you cannot have the same hand when you have the left hand placed on the top of your right hand.

Pharmacokinetic properties

Armodafinil may lead to improved wakefulness. If you compare both the enantiomers of Modafinil, the properties are quiet different from one another.

The R-enantiomer has a half life of 10-14 hours, while the S- enantiomer has a half life of 3-4 hours.
The S-enantiopmer has 3 fold shorter duration than the R enantiomer and hence it also eliminates 3x faster than the R enantiomer.
The R enantiomer has three times higher affinity towards the dopamine transporter than the S enantiomer, and thus it is 3x more effective at inhibiting dopamine uptake.

Price comparison

If you go to overview on the cost, you will be really shocked by how much each costs.

For 200mg Provigil, you pay 24.64 per pill. For generic Modafinil the cost is lowered to US 10.86 per pill.
For 150mg Nuvigil, the cost goes upto 29.79 per pill. For generic Armodafinil, you can save a lot more by paying 6.88 per pill.