What is Armodafinil?
Armodafinil is a neurostimulant used to treat chronic fatigue, narcolepsy, shift-based sleep disorders, or apnea.
Armodafinil addiction is very low and cases of abuse are very unusual. As such, it is approved by the European Federation of Neurological Societies and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is available only by prescription.
Without a prescription, it is used as a cognitive enhancer and the astronauts of the International Space Station take it on long duration missions to work better when they are fatigued. One in five students also uses Armodafinil to improve their concentration and attention. These are easily available on RXShopMD.com.
Benefits of Armodafinil for health
Armodafinil reduces fatigue
One of the main benefits of Armodafinil is its ability to improve attention in people without rest problems while maintaining wakefulness and memory in individuals with sleep problems, as demonstrated in studies conducted with humans. However, during a longer period of sleep deprivation, repetition of Armodafinil doses failed to prevent deterioration of cognitive performance.
Armodafinil improves precision and processing speed
In a study conducted with 16 healthy volunteers, one dose of Armodafinil 200 mg was able to significantly reduce the number of errors in several complicated tasks (such as visuo-spatial maintenance tasks).
In another study conducted with 39 men playing more than 3000 chess games, Armod managed to reduce the average time per move and improved the rate of gain and loss.
In addition, Armodafinil improves the efficiency and processing of cognitive information of the prefrontal cortex, responsible for superior cognitive function.
Armodafinil improves memory
Several studies have shown that it is able to improve memory even in healthy humans. In doses of 100, 200 and 250 mg, it showed significantly better results in tasks related to memory, such as the recognition of visual patterns or verbal memory.
Armodafinil improves physical performance and reaction time
A study with 60 men showed that, taken in high doses of 200 mg, significantly improves the reaction time compared to lower doses of 100 mg. In addition, it improved performance in demanding tasks at the cognitive level.
Armodafinil risks
Allergic reactions to Armodafinil
According to the FDA, one of its risks, although uncommon, is the possibility of contracting Stevens-Johnson syndrome, a potentially lethal allergic reaction if it is not treated in time.
In any case, one study pointed out that the long-term effects of Armodafinil are slight, with headache, nausea, headaches and nervousness being the most common. Among the most common are tachycardia, anxiety, or agitation.
Overdose can cause severe headaches, insomnia and increased heart rate, although these disappear the next day.
Tolerance and dependence to Armodafinil
One of the reasons why Armodafinil is used as a nootropic is that it is quite difficult to become addicted to it.
In any case, there are cases of dependence as a result of daily use over a long period of time. Withdrawal symptoms are usually fatigue and inability to feel pleasure.
How does Armodafinil work in the brain?
Armodafinil increases serotinin levels
Although slightly, it increases serotonin in some regions of the brain. In addition, it shows synergistic actions with the selective inhibitors of serotonin reuptake which results in the amplification of serotonin.
A human trial that administered both Armodafinil and inhibitors to treat depression with fatigue and drowsiness failed as a treatment for depression.
Armodafinil increases dopamine levels
At low power, it has the ability to increase dopamine levels by blocking the dopamine transporter. Interestingly, this is the same mechanism that cocaine uses, although the activity of Armodafinil on the transporter is more soothing.
It is precisely these properties when inhibiting the transporter that make Armodafinil so little addictive and its potential as a treatment for addiction to cocaine and other drugs that act on dopamine is even being investigated.