_edited.png)
- Moses
Armodafinil Dosage Guide | Integrity Guide
Updated: Mar 15, 2022
Curious about armodafinil dosages? Want to know how to use armodafinil safely?
Great, you've come to the right place.
Armodafinil is a shy smart drug that's hiding behind modafinil's back, even though it's more effective and elicits better cognitive enhancement…
It's like a scared giant.
And as a result of its slight anonymity within the medical literature and biohackers, there's less information on the internet about the different dosages and their different effects, compared to modafinil's articles.
As always, at modafinil integrity we are pursuing the safest way to use modafinil & armodafinil, thus we'll provide you with armodafinil dosing protocols and methodologies that'll awaken the scientist thinker within you and provide you with an elegant perspective on the topic of nootropics.
In the article we are going to explore what is armodafinil, its pharmacology, common dosages and how to revise your neuro optimization experience for the better — Let's start!
Table of Contents
What is armodafinil | history | Generic armodafinil | Side effects |
Pharmacology | Armodafinil alternatives | Dosages | Microdosing |
Overdose? | Protocol | The verdict
What is Armodafinil?
Armodafinil is a synthetic drug that augments the user's cognition.
It is part of the “Afinil” family of drugs, which plays a big rule in the public relations of the nootropics industry.
It is certain to say that the majority of biohackers are familiar with it or with it's “brother” drug — modafinil.
Modafinil is being covered extensively via small and big media outlets.
Platforms such as blogs, biohacking gurus, and even scientists developed a healthy appetite when it comes to doing research about modafinil, and it's cosmetic psychopharmacology applications [1], [2].
Cosmetic psychopharmacology (CPP) is a term that requires taking heavy memory enhancers in order to remember its name, but has a simple explanation — in a nutshell it's the act of enhancing a healthy person's cognitive traits such as happiness, concentration, memory, verbal fluency et cetera…
Nootropics and smartdrugs are the most ubiquitous and common tactic within the tools of the biohacking scene to do exactly CPP.
It would be safe to say that armodafinil gained its popularity for the effects it exerts on the human brain, but there's another factor that helped the afinils be popular in the midst of high performing professionals like Silicon Valley's entrepreneurs or stock exchange brokers:
The movie limitless Staring Bradley Cooper was a catalyst for the brand name modafinil Provigil's prescriptions, from 650K in 2011 to almost 1.9M prescriptions in 2012 [3].
That's almost a 200% increase in one year!
Although the numbers of prescriptions faded since 2012, the generic use of afinils since the limitless movie skyrocketed more than ever, like mentioned above, prime time news shows had almost an obsession towards modafinil and the concept of neuronal enhancement.
Our recommended vendor offers free samples straight to you, so before you make a purchase you can get acquainted with armodafinil to learn if it fits you:
Armodafinil's history
The official medical terming for Nuvigil (brand name version of armodafinil) is:
“Nuvigil (armodafinil) is a non-amphetamine wake-promoting agent for the treatment of excessive sleepiness associated with obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS), narcolepsy, and shift work sleep disorder (SWSD).” [4].
Cephalon the pharma enterprise that had the patent for armodafinil, received approval by the FDA for marketing and selling Nuvigil as a means for treating excessive sleepiness in 2007, nine years after Provigil was approved by the Foods and drugs administration.
Since then, Cephalon was acquired by the pharma giant “TEVA pharmaceuticals”, because of the two main assets — Nuvigil and Provigil.
Luckily for people seeking cognitive augmentation with armodafinil — in 2016 the FDA approved manufacturing generic armodafinil (hence — the same product with same chemical composition manufactured by not patent holding companies) thus disabling the centralization of the smart pill.
Generic armodafinil
Since the FDA made TEVA forgo their exclusivity with the smart drug, several companies tagged along to the fiesta, and took a bite of the cake.
This is a good sign for consumers, every economics newbie would tell you that supply pushes prices down, and demand pushes it up, generally speaking.
The two main players in the generic armodafinil space are:
HAB Pharmaceuticals
Sun Pharmaceuticals
The two companies are located in India, because of the low costs of manufacturing in that country, vendors sell high quality generic modafinil and armodafinil, with 10x lower price compared to their patent counterparts.
Armodafinil side effects
Although armodafinil is looked at as a well tolerated and safe pharmaceutical drug in the eyes of the scientific community, it's still a potent drug with higher efficacy compared to modafinil, and it is not free of side effects.
The most common side effects include but not limited to:
Headaches
Nausea
Anxiety
Appetite lose
Hindering verbal fluency
There are more severe but rare side effects such as:
Addiction
Chest pain
Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS) — an allergic rash from afinils
Any user experiencing such adverse effects must cease armodafinil administration and seek medical attention with no delay.
Armodafinil pharmacology
Pharmacology is a term that refers to how a certain compound, be it medicine or herbs, affects our biology, neurology and interacts with the molecules in our bodies.
Armodafinil's pharmacology is very similar to modafinil's since modafinil is a mix that contains two main components
R-modafinil, a molecule which has higher affinity (This is armodafinil)
S-modafinil (The less psychoactive half)
These are the two versions of the modafinil molecule, in chemistry they're called enantiomers, and they are mirror images of each other, just like how your hands are mirror images of each other.
Armodafinil contains solely R-modafinil which is the potent, longer lasting, and more psychoactive version, therefore, its positive effects are very pronounced.
They include but not limited to:
Extreme concentration (AKA laser focus)
All day energy
Increased motivation and willingness to do work
But biology and nootropics may be very sporadic - each person is a different organism and experiences may or must differ from person to person, one Redditor [5]:
"Started on full dose this past Monday. I take it when I wake up. Felt a bit over stimulated and a little headache Monday and Tuesday. Had some trouble sleeping Tuesday night (though insomnia is a regular thing for me). Been fine since then. Even had some coffee each day. Drinking a second cup of the day right now."
This is why it's important to try free samples from vendors, before deciding to buy modafinil or armodafinil.
Most vendors and have the quality brands Waklert and Modalert for sale and as free samples.
Armodafinil alternatives
While armodafinil is a very tonic and effective, some people's favorite route for cognition augmentation are nootropic stacks.
Nootropic stacks are formulas of herbs ,amino acids and other brain protecting substances that are complementary to each other thus create a much broader cognitive enhancement, upgrading traits such as:
Curiosity
Sympathy
Focus
Memory
Verbal fluency
Anxiolytic (Anti-Anxiety)
More...
One of the most comprehensive nootropic stacks in the market is "Mind lab pro", is it a blend of highly effective natural compounds with years of use and research behind them, acting as credentials for the claim of high pharmaceutical safety profile.
Feel limitless with mind lab pro:
(They offer a 10% discount for your first order)
Armodafinil dosages
And for the main show for tonight, as promised, the best & safest practice of dosing armodafinil.
First you need to adopt the mindset "Less is more", we used that phrase in our modafinil dosing guide as well, and we'll repeat it here since in the world of nootropics and smart pills that's a valuable mantra.
In the brain supplements space there's a tendency to "go big or go home", which comes from feelings, and it's not based on rational or science - basing decisions on feelings when it comes to your health and neurology is basically equivalent to playing with fire.
But that's ok, once you are opened to change your conception and view you did 50% of the job already, now the practical part comes in.
We are going to through the possible armodafinil dosages in reverse, from large to small, and at the end reveal the simplest strategy that will make a lot of sense to you.
150 mg
That is the dose that most of the smart drug users started with, since most tablets come at that size.
While there are 50 mg armodafinil tablets as well, the generic tablets mainly come in the formal 150 mg sizing, that is a good sign, because there is no big differentiation in the price aspect between the different sizes, thus you get more bang for your buck when buying 150 mg armodafinil tablets.
Like mentioned before, armodafinil is more potent than modafinil, that is why it comes in smaller sizes - 150 mg of armodafinil is known to be equivalent to 200 mg of modafinil, generally speaking.
Pharmacology wise, "potency", in plain English, is - what's the amount of said substance that's required to ingest in order to elicit an effect to the human body.
In nootropics, the same compounds can have different potency levels throughout different brands, because of different lab extraction methods and other varying circumstances.
Presumably, that amount of armodafinil will encompass side effects, and you even may be overwhelmed or overstimulated as a result of the sheer amount of neurotransmitters that will flood your brain and central nervous system.
Not recommended and not that safe - see, the brain is a very elastic and dynamic organ, the scientific community says the brain is "plastic" for a good reason, it is an ever-changing machine that reshapes in accordance to stimuli [6].
Why does that matter? If you bombard your brain with stimulants or afinils, it may cause a chain of reactions that will end up harming your dopaminergic system's pathways, in the form of receptor downregulations.
Receptor downregulation is a mechanism that falls under the category of "non-structural plasticity", and it is a way for your brain to deal with excessive intercellular dopamine levels (or any neurotransmitter).
In plain English - Your brain wants to reach equilibrium (homeostasis) and if you overwhelm it with a certain brain chemical, the brain reduces the number of proteins (receptors) that are in charge of letting that brain chemical "share its message" to affect the brain. [7]
If you contemplate about the notion that you've decreased your neuronal sensitivity to neurotransmitters, you can contact us in the contact form, and we'll be glad to direct you.
The 150 mg armodafinil dose also may prevent you from using armodafinil at the frequency you wish for - the bigger the dose the larger the probability of having tolerance to the drug to build up, which makes the drug less pronounced.
75 mg
Now that's a much more maintainable dose, when it comes to cognitive enhancement that is the top bar for us, our team members don't exceed that dose usually, and we use it only when there is a hefty checklist that needs a big diet.
Some users don't understand that since they are healthy individuals they may be more sensitive to larger doses, and their experience is not ideal because they take 150 mg, the therapeutic dose.
So no - don't blame armodafinil if you "abuse" it, that's not the drug's fault.
At this range you can expect to feel all the positives but much less:
Anxiety
Insomnia
Overstimulation
Other side effects
Because we went down in half - but there is still a way to go until removing most of the negative effects.
Armodafinil microdosing
37.5 mg
This is an uncharted territory for most smartdrug users, intuitively they want the bigger doses, they think the limitless flow going to hit them faster and stronger with each added mg they swallow.
What they don't know is that in the magical land of microdosing armodafinil they can meet extreme cognitive enhancement with little to no side effects...
37.5 mg is a quarter of the standard tablet, you will have focus and motivation qualities added to your repertoire of the day, albeit shorter lived than the 75 mg dosage.
Little tip: When microdosing armodafinil you can drink a little green tea to potentiate the effects of any afinil.
The flavonoid EGCG in the green tea is going to inhibit DET (norepinephrine transporter) and DAT (dopamine transporter) in the PFC (prefrontal cortex).
The prefrontal cortex is a brain area which controls attention, executive functions, and other high fruit cognitive abilities, when you are taking low doses of armodafinil, you can add green tea to the combo, and you will still have the no-side effects benefit of the low dose... With the laser-focus enhancement of the higher doses; Neat, isn't?
Oh, and the l-theanine in green tea will also help protect your DA (dopamine) neurons, just a little bonus[8] to the mix, uh?
18.75 mg
An 1/8 of a armodafinil tablet.
Totally Innocuous, the chance of side effects is very slim, and the frequency of use can be scaled up since the tolerance is low.
What's more, you, as mentioned above, can harness to your favor the reciprocity between armodafinil and the all natural green tea.
This awesome correlation would make you a one-(wo)man army, but one that uses its weaponry very wisely, and not shooting from the hip and hoping to hit the target.
A redditor said [9]
"To focus at work I sometimes take armodafinil, I started with a full dose in beginning (150 mg) but noticed the side effects: anxiety, irritability, problem sleeping and upset stomach. Avoid coffee, may potentiate the side effects"
"1/8 mental focus with no side effects"
This guy's anecdote is a perfect example of what we've talked about earlier.
Armodafinil overdose?
Before scientists approve a drug for commercial use, they have to do a LD50 text.
LD50 is a toxicology test to assert a drug's lethal dose to 50% of humans who take it. [10]
This procedure helps scientists give the physicians who prescribe the drug for patients a better understanding of the substance.
So can armodafinil bet fatal if you overdose it, or is it non-lethal like cannabis?
Let's look at the scientific data about modafinil's lethality [11]:
"There were no overdoses reported in the NUVIGIL clinical studies. Symptoms of NUVIGIL overdose are likely to be similar to those of modafinil. Overdose in modafinil clinical trials included excitation or agitation, insomnia, and slight or moderate elevations in hemodynamic parameters."
"From post-marketing experience with modafinil, there have been no reports of fatal overdoses involving modafinil alone (doses up to 12 grams)."
It seems that the medical research is pointing that up to 12 grams of modafinil, which is an astronomical amount, won't be fatal.
That's a big plus to the afinil's résumé, and it is sufficed to say that microdosing or "normal" dosages of armodafinil are considered very safe.
Dosage protocol
As you can see our logo includes a little manifest of traits and values we believe in at modafinil integrity, we know that using the following simple tips is the key for a convenient experience, so pay attention and take notes!
The best way to approach this is with experimenting - you can write down your findings on a digital or physical diary, start with the 18.75 mg, 1/8 dose.
Write the cognition metrics beforehand, so you don't need to figure out what to write down on the fly, beware of the negative and positive facets you want to follow.
When you keep a rest day between every dose you let your brain recalibrate itself and avoid tolerance buildup - that way you're feeling the true effects of each dose.
1. Monday - start with 18.75 mg, and eighth of a tablet, write down your feelings and fill up the metrics
2. Tuesday - Rest day
3. Wednesday - Do a 18.75 mg again, now you would write down your experience and can compare any deviations between the first and the second time using armodafinil, and reinforce the data about the dosage.
Little tip: Try to avoid any caffeine, tea, or any other neurotransmitter altering activity - you want the experimenting to omit any outside force that might affect the results.
4. Thursday - Rest day
5. Friday - It's time for a little increment, 37.5 mg is a quarter of a 150 mg tablet.
It's an iterations game - you dose, write stuff down, and go up, you find your "sweet spot".
It requires some patience, some order, but it's really easy and that way you will find your sweet spot fast.
Ok, now you might ask:
"Moses, how many times can I use armodafinil per week?"
That really depends on your doses and on your biology, as a general rule of thumb, we recommend at least a 48 hour break from a dose to another, if you wish to elevate the frequency - you know what to do... WRITE STUFF DOWN!
Ready to buy Modafinil? ModafinilXl is the most reliable vendor around, with years of experience:
Use our exclusive coupon code "mintegrity10" for a 10% discount!
The verdict
Oh, look at you go, we've taught you the best routine for armodafinil supplementation, and now you can go and do your own experimenting, with good guidelines for the trial and error journey.
We hope this article has provided you with new insights about armodafinil, how to dose it, and with the mindset that sometimes less, is much more.
When you focus on safety and order, you will find the best protocol for yourself.
Important note: this article may contain affiliate links, with that being said, our articles are always made with good faith and intentions.
Please contact us if you find any outdated information in one of our guides or articles; we put a lot of time and effort into researching, so the info is always scientific literature based from platforms such as NCBI.