Informational only. Not medical advice.INFORMATIONAL PLATFORM ONLY — NOT MEDICAL ADVICE, DIAGNOSIS, OR TREATMENT
Informational only. Not medical advice.INFORMATIONAL PLATFORM ONLY — NOT MEDICAL ADVICE, DIAGNOSIS, OR TREATMENT
Head-to-head comparison of Adrafinil and (S)-CE-123 — mechanism, side effects, legal status, and pricing.
Adrafinil is a non-peptide synthetic eugeroic (wakefulness-promoting agent) and diphenylmethylsulfinyl-acetohydroxamic acid derivative that functions as a prodrug of modafinil. It was approved in France (marketed as Olmifon) from 1984 to 2011 for narcolepsy but was voluntarily withdrawn due to hepatotoxicity concerns and an unfavorable risk-benefit ratio. Adrafinil is not currently approved in any jurisdiction; the FDA classifies it as an unapproved new drug when sold as a dietary supplement. It is prohibited in competitive sport under WADA’s S6.a Non-Specified Stimulants category.
(S)-CE-123 is a non-peptide small molecule belonging to the diphenylmethyl-sulfinyl-thiazole chemotype, structurally related to modafinil. It acts as an atypical, non-releasing dopamine transporter (DAT) inhibitor—blocking dopamine reuptake without triggering amphetamine-like transporter-mediated release. No human clinical data exist; all pharmacology, behavioral, and pharmacokinetic findings are preclinical (rodent in vivo and human-liver-microsome/HEK293-cell in vitro). The compound is not individually named on WADA's current Prohibited List, though modafinil (the parent compound) is a named S6 stimulant; no authoritative WADA ruling specific to CE-123 was found.
Adrafinil
(S)-CE-123
Category
Legal Status
Mechanism
Side Effects
COA-verified vendors · trust score ≥70 required · single-vial price — bulk/bundle deals may be lower
Adrafinil
No pricing data yet.
Check Adrafinil prices →(S)-CE-123
No pricing data yet.
Check (S)-CE-123 prices →COA corpus from Disclosed Labs — independently tested batches only.
Adrafinil
3
COAs
99.8%
Avg purity
2
Labs
(S)-CE-123
2
COAs
99.9%
Avg purity
2
Labs
Adrafinil was approved in France for narcolepsy (1985) after initial human testing in 1977–1978, but was voluntarily withdrawn in September 2011 due to hepatotoxicity concerns and an unfavorable risk-benefit ratio. No current registered interventional clinical trials exist; the only registered study is an observational survey listing adrafinil as a queried substance. One published forensic study (n=1) detected adrafinil (0.8 ng/mg) and modafinil (0.5 ng/mg) in beard hair 10 days after a single 200 mg oral dose in one adult volunteer. Preclinical studies in aged beagle dogs found oral 20 mg/kg adrafinil improved discrimination learning but impaired working memory in a delayed nonmatching-to-position task over 8 days. Rat studies of the metabolite modafinil showed dose-dependent increases in locomotor activity and extracellular dopamine.
Key references
No human data exist for (S)-CE-123. No registered ClinicalTrials.gov trials or DrugBank entries were found, and the primary source explicitly states that no human data are available. All pharmacology and behavioral data are preclinical. In rats, (S)-CE-123 at 24.0 mg/kg i.p. partially reversed tetrabenazine-induced deficits in effort-based lever pressing, increased progressive-ratio responding, and raised extracellular dopamine in the nucleus accumbens core. At 0.3–1.0 mg/kg i.p., CE-123 improved extra-dimensional set-shifting in an attentional task without the impulsivity-increasing effects observed with R-modafinil at 10 mg/kg. Daily dosing improved spatial memory acquisition and retrieval in a hole-board task and ameliorated maternal-separation-induced spatial learning deficits in adolescent rats, with sex-dependent effects. Pharmacokinetic studies in rats and human liver microsomes show that S-CE-123 achieves ~5-fold greater unbound brain penetration (Kp,uu,brain = 0.5) than R-modafinil but is metabolized 9.3-fold faster in human liver microsomes (t₁/₂ 39 min vs. 364 min).
Adrafinil and (S)-CE-123 are both in the Cognitive category and may have overlapping mechanisms. Researchers should review both profiles carefully, understand the mechanisms of action, and monitor the relevant biomarkers when combining compounds in the same class. As always, consult a licensed healthcare provider before making any decisions about combining research compounds.
This platform provides informational tools only, not medical advice. This comparison is for educational purposes only. Consult a licensed provider.
Contraindications
Lab Testing
Key references
Disclosed Labs