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 (S)-CE-123 and Hydrafinil (9-Fluorenol) — mechanism, side effects, legal status, and pricing.
(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.
Hydrafinil (9-fluorenol) is a non-peptide fluorene derivative and secondary benzylic alcohol (C₁₃H₁₀O, MW 182.22) investigated as a potential wakefulness-promoting agent structurally distinct from modafinil's diphenylmethyl-sulfinyl scaffold. It has no approved human indication and is not FDA-approved or approved by any regulatory body for human or veterinary use. Hydrafinil is listed as an S6.A Non-Specified Stimulant on the WADA Prohibited List; Section S6.A stimulants are prohibited in-competition only, so it is banned in-competition and athletes are subject to strict liability. It is sold online by research-chemical vendors for laboratory use only, not for human consumption.
(S)-CE-123
Hydrafinil (9-Fluorenol)
Category
Legal Status
Mechanism
Side Effects
COA-verified vendors · trust score ≥70 required · single-vial price — bulk/bundle deals may be lower
(S)-CE-123
No pricing data yet.
Check (S)-CE-123 prices →Hydrafinil (9-Fluorenol)
No pricing data yet.
Check Hydrafinil (9-Fluorenol) prices →COA corpus from Disclosed Labs — independently tested batches only.
(S)-CE-123
2
COAs
99.9%
Avg purity
2
Labs
Hydrafinil (9-Fluorenol)
2
COAs
99.0%
Avg purity
1
Labs
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).
Key references
No human efficacy or safety trials have been conducted. The only human data is a 2021 pilot pharmacokinetic/analytical study (Knoop et al., PMID 34378339) in which three healthy male volunteers received a single 50 mg oral dose of hydrafinil, with urine collected up to 72 hours post-dose to characterize Phase I/II metabolites (hydroxylated, glucuronidated, sulfo-conjugated) for anti-doping detection purposes; this study was designed solely for metabolite identification and does not establish safety, efficacy, or a validated dose. In rats, a Cephalon Inc. drug-discovery program screened fluorene-derived compounds as candidate next-generation modafinil agents; one analog ('compound 15') showed wake-promoting activity attributed to an active metabolite ('compound 3'), though the published abstract does not confirm compound 3's identity as fluorenol or provide potency data.
(S)-CE-123 and Hydrafinil (9-Fluorenol) 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
Disclosed Labs