Rankings / Cognitive — Prescription Stimulants
Bromantane (Ladasten)
Cognitive · Russian psychostimulant / actoprotector
Tier B
Bottom line
Read Off Label grades Bromantane (Ladasten) as B (6.4/10) based on weak-moderate evidence, variable benefit magnitude, and a low in russian data-risk safety profile.
Russian Soviet-era development (originally Soviet military for stress resistance); commercialized as Ladasten by Pharmstandard; Russian regulatory approval 1997 for asthenia (chronic fatigue with anxiety).
Studied, labeled, or reported-use context: 50-100 mg PO daily; onset of therapeutic effect 1-3 days — Rx in Russia (approved 1997 for asthenia); research chem elsewhere; WADA Prohibited List Class S6 stimulant; not individualized guidance.
What the evidence says
Russian Soviet-era development (originally Soviet military for stress resistance); commercialized as Ladasten by Pharmstandard; Russian regulatory approval 1997 for asthenia (chronic fatigue with anxiety). Largest evidence base: the multicenter Russian asthenia trial (n=728). Distinguishing pharmacologic feature versus classical stimulants — induces dopaminergic effects via CREB-dependent transcription rather than direct release or reuptake inhibition; the practical correlates biohacker forums report are stimulation without acute jitteriness or rebound fatigue AND benefits that outlast the dosing window by ~1 month. Bromantane was implicated in positive doping tests at the Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 Olympics involving Russian athletes — currently listed on the WADA Prohibited List (Class S6 stimulants). Bromantane is prohibited in competition under WADA rules. Limited Western peer-reviewed pharmacology: Mikhaylova 2007 (ScienceDirect) on hippocampal synaptic plasticity remains the most-cited mechanism paper; Oliynyk 2012 PMC3762282 "Pharmacology of Actoprotectors" provides class context. No formal Western RCT. Sold gray-market in research-chemical channels with GMP variability and counterfeit risk; not FDA-approved. Evidence caveats: the actoprotector mechanism is novel, while the evidence base is predominantly Russian and industry-adjacent with limited independent replication.
Mechanism
Adamantane-bromophenyl-amine; classified in Russian pharmacology as an "actoprotector" — a synthetic adaptogen that enhances physical and mental stress resistance without raising O2 consumption or heat production; proposed mechanism: CREB phosphorylation drives cAMP-response-element-mediated upregulation of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) — ~2-2.5x increase in rat hypothalamus 1.5-2 hr post-dose; striatal dopamine elevated for ~8 hr; mild serotonergic and GABAergic potentiation; "non-classical" stimulant — distinct mechanism from amphetamine (transcriptional rather than direct release/reuptake)
Studied, labeled, or reported dose & route
50-100 mg PO daily; onset of therapeutic effect 1-3 days
This records doses and routes described in studies, approved labeling, clinical practice, or documented use. It is not individualized guidance and does not establish safety; context changes with indication, formulation, health history, monitoring, and other medicines.
Citations
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Common questions
- What does the evidence show about Bromantane (Ladasten)'s effects?
- Read Off Label rates the evidence for Bromantane (Ladasten) as Weak-Moderate and the benefit magnitude as variable, producing an overall grade of B (6.4/10). Russian Soviet-era development (originally Soviet military for stress resistance); commercialized as Ladasten by Pharmstandard; Russian regulatory approval 1997 for asthenia (chronic fatigue with anxiety).
- What safety findings are reported for Bromantane (Ladasten)?
- Bromantane (Ladasten) has a low in russian data risk profile in the database. Low in Russian data (~3% AE, mostly mild GI; theoretical sympathomimetic concerns at supratherapeutic doses; high-dose rat studies show GI and thermoregulatory effects only at >>therapeutic doses) Legal status: Rx in Russia (approved 1997 for asthenia); research chem elsewhere; WADA Prohibited List Class S6 stimulant.
- What doses or routes are reported for Bromantane (Ladasten)?
- 50-100 mg PO daily; onset of therapeutic effect 1-3 days This is context from studies, approved labeling, clinical practice, or documented use; it is not individualized guidance and does not establish safety.
- How does Bromantane (Ladasten) work?
- Adamantane-bromophenyl-amine; classified in Russian pharmacology as an "actoprotector" — a synthetic adaptogen that enhances physical and mental stress resistance without raising O2 consumption or heat production; proposed mechanism: CREB phosphorylation drives cAMP-response-element-mediated upregulation of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) — ~2-2.5x increase in rat hypothalamus 1.5-2 hr post-dose; striatal dopamine elevated for ~8 hr; mild serotonergic and GABAergic potentiation; "non-classical" stimulant — distinct mechanism from amphetamine (transcriptional rather than direct release/reuptake)
This is an independent synthesis of published research by a non-clinician. Scores are opinions supported by citations, not prescriptions. See the full disclaimer and methodology for how this score was produced and what it does and doesn't mean.