Comparison
Modafinil vs Noopept
Side-by-side of Modafinil and Noopept. Every row below is pulled from the compound schema and will update as our data grows. For deeper reads, follow through to each compound page.
Modafinil
Modafinil cognitive enhancement profile: wakefulness-promoting agent, 100-200 mg dosing, 12-15 hour half-life, off-label nootropic use, Schedule IV status.
Noopept
Noopept cognitive enhancer profile: 10 to 30 mg dosage, dipeptide nootropic mechanism, memory effects, and how it compares to piracetam.
Effects at a glance
Modafinil
- •FDA approved in 1998 for narcolepsy, with later additions for shift-work sleep disorder and OSA residual sleepiness
- •Schedule IV controlled substance in the US; prescription-only in EU, UK, Australia
- •Increases wakefulness via weak dopamine reuptake inhibition plus histaminergic, noradrenergic, and orexinergic activation
- •Long half-life of 12 to 15 hours requires morning dosing to avoid sleep disruption
- •Modest cognitive enhancement signal in non-sleep-deprived adults at 100 to 200 mg (Battleday meta-review 2015)
- •Substantial CYP3A4 induction reduces hormonal contraceptive efficacy; barrier methods recommended
Noopept
- •Russian dipeptide nootropic developed in the 1990s, registered in Russia 2002 for cognitive impairment
- •Roughly 1,000-fold higher per-mg potency than piracetam; therapeutic dose 10 to 30 mg/day
- •Active metabolite cycloprolylglycine modulates AMPA receptors and increases NGF and BDNF in rodent hippocampus
- •Russian RCTs in stroke recovery and vascular cognitive impairment show modest improvements over 4 to 8 weeks
- •Western evidence base is essentially absent; healthy-adult enhancement trials have not been published
- •Unscheduled in the US but not approved for human consumption; UK is prescription-only since 2014
Side-by-side
| Attribute | Modafinil | Noopept |
|---|---|---|
| Category | pharmaceutical | nootropic |
| Also known as | Provigil, Modalert, Modvigil, diphenylmethylsulfinyl-acetamide | GVS-111, N-phenylacetyl-L-prolylglycine ethyl ester, Omberacetam |
| Half-life (hr) ↗ | 13 | 0.7 |
| Typical dose (mg) ↗ | 200 | 20 |
| Dosing frequency | daily, morning | 2 to 3 times daily, last dose before mid-afternoon |
| Routes | oral | oral, sublingual |
| Onset (hr) | 1 | 0.5 |
| Peak (hr) | 3 | 1 |
| Molecular weight | 273.35 | 318.37 |
| Molecular formula | C15H15NO2S | C17H22N2O4 |
| Mechanism | Weak dopamine reuptake inhibition plus downstream activation of histaminergic, noradrenergic, and orexinergic wake-promoting systems. | Hydrolyzed to active metabolite cycloprolylglycine; AMPA receptor modulation, BDNF and NGF upregulation, antioxidant and antiexcitotoxic effects. |
| Legal status | Schedule IV (US); prescription-only globally; not a supplement | Approved in Russia and CIS states; prescription-only in UK; unscheduled and unapproved in US, EU varies |
| WADA status | banned | unknown |
| DEA / Rx | Schedule IV | Not scheduled in the US |
| Pregnancy | Not recommended | Not recommended |
| CAS | 68693-11-8 | 157115-85-0 |
| PubChem CID | 4236 | 183503 |
| Wikidata | Q422968 | Q4321022 |
Safety profile
Modafinil
Common side effects
- headache
- nausea
- anxiety
- insomnia (with late-day dosing)
- dry mouth
- mild blood pressure elevation
Contraindications
- recent myocardial infarction
- unstable angina
- left ventricular hypertrophy
- significant arrhythmia
- history of Stevens-Johnson syndrome
- psychotic disorders
- pregnancy
- concurrent MAOI use
Interactions
- hormonal contraceptives: CYP3A4 induction reduces contraceptive efficacy; use barrier method(major)
- cyclosporine: reduced cyclosporine levels via CYP3A4 induction(major)
- warfarin: CYP2C9 inhibition raises INR(moderate)
- phenytoin: CYP2C19 inhibition raises phenytoin levels(moderate)
- MAOIs: potential hypertensive reaction(major)
- classical stimulants (amphetamine, methylphenidate): additive cardiovascular and sleep-disruption effects(moderate)
Noopept
Common side effects
- headache
- irritability
- sleep disturbance with late-day dosing
- occasional blood pressure elevation
Contraindications
- pregnancy
- lactation
- pediatric use
- severe hepatic impairment
- severe renal impairment
Interactions
- memantine and other glutamatergic agents: theoretical AMPA-pathway interaction(minor)
- antidepressants: theoretical effect via BDNF axis, undocumented(minor)
- antihypertensives: occasional blood pressure elevation may require monitoring(minor)
Which Should You Take?
Modafinil comes out ahead for most readers on the criteria we weight: 3 catalogued goals, controlled substance, oral dosing, with a Tier-A outcome catalogued. Noopept is the right call when one of the conditionals below applies.
- → If your priority is wakefulness, pick Modafinil.
- → If your priority is fatigue resistance, pick Modafinil.
- → If your priority is memory, pick Noopept.
- → If your priority is stress and HPA-axis regulation, pick Noopept.
Edge case: Half-lives differ materially (Modafinil ~13 hr vs Noopept ~0.7 hr). Modafinil reaches steady state faster; Noopept is easier to dial in if tolerability is uncertain.
Default choice: Modafinil. Wider use case, a Tier-A evidence outcome catalogued, and broader goal coverage. Reach for Noopept only if your priority sits squarely in the goals it owns above.
This verdict is generated from each compound's schema (goals, legal status, evidence outcomes, dosing route). It updates automatically as our compound data evolves; the deeper read sits on each individual compound page.
Common questions
What is the difference between Modafinil and Noopept?
Modafinil and Noopept differ in category (pharmaceutical vs nootropic), mechanism, and typical dosing. See the side-by-side table for full details.
Which has a longer half-life, Modafinil or Noopept?
Modafinil half-life is 13 hours; Noopept half-life is 0.7 hours.
Can you stack Modafinil with Noopept?
Stack compatibility depends on mechanism overlap, legal status, and individual response. Check each compound page for specific interactions and contraindications before combining.
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