Bromantane Is A Popular Nootropic. Should You Buy It?

Bromantane, sold under the name Ladasten, is a Russian research drug which has stimulatory and adaptogenic properties. Bromantane was first developed in the 1980s to improve the performance of workers in Russia.

Today, bromantane’s primary use remains as a performance-enhancing drug which helps people work more efficiently, especially in a stressful work environment. Due to its nootropic effects, bromantane helps the body in dealing with stress and simultaneously improves focus and productivity.

What’s Bromantane?

Bromantane derives from the organic compound adamantane and mainly acts as a dopaminergic and serotonergic compound, though it’s suspected of having other mechanisms of action. 

Bromantane is an atypical psychostimulant and anxiolytic drug of the adamantane family. This is because bromantane acts indirectly via genetic mechanisms rather than directly on the dopamine/serotonin pathway. That makes it distinct from other antidepressants and stimulants such as amphetamines which take the latter approach.  

Originally, clinicians used bromantane to treat asthenia (when a person feels unusually lethargic). Bromantane currently remains a prescription drug in Russia and is still used for treating asthenia, sold under the brand name Ladasten. In the US, bromantane is not yet approved, and is so far, not being considered for an approval discussion, but is available as a research chemical. 

Bromantane possesses multiple mechanisms of action, some of which remain unknown. The primary mechanism of action seems to be an increase in dopamine synthesis. Dopamine heavily influences our motivation to work by affecting our mood, which in turn nudges us to perform better.

Bromantane can inhibit the reuptake of dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine, but not to a significant degree at clinically relevant doses. Bromantane also has anticholinergic activities at very high doses in rodents, though again this is not significant at clinical doses. 

Sometimes known as an actoprotector or anxiolytic, bromantane acts via gene expression to regulate the production of GABA-ergic receptors (inhibitory receptors) to improve how we respond to stress.

Interestingly, bromantane increases levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and nerve growth factor, to a small but significant degree, in certain rat brain areas. One of these areas is the hippocampus. When influenced by an increase in neurotrophic factor, there is an increase in synaptic connections within the hippocampus, which in turn, improves learning and memory.

Bromantane Effects: What’s The Bromantane Experience Like?

Anecdotally, a users’ bromantane experience includes feeling more energetic, more alert and generally much happier, without the typical stimulant side effects like jitters, anxiety or grinding teeth. In fact, anxiety goes down somewhat. There also seems to be no addiction or withdrawal from bromantane.

Bromantane shows potential as a wide-spectrum performance-enhancing drug; that is, one that enhances a variety of physical and mental parameters including faster reaction times and faster recovery times after high periods of stress on the body.

Bromantane Side Effects

Bromantane has few to no known side effects.

Its stimulant effects have been shown to normalize sleep-wake cycles when taken in the morning; if taken later in the day, bromantane would cause insomnia.

Bromantane, Alzheimer’s

In Alzheimer’s disease, misfolded proteins (amyloid plaques) build up in the brain between neurons. These amyloid plaques are toxic at high levels and essentially suffocate the neuron, resulting in cell death. Bromantane increases levels of amyloid precursor protein in rats, which therefore may increase the risk of Alzheimer’s.

Beyond that there is no known link to Alzheimer’s one way or the other.  

Bromantane, ADHD

Since bromantane increases dopamine production and interacts with GABA receptors, bromantane may help with ADD and ADHD. However, bromantane does not target the relevant brain areas as precisely as amphetamines do.

That said, some users report improvements in ADD symptoms.

Bromantane, Reddit: How Bromantane Recreational Users Feel About It

Recreational users describe bromantane as “seriously underrated”. More specifically, users who are more tolerant to stimulants like caffeine noticed a big improvement in motivation and productivity when taking bromantane.

In the short term, bromantane provides an “immediate increase in energy and mental clarity”. After a few hours, one user found that this effect disappeared and they developed brain fog — though others believe this is a placebo effect. Generally, users experience more of an effect when taking bromantane long-term, including an increase in productivity and organizational skills.

Bromantane Dosage

Ladasten is sold in 25 mg tablets — we recommend 25 mg as a good starting dosage. You can also find 50 mg tablets available.  

With an 11-hour half-life, most people only need one daily dose. Some take a second 25 mg dose late in the morning or around noon, however. Be careful with taking bromantane later in the day, as this can cause insomnia.

There are also some unconfirmed reports that women metabolize bromantane faster than men, which may suggest that they are more likely to need a second dose.

As bromantane has low bioavailability (42%), users often take bromantane sublingually (under the tongue) to ensure faster and more efficient absorption.

Buy Bromantane Here

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Editor’s note: we are regularly updating this review. If you see any problems, weird interpretations of the data, or just want to say hi, please reach out to hello@the-unwinder.com.

Feature image by dierk schaefer