| Eugeroic | |
|---|---|
| Drug class | |
The chemical structure of modafinil, the prototypical drug of this class.
| |
| Class identifiers | |
| Synonyms | wakefulness-promoting agent wakefulness-promoting drug |
| Use | Promote wakefulness and alertness |
| ATC code | N06B |
Eugeroics (originally, "eugrégorique" or "eugregoric"), also known as wakefulness-promoting agents and wakefulness-promoting drugs, are a class of drugs that promote wakefulness and alertness. They are medically indicated for the treatment of certain sleep disorders including excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) in narcolepsy or obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). They generally have a very low addictive potential. Eugeroics are also often prescribed off-label for the treatment of EDS in idiopathic hypersomnia, a rare and often debilitating sleep disorder which currently has no official treatments approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Modafinil and armodafinil each act as a selective, weak, atypical dopamine reuptake inhibitor (DRI) whereas adrafinil acts as a prodrug for modafinil. Other eugeroics include solriamfetol, which acts as a norepinephrine–dopamine reuptake inhibitor (NDRI), and pitolisant, which acts as a histamine 3 (H₃) receptor antagonist/inverse agonist.
Examples
Marketed
- Armodafinil (Nuvigil)
- Modafinil (Provigil)
- Solriamfetol (Sunosi)
- Pitolisant (Wakix)
Discontinued
Never marketed
- Flmodafinil (CRL-40,940)
- Fluorafinil (CRL-40,941)
- Fluorenol
In development
- Selective H₃ receptor antagonists/inverse agonists
- Selective orexin receptor agonists (two are currently under development)[7]
