Peptide & Experimental
Bromantan (Ladasten)
Adamantane derivative, prescription-only in Russia, not approved in Germany/EU · Ladasten, Bromantane
Bromantan comes from Russian research on so-called actoprotectors, substances meant to increase physical and mental resilience. In Russia it is a prescription-only medicine for states of exhaustion under the name Ladasten. It became known internationally in 1996 as a doping case at the Olympic Games in Atlanta. Russian studies show less exhaustion than with placebo; independent data are missing.
What Bromantan is
Bromantan is a small synthetic molecule from the adamantane family, which also includes the Parkinson’s drug amantadine and the dementia drug memantine. Russian pharmacologists classify it as an actoprotector, a substance class developed in Soviet and Russian research that is meant to maintain performance under strain without increasing oxygen consumption and heat production.
In Russia it is a prescription-only medicine under the name Ladasten for asthenia, that is, pathological exhaustion after illnesses and infections, and for neurasthenia. In the nootropics scene it is traded as an agent for drive and mood, often alongside modafinil or in nootropic combinations. What is rated here is the state of knowledge.
How it works
Bromantan is said to stimulate above all the production of dopamine. In rats, a single dose increased the expression and amount of tyrosine hydroxylase, the key enzyme of dopamine synthesis, and the content of dopamine and its precursor L-DOPA in several brain regions. In brain slices, bromantan turned a short-term synaptic potentiation into a lasting one, dependent on new protein synthesis and on dopamine D1/D5 receptors (Mikhaylova 2007).
Clinically, Russian studies describe a mix of stimulating and anxiety-relieving effects that is unusual for stimulants. None of the mechanisms has been measured in humans.
What is well supported
- One trial against placebo. In a randomized, blinded trial in neurasthenia, the core symptoms of exhaustion improved faster and more strongly on Ladasten than on placebo over 28 days. No withdrawal syndrome occurred after stopping (Neznamov 2009).
- Broad use in Russia. In a multicenter study at 28 Russian centers with 728 evaluable patients, 76.0 to 90.8 percent responded, depending on the scale. Side effects occurred in 3 percent, and 0.8 percent discontinued (Voznesenskaia 2010).
- An approved medicine. In Russia, Ladasten is prescribed for asthenia and neurasthenia.
What the studies show
Neznamov 2009: the placebo trial
After a washout phase, patients with neurasthenia received Ladasten or placebo in blinded fashion for 28 days, followed by one week of placebo. Ladasten reduced the main symptoms of exhaustion faster and more strongly than placebo; after the switch to placebo no withdrawal signs appeared, which the authors interpret as an absence of dependence potential. The paper was published only in Russian, and the abstract gives neither the number of participants nor effect sizes.
Voznesenskaia 2010: 728 patients at 28 centers
Patients with exhaustion as part of a psychovegetative syndrome were treated for 28 days and followed for up to one month afterwards. The effect set in on the third day and persisted after stopping; besides exhaustion, anxiety, sleep and quality of life improved. There was no control group, so part of the improvement may also be due to time and expectation.
Atlanta 1996: the doping case
At the 1996 Olympic Games, bromantan was found in Russian athletes, including the swimmer Andrei Korneev and the wrestler Gouliev. The IOC excluded them; the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned the decision on August 4, 1996: the data presented were not sufficient to classify bromantan as a stimulant. The court nevertheless considered it probably a stimulant and called on the Russian Olympic Committee to end its use. Today bromantan is explicitly on the prohibited list.
Where the data stop
- Independent confirmation. All clinical studies come from Russia. The only placebo trial is accessible only as a brief Russian abstract, without the number of participants and effect size.
- Healthy people. For concentration, mood or endurance in healthy people there are no controlled human studies. The data concern patients with pathological exhaustion.
- Long term. Treatment in the studies lasted four weeks. Nothing is known about longer use, tolerance and stopping beyond that.
- Products outside Russia. What is sold online as bromantan is not a tested medicine. More on this under gray market.
Status, approval and legal
In Russia, bromantan is a prescription-only medicine under the name Ladasten. In Germany and the EU it is not approved, neither as a medicine nor as a food supplement. It is listed neither in the German Narcotics Act nor in the German Ordinance on Prescription-Only Medicines.
In sport, bromantan is prohibited in competition under the WADA Prohibited List 2026 as a non-specified stimulant (S6.A). The German Anti-Doping Act therefore prohibits manufacture, trade, supply and prescription for doping purposes in sport. Bromantan is not listed in the annex to the Act that prohibits the acquisition and possession of more than small quantities.
Safety
In the large Russian study, side effects occurred in 3 percent of patients, and none were serious. The Russian package leaflet lists overactivation and difficulty falling asleep, which according to the leaflet usually do not require stopping, as well as allergic reactions. Contraindications are pregnancy, breastfeeding and age under 18. According to the package leaflet, the half-life is around 11 hours.
Data beyond four weeks, on interactions with other stimulating agents, and pharmacovigilance outside Russia are missing.
BK-Score Experimental
| Human evidence | 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanism | 4 | |
| Safety data | 3 | |
| Hype gap | 4 | |
| Track record of use | 5 |
Evidence 3, because in humans there are almost only Russian studies in patients with states of exhaustion – a randomized, blinded trial against placebo in neurasthenia over 28 days (Neznamov 2009) and an open multicenter study with 728 patients without a control group (Voznesenskaia 2010) –, without independent confirmation and without studies in healthy people. Mechanism 4, because the increase in dopamine synthesis via tyrosine hydroxylase and the dopamine-dependent enhancement of synaptic plasticity have been described in animals and in brain slices (Mikhaylova 2007), but not measured in humans. Safety 3, because tolerability has only been recorded over four weeks in Russian studies (side effects in 3 %, Voznesenskaia 2010) and there are no long-term or pharmacovigilance data outside Russia; the axis rates the state of the data, not the danger. Hype 4, because bromantan is traded as a low-side-effect dopamine booster for focus and endurance, while the data concern patients with asthenia; the gap is clear, but the core claim against exhaustion is supported by studies. Use 5, because Ladasten is prescribed in Russia as a prescription-only medicine and the substance appeared in Russian elite sport as early as the 1990s, but outside Russia it circulates only on the gray market. Direction open, because positive Russian patient data are not matched by any independent testing.
The score rates the state of knowledge, not the substance. “Safety data 9” means well studied – not harmless. “Track record of use 9” means used long and widely – that is not proof of efficacy.
Subjective assessment by Biohacking Kompakt based on published scoring rules – not a scientific rating and not a medical recommendation. Rules and all ratings (German)
Frequently asked questions about Bromantan (Ladasten)
What is bromantan?
An adamantane derivative from Russian research on actoprotectors, substances meant to increase resilience. In Russia it is a prescription-only agent for states of exhaustion under the name Ladasten. In animals it increases the production of dopamine.
Does bromantan work against exhaustion?
In Russian studies, yes: in a blinded trial in neurasthenia, exhaustion improved faster and more strongly than on placebo, and in an open study with 728 patients 76 to 91 percent responded. There are no independent studies outside Russia.
Does bromantan help healthy people with concentration or endurance?
That has not been studied. The studies concern patients with pathological exhaustion. There are no controlled studies in healthy people on concentration, mood or athletic performance.
Why is bromantan banned in sport?
It is on the WADA Prohibited List 2026 as a non-specified stimulant (S6.A) and is prohibited in competition. It became known in 1996 in Atlanta, where it was found in Russian athletes; the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned the exclusions at the time because the stimulant effect had not yet been sufficiently established.
Is bromantan legal in Germany?
Bromantan is not approved in Germany, neither as a medicine nor as a food supplement, and is not listed in the German Narcotics Act. Under the German Anti-Doping Act, manufacture, trade and supply for doping purposes in sport are prohibited.
Related
- Related topicPhenylpiracetam (Phenotropil)
- Related topicNoopept
- Related topicSelank
- Related topicModafinil
- Related topicPhenibut
- Same sectionArmodafinil
Sources
- Neznamov GG et al., Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr 2009 – Ladasten versus placebo in neurasthenia, randomized blinded trial
- Voznesenskaia TG et al., Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr 2010 – Ladasten in asthenia, multicenter study with 728 patients
- Mikhaylova M et al., Neuropharmacology 2007 – Ladasten, dopamine synthesis and synaptic plasticity in rats
- Oliynyk S, Oh S, Biomol Ther 2012 – pharmacology of actoprotectors, review
- Burnat P et al., Lancet 1997 – bromantan as a new doping agent
- Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), ad hoc division Atlanta, award of August 4, 1996 – Korneev and Gouliev v. IOC
- Package leaflet Ladasten (Russia, medi.ru) – prescription-only, indications, side effects, half-life
- WADA Prohibited List 2026, informational German translation by NADA – S6.A non-specified stimulants: bromantan
- German Anti-Doping Act § 2 – prohibited handling of doping substances
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Information only, not medical advice and not a usage or dosage recommendation. Prescription-only and unapproved substances belong in the hands of a physician. Last updated: 2026-10-07.