Bromantan: properties and effects of this drug

Bromantan is a stimulant drug which was developed by the Soviet Union in the Russian army to motivate soldiers invading Afghanistan. It has anxiolytic (reduces anxiety) and stimulant (provides energy) properties.

This substance generated a lot of controversy in 1996, since four athletes from the Atlanta games were disqualified from the competition when it was discovered that they had taken it as a form of doping.

• Related article: "Types of psychoactive drugs: uses and side effects"

Bromantan: what is it?

Bromantan is a drug originating in Russia, with properties similar to those of amphetamine. It is an atypical psychostimulant and anxiolytic, belonging to the adamantane family.

It is used in Russia to treat neurasthenia. Neurasthenia, for its part, is a type of neurosis, accompanied by intense depressive symptoms and great emotional instability.

Specifically, it is said that bromantan was developed in the 1980s in the Russian army by the Soviet Union, with the aim of being used by army personnel. currently the bromantan it is sold as a drug under the trade name “Ladasten”.

Properties

Among the most characteristic properties of bromantan are that of reduce or inhibit fatigue, increase physical energy, reduce anxiety levels, stabilize mood and enhance memory and concentration.

In addition, it is considered a drug that allows to increase the physical activity of the body under extreme environmental conditions, such as not having oxygen (or having very little), high temperatures, etc.

Mechanism of action

However, bromantan's actual mechanism of action is unknown; scientists believe that this substance works by increasing brain activity (specifically, at the level of the hippocampus, the nucleus of the hypothalamus, and also in the reticular nucleus of the brain).

They also believe that bromantan is closely related to activation of the dopaminergic system, and that acts through the increase of tyrosine and some amino acids. That is to say, it would promote the activation of the dopaminergic system, and this would increase the person's concentration and alert system.

On the other hand, it is believed that the activation of the dopaminergic system in the brain (or the synthesis of dopamine) that promotes bromantan could explain the potentiation of a feeling of happiness experienced by the person who takes said substance.

• You may be interested in: "Dopamine: 7 essential functions of this neurotransmitter"

Applications

In summary, the main uses of bromantan are:

1. Improve brain function

This leads to improvements in alertness (vigilance) and also in motor coordination. In addition, the level of anxiety would also be reduced.

2. Improve physical activity

In rat studies, bromantan was shown to increase the effects of the noradrenergic and adrenergic systems; this meant that the rats could swim efficiently for longer.

3. reduce inflammation

Also in rats, bromantan was shown to reduce depressive symptoms caused by certain inflammations.

4. improve neurasthenia

As we have seen at the beginning, bromantan can also help reduce the symptoms of the neurastheniasuch as insomnia, fatigue and headache.

type B stimulant

Bromantan, within the substances used for doping, It is classified as a type B stimulant, along with amphetamines, pemoline, cocaine, and others.. Logically, type B stimulants are prohibited substances within the world of competition and sport.

What stimulants do is decrease fatigue and reaction time, as well as increase alertness and concentration; These would then be the main functions of the bromantan.

In addition, some stimulants also increase the ability to exercise; others, on the other hand, also improve resistance and decrease sensitivity to pain, for example.

Controversy: form of doping?

In 1996, the bromantan generated much controversy in the world of sports, since several athletes from the Atlanta games were discovered consuming this substance, disqualified from the competition and judged for being a form of doping.

Some experts claimed that it was a medicine, and others claimed that the drug was a stimulant, and that it increased physical strength and recovery after physical exertion.

As a result of this event, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) went to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to promote a trial.

But the Atlanta games were not the only ones where it was found that athletes had consumed bromantan, but years later, for example in 2013, Chamberlain Oguchi, a Nigerian basketball player who made his debut in the Endesa League (with Gran Canaria), also tested positive in this drug.

doping in sport

Doping consists of all those actions carried out by athletes with the aim of modifying their organism at a physiological level, increasing his recovery capacity and quickly recovering physical energy in an unnatural way, that is, by ingesting some type of substance or drug.

They do this with the ultimate goal of either being able to enter a certain competition, or increasing their performance within it to increase the chances of winning.

Thus, at a legal level, it implies the use of prohibited substances such as drugs; all of them are included in lists of pharmacological categories (each country and sports organization has its own).

However, doping can have irreversible and very serious effects; This question appeared for the first time when, due to doping, the cyclist Arthur Linton died at the age of 29, in 1896, two months after winning the Bordeaux-Paris race.