I've used flmodafinil once (a small dose), and enjoyed it, but the lack of research and safety data on it is keeping me from wanting to use it more often. Modafinil has substantially more research/info on it, and even Armodafinil (which studies have shown can be superior to Modafinil) has more research/data available. Are you concerned about this at all with flmodafinil?
Actually yes. I've been reading a lot and basically there just isn't information like you said.
Check out the psychonaut wiki: Dehydroxyfluorafinil
So floro substitutions are nothing new and are pharmacologically being experimented with on a huge range of drugs. Apparently even Tylenol shows an increased potency when modified in this fashion. Also interesting is two articles I've read just tonight show that the substitutions on two different chemicals both resulted in an easier oxidation process in the body and a resultant reduction in acute toxic effects. Now I'm not worried about acute effects because I'm not a moron and I don't intend to eat a whole batch at once or try injecting it or something equally dumb. Chronic effects though... There is no information on. There's more info out there but I'd have to pay to read the papers so...
Like I said lucky it's just too pricy for me to screw with all the time. For now three days a week and for this month only. Then a month off.
I'm going to get bloods done soon to test hormone levels as I'm on cycle and nearing the end (I'm a compulsive biometric recorder) and the test comes with a regular liver panel. If it's not looking good though I won't really know what's doing it. Adrafinil apparently had some information about liver toxicity, but this substitution is the "bis-fluoro-N-methyl" analog of modafinil, and wherever I see that "methyl" I start using caution. Might be in this respect the methyl group is no biggie. I like to think about how chlorine is horribly caustic stuff and sodium metal causes explosions when exposed to water, but chemically combining them created table salt. Totally inert stuff.
Another cause for caution is all these drugs (finils) are dopamine reuptake types, so there might be the potential for physical dependency (although i kind of doubt it) and also a potential neurotoxic concern (other reuptake drugs can burn out neurotransmitters, like MDMA) again I kind of doubt it though it's a gut feeling based on effects and that's totally subjective bull-crap science.
I'm no scientist, I'm a computer network security guy, but I did a few years of organic chemistry in school and a LOT of RC experimentation in my youth so I like to think I'm hot **** sometimes - but really I'm not.
You have a very valid concern with all these drugs. I even wonder about the racetams sometimes, not enough clinical or even outright lab rat overdosing research done to be certain about any of it. But then I think about all the drugs that make it through clinical trials (look up "yaz" the birth control medication) that made it onto the open market and got pulled because they're horrible effects were so common. what about accutane the acne medication? I think that stuff is still out there right? Some heavy prices to pay so you can look good in your teens. Lord there are so many examples of "surprise your medication is killing you", or some fates even worse, I find it hard to trust OTC medications. Just the other day i was told by the doc to stop taking Nexium because it massively increases the risk of kidney disease and lymphoma!!?
Just got to use harm reduction practices and sensible moderation when you do use it. I'll just cycle off and on to it and get bloods done regularly to make sure the ol liver is still happy with me.
I do hope more research is done, but you know if that is done and the results are positive someone will scoop it up and "patent" it and it'll become amazingly expensive prescription only..