Piracetam: Benefits, Dosing, Where To Buy, And More!

Last Updated:

Key Information

Piracetam is the first nootropic:

Piracetam was discovered in 1964 and started the field of cognitive enhancers.

Piracetam boosts memory and cognition:

Piracetam increases acetylcholine, blood flow, and NMDA receptors in the brain.

Piracetam is safe and non-toxic:

Piracetam has few side effects and can be taken long-term with choline supplements.

Piracetam has multiple benefits and uses:

Piracetam can improve mood, verbal fluency, learning, and brain health.

Affiliate Disclosure: Holistic Nootropics may earn affiliate commissions if you purchase through the links on this page. Here's how it works.

Biohack Your Brainpower

Stay ahead with our newsletter: cutting-edge biohacking tips and the latest in nootropics, all in one place.

Piracetam – An Overview

how does piracetam work,how much piracetam should i take,where can i buy piracetam in a store,what is piracetam used for,how to take piracetam powder,how to use piracetam,piracetam,piracetam dosage,piracetam reddit,piracetam amazon,buy piracetam,piracetam dosage reddit,piracetam buy,piracetam capsule,piracetam powder,piracetam benefits
Dr. Corneliu Giurgea invented piracetam, kicking off the nootropics revolution

Piracetam is the worlds first synthetic nootropic, originally conceived in 1964 by the godfather of nootropics himself, Dr. Cornelieu Giurgea.

It is used for:

  • Attention and focus
  • Memory
  • Neuroprotection

We can credit piracetam for breaking ground in this field, and all these years later it is still considered a safe, effective memory and learning aid by researchers.

It can potentially be used to enhance cognition in healthy adults, as well as people suffering from age-related degeneration and brain trauma.

Piracetam was initially intended to be a treatment for motion sickness.

However, after failing clinical trials in that regard, Dr. Giurgea noticed that piracetam actually improved his research subject’s scores on memory and recall tests.

With a little more research he concluded that piracetam could be used as a safe and effective cognitive enhancer.

We’re lucky he did, because this discovery kicked off the entire field of nootropic research.

Piracetam (2-oxo-1-pyrrolidine-acetamide) belongs to the “racetam” class of cognitive enhancers.

Even though it is technically a GABA derivative it does not affect the GABA receptors in the brain.

It is considered an “ampakine”, meaning that it primarily modulates the AMPA and NMDA receptors in the brain. It is water-soluble, and non-toxic.

It also goes by the name Nootropil, Lucetam, Biotropil, Stimulan, and Breinox in other countries.

Piracetam can be considered the father of an entire family of neuro-enhancing smart drugs who all share the pyrrolidone nucleus as their base.

These derivatives include phenylpiracetam aniracetam oxiracetam and dozens more.

What Does Piracetam Do?

There is significant evidence from hundreds of human and animal studies that piracetam can help with the following:

Improve Memory and Learning

what is piracetam,piracetam review,piracetam dangers,noopept vs piracetam,piracetam for sale,piracetam side effects,piracetam capsules,piracetam indication,where to buy piracetam,piracetam vs phenylpiracetam,phenylpiracetam vs piracetam,piracetam prices,piracetam vs aniracetam,piracetam mdma,piracetam effect,piracetam dose,piracetam nootropic
Piracetam may be useful as a study aid

There is strong evidence that by boosting acetylcholine uptake, piracetam can boost working memory.

This means quicker recall and increased capacity for information. The increase in ACh receptors can also improve executive function and decision making.1Pepeu G, Spignoli G. Nootropic drugs and brain cholinergic mechanisms Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 1989

Prevent Age-related Cognitive Decline

Multiple studies have concluded that piracetam can significantly improve cognition in persons suffering from age-related mental degeneration.

By increasing ATP production and encouraging neurite growth, piracetam can help turn back the clock and restore normal function in elderly patients.

A 2002 meta-analysis concluded that there was “compelling evidence for the global efficacy of piracetam in a diverse group of older subjects with cognitive impairment.”

In science-speak, that’s a pretty strong endorsement.2Waegemans T, et al. Clinical efficacy of piracetam in cognitive impairment: a meta-analysis Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2002

Lift Mood

Many people (including the author of this article) report a mild-to-moderate mood boost when supplementing with piracetam.

Subjectively, most people describe it as a slightly stimulating mental clarity.

It does not induce the euphoria associated with powerful stimulants by modulating dopamine receptors, but instead provides a mild lift by increasing blood flow and ACh flow in the brain.

There is no “crash” associated with piracetam.

Piracetam generally takes about two weeks of daily dosing to achieve full impact on the user’s brain.

Improve Language Facility

At least one study has found that supplementing with piracetam can significantly increase the verbal fluency in healthy adults after a couple weeks of supplementation.3Dimond SJ, Brouwers EM. Increase in the power of human memory in normal man through the use of drugs Psychopharmacology (Berl). 1976

How Piracetam Works In The Brain

piracetam effects,piracetam reviews,aniracetam vs piracetam,piracetam walmart,piracetam 800mg,piracetam half life,phenyl piracetam,piracetam and choline,buy piracetam online,piracetam choline,nootropil piracetam,piracetam experiences,piracetam walgreens,piracetam nootropics,piracetam and adderall,piracetam vs noopept
Piracetam can increase the activity of the AMPA and NMDA receptors

According to research, piracetam achieves it’s nootropic effects through three main mechanisms of action.

Increasing Acetylcholine Flow

By modulating the AMPA and NMDA receptors, piracetam improves the flow of acetylcholine (ACh).

Acetylcholine is the most abundant neurotransmitter in the body that performs a wide variety of critical brain functions, such as memory encoding, neuroplasticity, synaptic generation, and neurotransmitter communication.

Optimizing these processes can significantly increase performance in a wide variety of mental tasks.

Increasing Receptor Density

Piracetam achieves this by modulating the flow of acetylcholine in the brain, but also by increasing the density of ACh receptors.

This means that consistent long-term use of piracetam can have a significant positive effect on your brain’s neuroplasticity.

This can improve your ability to learn and create new memories, as well as executive function (decision-making).

Because Piracetam increases the density of NMDA receptors in the brain, it can decrease the effects of cognitive decline caused by aging.

As you get older, you naturally start to lose NMDA receptors, which can result in decreased mental performance. Piracetam can slow, halt, and even reverse this trend.

Improve Cerebral Bloodflow

Piracetam increases blood flow to the brain. You don’t have to be a neuroscientist to understand how increased blood flow to your brain is probably a good thing for cognition.

This means the brain can get more oxygen and glucose (the main energy source for cognition), and it ensures that the cellular waste and other byproducts are safely carried away.

Increased oxygen and glucose are critical for ATP production. If you recall from high school science class, ATP is the primary energy source for cellular metabolism, and it is necessary for all levels of brain function.

In particular, it seems that piracetam can increase blood flow to regions of the brain associated with verbal fluency, increasing language and communication skills in research subjects.

Another helpful quality of this nootropic drug is that it decreases inflammation in the brain.

Piracetam has been proven to reduce inflammatory markers and eliminate free radicals. It has a clinically proven analgesic effect, relieving pain in test subjects.4Navarro SA, et al. Analgesic activity of piracetam: effect on cytokine production and oxidative stress Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2013

How Much Piracetam Should I Take?

For most people, taking about 1,500mg 2 or 3 times a day should give them the best results from piracetam.

Keep in mind that this nootropic is non-toxic and completely safe as far as current research is concerned, so you should not worry about overdosing.

Piracetam is safe and effective for long-term daily use. That said, it’s generally a good idea with all supplements to take “drug holidays” periodically.

For example, some people only take piracetam on the weekdays. Some take a couple weeks off every few months. Some take a month off every year. You get the idea.

There are many ways to cycle supplements, and you should be able to make the best decision for yourself once you understand the effects it has on your body.

It generally takes about two weeks for most people to start feeling the full benefits of this nootropic, although some claim immediate results.

Some biohackers have proposed taking a higher dose if you are starting out, in the range of 3,000mg per dose for the first few days.

Theoretically this may get your body acclimated to the supplement quicker so you will feel the effects quicker.

After a few days you can drop down to the “standard” maintenance dose. This strategy has worked well for many people anecdotally, although your mileage may vary.

Piracetam can be purchased as pills or in bulk powder. The powder is generally cheaper, but obviously less convenient.

You will need to purchase a scale to measure out precise doses if you decide to go the powder route.

Piracetam Potential Side Effects

The only side real side effects to piracetam are occasional mild to moderate headaches in some people.

This is because piracetam causes your brain to utilize more acetylcholine, and if your levels are low it can cause a headache.

However this can easily be remedied by simple consuming more choline, either through diet or by taking a choline supplement.

In fact, the piracetam/choline stack is one of the most popular nootropic pairings, as the extra choline provides more “fuel” for the piracetam’s mechanism of action.

The most popular choline supplements are Citicholine and Alpha-GPC, which have similar but distinct effects.

We consider choline supplements a “must-have” if you are supplementing with any member of the racetam family, piracetam included.

If you do not want to us a choline supplement, consider increasing your intake of choline-rich foods (such as eggs) to maximize piracetam’s effects.

Luckily, there is no comedown or crash associated with piracetam (we have not heard of any reports of this, at least)

Piracetam Reddit Reviews

[su_quote cite=”u/drmassien” url=”https://www.reddit.com/r/Nootropics/comments/1qc7du/my_piracetam_experience/”]Perhaps it made me feel more awake, somewhat more focused but overall it didn’t seem to have too much of a positive effect. [/su_quote]
[su_quote cite=”u/Ki11aPenguin” url=”https://www.reddit.com/r/Nootropics/comments/7yq2g1/i_have_no_idea_why_its_so_effective_but_piracetam/”]Through the years it’s been my favorite. It gives me a certain endurance, motivation, and engagement in my school work to keep going for several hours. Something I’d struggle with cold. Not too stimmy and doesn’t change me too much although I do notice I tend to get more lost in my work which I suppose is a good thing. Well time to keep going.[/su_quote]
[su_quote cite=”u/DocMerlin” url=”https://www.reddit.com/r/piracetam/comments/iswdzq/what_do_you_use_piracetam_for/”]I don’t feel any different. However, after some time, my sense of smell improved and my ability to recall words improved as well.[/su_quote]

Wrapping Up

Do you have questions about, supplementing with Piracetam? Do you have experience supplementing with Piracetam? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

For a fuller discussion surrounding nootropics and holistic brain hacking, join our growing community on Facebook!!


References
Photo of author

Author

Erik Abramowitz is a certified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP), Naturopathic Doctoral student, health coach, and father. He is the primary content creator for HolisticNootropics.com and the host of the Holistic Nootropics Podcast.

0 responses to “Piracetam: Benefits, Dosing, Where To Buy, And More!”

Leave a Comment

Leave a Comment