Piracetam

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Piracetam is an intelligence booster, and CNS (central nervous system) stimulant with no known toxicity or addictive properties.

Piracetam has been described by many people as a drug that “wakes up your brain”. Piracetam’s effect and safety have been so impressive, that it created a new classification of drugs called Nootropics.

The term Nootropic is Greek and means “acting on the mind.” Since the creation of Piracetam by Dr. Giurgea in 1966, many pharmaceutical companies have been very busy developing analogues.

Even though Piracetam has been available in parts of Europe since the 1960’s there are currently no FDA approved Nootropic drugs in the United States.

Piracetam’s Actions
Piracetam has a very similar molecular structure to the amino-acid pyroglutamate, and they share the same base chemical structure.

Piracetam enhances cognition under conditions of hypoxia (too little oxygen) and improves memory and learning abilities in normal people. In Europe, piracetam is used to treat alcoholism, strokes, virtigo, senile dementia, dyslexia and numerous other health problems.

Another of piracetam’s action is to promote the flow of information between the left and right hemispheres of the brain through the corpus callosum. It is known that communication between the two hemispheres is responsible for creativity, this may be the reason for piractam’s usefulness in the treatment of Dyslexia.

Piractam’s effectiveness can aslso be enhanced by using DMAE, Centrophenoxine, Choline, Hydergine and Vinpocetine, the synergistic effect causes a greater improvement in memory, than any one taken alone.

Senile Dementias
One study has suggested that piracetam increases the numbers of receptors in the brain. Aging causes a decline, but Alzheimer’s disease causes a rapid decline in intellectual function, which is partly due to a decreased cholinergic system, caused by cell death and degeneration.

In a test on older mice, some were given piracetam for only 2 weeks and the density of cholinergic receptors in the frontal cortexes were measured. The researchers found 30% to 40 % higher density of receptors than in the control group.

Piracetm unlike any other drug, appears to have a regenerative effect on the central nervous system.

Dosages and Side Effects
Piracetam can increase the effects of other drugs, such as amphetamines and psycotropics. Adverse effects are very rare, but include nausea, gastrointestinal distress and headaches. This is typical of the synergy present with piractam and its analogues, overall dosages of other nootropic and brain drugs may need to be reduced.

Piracetam has no known toxity.

Piractam is supplied in 400mg, 800mg,and 1200mg tablets, the total dose is usually 1600mg to 3600mg daily. Some literature recommends a high dosage for the first two days (up to 6000mg), then to resume a “normal” dosage level. Piracetam normally takes effect within 60 minutes. The “standard” dose is usually 2500mg twice a day for the first month, reducing to 1200 mg twice a day thereafter.

The Analogues
It is now nearly four decades since piracetam became commercially available.

In that time a number of analogues have been discovered and developed. These include Aniracetam, Modiracetam, Oxiracetam and Pramiracetam.

All of the anologues have been shown to be more potent than piracetam in clinical trials. In all cases the analogues have been shown to be twice as potent and some trials up to 7 times as potent.

Most physicians agree, the use of nootropics is both individually sensitive and bodyweight relative.

In nearly all cases, some experimentation with both the nootropic and its dosage is required to discover which one works best and at what level.

Thus, one can create a synergistic affect with others that have different actions, such as centrophenoxine or hydergine. However, when combinations of such “smart-drugs” are taken together it is necessary to reduce the dosage of each (compared to the dosage that would be taken if one product was taken alone).

"The fact is that Piracetam improves verbal learning and appears to be a substance capable of extending the intellectual functions of man, even individuals already gifted with high intelligence and good memory". S.J. Dimond, E. Brouwers

"Increase in the power of human memory in normal man through the use of drugs" Psychopharmacol. 49, 1976, 307-309.

Piracetam References
(1) Bartus RT: “profound Effects of combining Choline and Piracetam on memory enhancement in aged rats” Neurobiology of aging V2 p105-111 1981.
(2) Diamond S: browes E: “Increase in the power of human memory in normal man with the use of drugs” psychopharmacology V49 p307-309 1976.
(1) Ferris SH: “Combination of Choline and Piracetam in the treatment of senile dementia” psychopharmacology Bulletin V18 p94-98 1982.
(2) Friedman E: “Clinical response to choline plus Piracetam in Senile Dementia” the New England Journal of Medicine No 24 304 p1490-1491 1981.
(3) Giurgea CE: “The Nootropic approach to the pharmacology of the integrative activity of the braib” Conditional Reglex V8 No 2 p108-115 1973.
(4) Giurgea CE: “Nootropic drugs” progress in Neuropsychopharmacology V1 p235-247 1977.
(5) Kent S “Piracetam increases brain energy” Anti-aging News V2 No 10 p65-69 1981
(6) Mindus P: “Piracetam induced improvement of mental performance” ACTAN psychiatrica Scandinavia” V54 p150-160 1976.
(7) Pelton R: Pelton T: “Mind food abd smart pills “New York Double day 1989.
(8) Pepeu G: Spignoli G: “Neurochemical actions of Nootropic drugs” Sdvances in Neurology V51 Alzheimer’s disease New York Raven Press 1990.
(9) Poschel B: “New Pharmacologic perspectives on Nootropic drugs: Handbook of psychopharmacology p11-18 p24-25 1988.

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