Skill Level  3

Relevance:4 Technical Level:3

Piracetam is a hot topic both within and outside the CFS community. Though it is not a cure do not skim this page

Page Synopsis: "If you’re going to start experimenting with racetams, our recommendation at Nootropics Expert is to start with Piracetam. Because it works, it’s safe and it’s cheaper than all the other nootropics in the racetam-family.

 

Piracetam is especially helpful for those suffering from most types of age-related cognitive decline.

 

Piracetam is also particularly useful to students and executives who want to boost cognition, learning and memory.

 

You should use Piracetam with a good choline supplement like Alpha GPC or CDP-Choline. It helps boost neural acetylcholine, so demands the presence of more choline in your brain.

 

You can safely boost daily intake of Piracetam to 9,600 mg if needed. Studies have shown that Piracetam is completely non-toxic even at high doses"

page 12 CFS > SUPPLEMENTS and NUTRITION > NOOTROPICS > PIRACETAM

page 11

page 13

 

https://www.healthrising.org/treating-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/drugs/piracetam

 

nootropic or cognitive enhancing drug derived from GABA. The first of the nootropic drugs discovered, Piracetam is used for many off-label uses, most prominently improving cognition and ameliorating brain injury. A meta-analysis that found Piracetam effective in  improving cognition in coronary bypass patients was intriguing given the cognitive issues ME/CFS patients often experience following surgery. It appears to have anti-depressive and anti-anxiety effects as well.

 

Piracetam also appears able to enhance mitochondrial functioning and ATP production. Piracetam’s neuroprotective  properties  after low blood flows to the brain occur (hypoperfusion) in mice could have relevance to ME/CFS and POTS patients with low brain blood flows. Piracetam is sometimes used with a vasodilating drug to improve cognition.

 

At the vascular level Piracetam can improve the microcirculation and reduces vasular spasms.  Problems with the microcirculation could be impairing  energy production in Fibromyalgia.

 

See – Low Aerobic Energy Production and Pain in Fibromyalgia – Is Your Microcirculation To Blame?

Some evidence suggests that people with aging or damaged brains may benefit more from Piracetum than healthy people. Piracetam Studies are currently exploring Piracetam’s effectiveness in stroke, dementia, brain hemorrhage, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease and others.

ME/CFS and Fibromyalgia Doctors Report

Dr. Teitelbaum recommends Piracetam- 1200mg twice a day for 2 weeks, then 2400mg twice a day for 2 weeks, then adjust to optimum dose (up to 4800mg a day). He recommends that it be taken with Hydergine.

 

ME/CFS and FM Patients Report

Living with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome reports that the dose for ME/CFS ranges from 0.8 grams to 4.8 grams  and most people take it three times a day.

 

Maija Haavisto says  Piracetam “may be of the best drugs to treat CFS/ME, because it is frequently helpful, produces hardly any side effects and doesn’t interact with other medications” and puts it on the ‘definitely recommend’ list. If  a ‘wired but tired’ feeling is produced reduce the dose.

 

Maija Haavisto reports the dose is usually 800–4,800 mg a day in 2–3 doses. It can be prepared by compounding pharmacies in the U.S.

https://cfsremission.com/treatment/symptom-mitigation/core-piracetam

Piracetam tend to be the most under utilized supplement for CFS/FM. The modes of action of piracetam and most of its derivatives remain an enigma, but we known that it impacts glutamate receptors. Glutamate dysregulation plays a significant role in CFS and FM, as well as mental fatigue. A 2011 study found genetic mutations (SNPs) of GRIK2 and NPAS2 appear to be involved with CFS study.

 

Piracetam have decreased the severity of depression and fatigue in CFS Patients in studies. In normal people, it lowers depression and anxiety. It improves cognitive deficits/disabilities and reduces brain fog. It also reduces or correct psycho-emotional disorders. It easily passes into the brain.

 

Red blood cell deformity has been reported for CFS. It is one of very few supplements that have been demonstrated to reduce this. It reduces the effects of hypoxia (low oxygen delivery to the brain), skin color will often return.

 

On the coagulation vector for CFS and Lyme, it has significant impact.

  • Reduces platelet aggregation
  • Inhibits thromboxane synthetase or anti-thromboxane A2
  • Reduces von Willebrand’s factor and fibrinogen
  •  

I have seen CFS patients that were unable to add a column of numbers without great difficulty change in just 15 minutes to become math wizard (not only add quickly but suddenly able to understand algebra!).

 

In terms of risk, it appears to be far safer than aspirin and most herbs.

 

In this house we have 1 kilo of powder piracetam sitting on the shelf (cheapest way). Before you go to such large stockpiles, you should try a short course. In some parts of Europe it is still prescription (and often the first drug of choice for stroke). For many years, I got my supply from a friend in the Czech Republic where it was over the counter(“Nootropil” and “Lucetam”).

 

Piracetam 800 mg (60 capsules) = 48 gms

US $20

Piracetam Powder

US 1000 gm $60

US 100 gm $15

CA 100 gm $16

For Europe, you could try the following sites: NuBrain.com, qhi.co.uk, DocSimon.de

As usual, buying in bulk and making your own capsules reduces the cost by 50% or more.

 

Headache Warning!

Headaches can occur if you are low on choline   see:

Piracetam and Choline Headaches

Piracetam and Headaches

 

Piracetam

recommending 3 seperate dosages of 1600mg with a choline supplement each time such as Alpha GPC or CDP-Choline standard dose of CDP-Choline is 300 mg twice

 

3 weeks of consistent daily use of Piracetam before you notice the benefits. To counter this, experienced neurohackers suggest starting with an ‘attack dose’ of 3,000 mg of Piracetam 3-times per day for the first 3 days

 

Most report a noticeable benefit from Piracetam after about 2 weeks. Consider that Piracetam is modulating your brain’s chemistry. And this change is unlikely to occur immediately

 

most don’t cycle Piracetam because it takes awhile to build in your system (unlike the other racetams

 

Banned for sale in the US, highly recommended, used effectively for CFS, had to use bitcoin to purchase, it's mechanisms unknown, many variations, use with choline,

 

Inflammation: Piracetam is a potent analgesic (anti-pain). This analgesic effect is related to inhibition of inflammatory markers including IL-1β. And the prevention of reduced glutathione, ferric reducing ability and free radical scavengingiii

 

Neurotransmitters: Piracetam potentiates the flow of, and increases the effect of acetylcholine (ACh) in the brain.iv And studies have shown it significantly improves learning and memory.v

 

Cerebral Blood Flow: Piracetam increases blood flow in the brain.vi Better blood flow delivers more oxygen and nutrients to neurons improving cognition, memory and focus

 

Piracetam is a cyclic derivative of GABA. But oddly enough, it doesn’t affect GABA receptors in the brain. Instead, Piracetam was found to modulate AMPA and NMDA receptors and improve the function of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh).

 

AMPA and NMDA receptors along with acetylcholine are associated with learning and memory.viii And when Piracetam is stacked with a choline supplement its effects are even more pronounced. Researchers have shown in hundreds of clinical studies that Piracetam significantly improves learning and memory.

 

Piracetam also increases cerebral blood flow. Blood delivers oxygen and glucose needed for cellular metabolism, and helps carry away cellular waste. Critical for the highly optimized brain

Piracetam boosts brain health and function in several ways. But two in particular stand out.

 

Piracetam modulates AMPA and NMDA receptors in the brain. And improves the flow of acetylcholine (ACh) and sensitivity and density of ACh receptors.ix

This German study conducted with lab mice showed Piracetam elevated NMDA receptor density. And normalized the way those receptors worked with L-Glutamate similar to that of a healthy brain.

 

Deficits at the level of NMDA receptors could be one of the mechanisms of action underlying age-related cognitive decline. And the researchers concluded that Piracetam showed cognition-enhancing properties.x

 

This effect on NMDA receptor sites is directly related to our interest in using Piracetam for Long-Term Potentiation and the support of long-term memory formation.

 

Neuroplasticity is dependent on activation of NMDA receptors.xi And this neuroplasticity is at the heart of memory formation. Reviews of Piracetam used by neurohackers frequently report the return of long-lost memories. Further proof of the efficacy in using Piracetam to support learning and memory.

 

Piracetam increases cerebral blood flow. Several studies have shown how Piracetam positively influences brain blood flow. Cerebral blood flow is critical for the highly optimized brain. Blood delivers oxygen and glucose needed for cellular metabolism, and helps carry away cellular waste.xii

 

Strokes can be caused by an interruption in cerebral blood flow. Starving parts of the brain of oxygen and glucose. This double-blind, placebo-controlled study was done with 24 stroke patients. One group received 2,400 mg of Piracetam twice daily, and the other a placebo.

 

Before treatment, both groups were comparable in performance during language tasks. The study found that Piracetam improved recovery of various language functions. And this effect was attributed to increased blood circulation to areas of the brain related to language. The placebo group showed very little improvement in areas of language. xiii

 

As we get older, our brain chemistry and metabolism changes. And it seems these changes are affecting younger and younger people.

 

Recall, reaction time and learning capacity declines Piracetam boosts acetylcholine

 

ATP energy levels decline

 

Density of AMPA and NMDA receptors decline

 

Acetylcholine levels decline

 

Cerebral blood flow declines

 

All of these changes are contributing factors to age-related cognitive decline. Early signs of these effects can be seen in poor decision-making, difficulty learning, and even recalling simple things like an important appointment.

 

But even if you’re not concerned with the signs of aging, Piracetam can help.

 

Piracetam to the rescue

Piracetam helps increase blood flow in the brain, improves oxygen levels, enhances glucose use in brain cells, maintains brain cell mitochondria and ATP synthesis.Piracetam-improves-brain-blood-flow

 

Piracetam is also a potent modulator of AMPA-sensitive glutamate receptors in neurons. It increases the density of specific binding sites for AMPA in neuronal synapses.xiv

 

Glutamate is the primary excitatory neurotransmitter in your brain. This glutamate activity by Piracetam affects alertness, focus, attention, memory and learning. And one of the reasons why neurohackers consistently report that Piracetam improves mental performance and memory.

 

Piracetam increases high-affinity choline uptake (HACU) which is the process that occurs in cholinergic nerve endings and facilitates acetylcholine (ACh) formation. Boosting ACh with Piracetam produces a powerful effect on learning and memory.xv

 

Piracetam also boosts choline receptor density in the frontal cortex. The area of your brain used for working memory and decision-making.xvi

 

ATP energy is critical to your brain’s survival. Brain cells must produce all of their own ATP from glucose and oxygen. This brain energy carbohydrate metabolism depends on cerebral blood flow, oxygen uptake and glucose. Piracetam enhances this glucose utilization, and increases ATP synthesis needed to power brain cell mitochondria.xvii

 

And Piracetam has analgesic (anti-pain) benefits. This anti-pain action is linked to Piracetam’s anti-inflammatory properties.xviii Inflammation can cause pain, and studies have shown Piracetam can have profound effect on pain.

 

Piracetam boosts acetylcholine so you should add a good choline source. Try Alpha GPC or CDP-Choline with Piracetam. And give your brain the choline it needs.

 

Piracetam-improves-memory-and-creativity

 

How does Piracetam feel?

Most neurohackers report a noticeable benefit from Piracetam after about 2 weeks. Consider that Piracetam is modulating your brain’s chemistry. And this change is unlikely to occur immediately.

 

Your brain needs some time to adjust to the new change in acetylcholine (ACh) levels and how it uses it. Increased cerebral blood flow takes a while to bring up levels of oxygen and nutrients. And for your neuronal cells to respond. Your mileage may vary depending on your own neuro-chemical makeup.

 

Many suggest starting with an ‘attack dose’ for the first 3-days. A 3,000 mg ‘attack dose’ of Piracetam for example to start with theoretically gets more of the supplement into your system right away. So it takes less time to build up before you start feeling the effects.

 

From there step down to a maintenance dose and vary the quantity until you find your own sweet spot.

 

Once you begin to notice the effects of Piracetam you’re likely to feel a mood boost, less social anxiety, heightened creativity, improved verbal fluency and better memory.

 

Piracetam does boost your brain’s use of acetylcholine. So you will likely find that adding a good choline source (Alpha GPC or CDP-Choline) to your Piracetam stack helps.

 

The Research

Piracetam-reduces-social-anxietyWe have plenty of evidence that Piracetam improves memory in animals and people who are suffering from many types of cognitive impairment. Keep in mind that most of the scientific research available for nootropics is done with sick people trying to get well.

 

The return on investment for research at institutions and universities comes from treating diseases. And not from helping ordinary biohackers like us trying to get a competitive advantage at work or in school.

 

We can however extrapolate the findings from these studies and learn if and how something like Piracetam can help our memory and cognition. Once-in-awhile someone does take the time to conduct such a study on healthy people. Like this one done with normal, healthy volunteers.

 

Researchers gave this healthy group of participants four 400 mg capsules of Piracetam 3-times per day (4,800 mg total) for 14 days. No effects on memory were observed after 7 days during this experiment. But after 14 days verbal learning had significantly increased.xix

 

Piracetam Improves Cognition

Researchers in Belgium (where Piracetam originated) conducted an analysis of 19 double-blind, placebo-controlled studies done with patients suffering dementia or cognitive impairment and who took Piracetam.

 

The results of this meta-analysis demonstrated the difference between people who used Piracetam or used a placebo. The end result of this analysis provided compelling evidence for the usefulness of Piracetam in a diverse group of people with cognitive impairment.xx

 

Several studies and user reviews have shown that Piracetam dosage makes a difference. And unlike some other nootropics where you start at a lower dose and work your way up, with Piracetam we recommend you start at a higher suggested dose.

 

This study in Germany with 78 elderly patients showed that there was a significant difference in cognition improvement while dosing Piracetam at 1,600 mg 3-times per day. There was no difference in cognition with patients who received 800 mg 3-times per day.xxi Dosage matters when using Piracetam.

 

Piracetam Enhances ATP Production

 

Piracetam is used around the world to treat cognitive impairment in aging, brain injuries, dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease. Several studies show that Piracetam enhances ATP production, mitochondrial membranes and neurite outgrowth in neurons.

 

In this study, scientists investigated the effects of Piracetam on mitochondrial function. Human brain cells were treated with Piracetam under normal conditions and under conditions imitating aging and damage by ROS (reactive oxygen species). And with cells representing early-stage Alzheimer’s Disease.

 

The cells representing Alzheimer’s conditions showed impaired mitochondrial function under baseline conditions. Piracetam was able to restore this impairment in cells and shift mitochondrial function back to normal.

 

The researchers showed that Piracetam is able to repair mitochondria in those with mild Alzheimer’s and return cell function back to normal.xxii

 

Piracetam recommended dosage

Recommended Piracetam dosage is 1,600 mg 3-times per day. One Piracetam dose in the morning, and one in the early afternoon, and one later in the afternoon.Piracetam-dosage

 

You will likely want to start with an ‘attack dose’ when you’re first starting out with Piracetam. Refer to the “How does Piracetam feel?” section of this article for more on ‘attack doses’.

 

Dosing Piracetam varies widely between neurohackers. Experimenting and finding the dose where you experience the most benefit is key. You may find a lower dose works well for you. Or you may find you need to increase your dose even more. Dosing Piracetam is directly related to your own unique neurochemistry.

 

Piracetam Side Effects

Piracetam is non-toxic. So is considered well-tolerated and safe.

 

As with many of the racetams, Piracetam can cause headaches because it boosts the use of acetylcholine in your brain. Choline supplements like Alpha GPC or CDP-Choline can help you avoid this side effect.

 

Many neurohackers find that stacking Piracetam with a choline supplement boosts the effect with improved memory and cognition. And this is supported in several research studies.xxiii

 

Type of Piracetam to buy

Piracetam is sold in tablet, capsule and powder form. Tablets and capsules are usually 800 mg each.

 

Science.bio offers Piracetam powder and you can get a third-party analysis for that batch of powder before you purchase.

 

In Europe, Asia, South America and some other countries around the world, Piracetam is a prescription drug. And sold under many different brand names (including Nootropil). Refer to the Introduction of this article for some of these brand names.

 

Nootropics Expert Recommendation

Piracetam 1,600 mg 3-times per day

 

Nootropics Expert Tested and ApprovedI recommend using Piracetam as a nootropic supplement.

 

Your body does not make Piracetam on its own. So to get its benefits you must take it as a supplement.

 

If you’re going to start experimenting with racetams, our recommendation at Nootropics Expert is to start with Piracetam. Because it works, it’s safe and it’s cheaper than all the other nootropics in the racetam-family.

 

Piracetam is especially helpful for those suffering from most types of age-related cognitive decline.

 

Piracetam is also particularly useful to students and executives who want to boost cognition, learning and memory.

 

You should use Piracetam with a good choline supplement like Alpha GPC or CDP-Choline. It helps boost neural acetylcholine, so demands the presence of more choline in your brain.

 

You can safely boost daily intake of Piracetam to 9,600 mg if needed. Studies have shown that Piracetam is completely non-toxic even at high doses.

 

                         References (click to open)i Genton P., Van Vleymen B. “Piracetam and levetiracetam: close structural similarities but different pharmacological and clinical profiles.”Epileptic Disorders. 2000 Jun;2(2):99-105. (source) ii Shorvon S. “Pyrrolidone derivatives.” Lancet. 2001 Dec 1;358(9296):1885-92. (source) iii Navarro S.A., Serafim K.G., Mizokami S.S., Hohmann M.S., Casagrande R., Verri W.A. Jr. “Analgesic activity of piracetam: effect on cytokine production and oxidative stress.” Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior. 2013 Apr;105:183-92. (source) iv Bering B., Müller W.E. “Interaction of piracetam with several neurotransmitter receptors in the central nervous system. Relative specificity for 3H-glutamate sites.” Arzneimittelforschung. 1985;35(9):1350-2. (source) v Genton P., Van Vleymen B. “Piracetam and levetiracetam: close structural similarities but different pharmacological and clinical profiles.”Epileptic Disorders. 2000 Jun;2(2):99-105. (source) vi Malykh A.G., Sadaie M.R. “Piracetam and piracetam-like drugs: from basic science to novel clinical applications to CNS disorders.”Drugs. 2010 Feb 12;70(3):287-312. (source) vii Purves D., Augustine G.J., Fitzpatrick D., et al., editors. “Glutamate Receptors” Neuroscience. 2nd edition. Sunderland (MA): Sinauer Associates; 2001. (source) viii Ahmed A.H., Oswald R.E. “Piracetam defines a new binding site for allosteric modulators of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionic acid (AMPA) receptors.” Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. 2010 Mar 11;53(5):2197-203. (source) ix Stoll L., Schubert T., Müller W.E. “Age-related deficits of central muscarinic cholinergic receptor function in the mouse: partial restoration by chronic piracetam treatment.” Neurobiology of Aging. 1992 Jan-Feb;13(1):39-44. (source) x Cohen S.A., Müller W.E. “Effects of piracetam on N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor properties in the aged mouse brain.” Pharmacology. 1993 Oct;47(4):217-22. (source) xi Williams J.M., Guévremont D., Kennard J.T., Mason-Parker S.E., Tate W.P., Abraham W.C. “Long-term regulation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor subunits and associated synaptic proteins following hippocampal synaptic plasticity.” Neuroscience. 2003;118(4):1003-13. (source) xii Kojiro I., Secher N.H. “Cerebral blood flow and metabolism during exercise” Progress in Neurobiology Volume 61, Issue 4, July 2000, Pages 397–414 (source) xiii Kessler J., Thiel A., Karbe H., Heiss W.D. “Piracetam improves activated blood flow and facilitates rehabilitation of poststroke aphasic patients.” Stroke. 2000 Sep;31(9):2112-6. (source) xiv Copani A., Genazzani A.A., Aleppo G., Casabona G., Canonico P.L., Scapagnini U., Nicoletti F. “Nootropic drugs positively modulate alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid-sensitive glutamate receptors in neuronal cultures.” Journal of Neurochemistry. 1992 Apr;58(4):1199-204. (source) xv Pepeu G., Spignoli G. “Nootropic drugs and brain cholinergic mechanisms.” Progress in Neuro-psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry. 1989;13 Suppl:S77-88. (source) xvi Pilch H., Müller W.E. “Piracetam elevates muscarinic cholinergic receptor density in the frontal cortex of aged but not of young mice.”Psychopharmacology (Berl). 1988;94(1):74-8. (source) xvii Grau M., Montero J.L., Balasch J. “Effect of Piracetam on electrocorticogram and local cerebral glucose utilization in the rat.”General Pharmacology. 1987;18(2):205-11. (source) xviii Navarro S.A., Serafim K.G., Mizokami S.S., Hohmann M.S., Casagrande R., Verri W.A. Jr. “Analgesic activity of piracetam: effect on cytokine production and oxidative stress.” Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior. 2013 Apr;105:183-92. (source) xix Dimond S.J., Brouwers E.M. “Increase in the power of human memory in normal man through the use of drugs.” Psychopharmacology(Berl). 1976 Sep 29;49(3):307-9. (source) xx Waegemans T., Wilsher C.R., Danniau A., Ferris S.H., Kurz A., Winblad B. “Clinical efficacy of piracetam in cognitive impairment: a meta-analysis.” Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders. 2002;13(4):217-24. (source) xxi Kretschmar J.H., Kretschmar C.H. “On the dose-effect relationship in the therapy with piracetam (author’s transl).” in German Arzneimittelforschung. 1976;26(6):1158-9. (source) xxii Stockburger C., Kurz C., Koch K.A., Eckert S.H., Leuner K., Müller W.E. “Improvement of mitochondrial function and dynamics by the metabolic enhancer piracetam.” Biochemical Social Transactions. 2013 Oct;41(5):1331-4. (source) xxiii Platel A., Jalfre M., Pawelec C., Roux S., Porsolt R.D. “Habituation of exploratory activity in mice: effects of combinations of piracetam and choline on memory processes.” Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior. 1984 Aug;21(2):209-12                                                                                                                                                click to close

 

 

page 12 CFS > SUPPLEMENTS and NUTRITION > NOOTROPICS > PIRACETAM

page 11

page 13

sitemap click links below

back to top

back to top

back to top

back to top

back to top

back to top

Click 1

Click 2

Click 3