Piracetam is one of the most popular \u201cnootropic<\/i>\u201d (\u201ccognition-enhancing\u201d) drugs. Due to its popularity, it is often presented as a \u201crisk-free\u201d drug, without any major side-effects or other risks. However, legitimate scientific data about its overall safety and potential dangers is lacking, and many different studies have reported conflicting results regarding its efficacy and safety in healthy human users. In this post, we\u2019ll be counter-balancing some of the \u201chype\u201d about piracetam by reviewing what some of the latest science has to say about its potential negative side-effects and other possible risks. Read on to learn more!<\/p>\n
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Piracetam is the \u201coriginal\u201d racetam<\/i><\/a>, and is currently one of the most popular \u201cnootropics<\/i>,\u201d or \u201csmart drugs.\u201c<\/p>\n Although it is allegedly less potent than other racetams, many people still report taking it in order to \u201cenhance\u201d their cognitive functioning.<\/p>\n The racetam group of synthetic compounds are characterized by their chemical structures, which all contain a pyrrolidone lactam <\/i>ring. Piracetam and other racetams like oxiracetam<\/a> and aniracetam<\/a> are considered cognitive enhancers or nootropics, while others like levetiracetam are used as anticonvulsant drugs to treat epilepsy.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, there appears to be little proper clinical research with piracetam \u2014 especially in young, healthy volunteers.<\/b> However, there is some research on elderly populations with dementia, schizophrenics, and those suffering from neurodegenerative disorders caused by head trauma, stroke, and alcoholism.<\/p>\n Piracetam supplements have not<\/span> been officially approved by the FDA for any specific medical application or other use.<\/b> Supplements generally lack solid clinical research. Legal regulations can set certain manufacturing standards for producing them, but nevertheless this is no guarantee that they are either effective or safe to use. Always speak with your doctor before beginning any new supplements or taking any new drugs.<\/p>\n You can learn more about the potential uses, mechanisms, and possible side-effects of other specific racetam<\/i> drugs from the following comprehensive posts:<\/p>\n Due to a lack of extensive research on piracetam, the potential mechanisms behind its possible effects remain largely unknown.<\/p>\n However, some early research has identified a few possible candidate mechanisms and effects, such as [R<\/a>]:<\/p>\n Like any drug, piracetam has the potential to cause adverse side-effects, and it is therefore important to be aware of these.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, however, the safety profile of piracetam is relatively unknown, due to the lack of well-designed large-scale clinical studies.<\/p>\n This is why it is always crucially important to speak to your doctor before starting any new supplements or medications.<\/p>\n The list of side-effects below is not a complete or definitive list, and you should consult your doctor about other potential side-effects, based on any pre-existing health conditions and possible drug or supplement interactions.<\/p>\n Call your doctor for medical advice about side-effects. In the US, you may report side-effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or at <\/i>www.fda.gov\/medwatch<\/i><\/a>. In Canada, you may report side-effects to Health Canada at 1-866-234-2345.<\/i><\/p>\n Overall, there is relatively little official or reliable scientific or clinical data about piracetam\u2019s potential for adverse side-effects when taken by healthy human users.<\/b><\/p>\n However, a few preliminary studies do exist that can shed some light on at least some of the potential side-effects of piracetam.<\/p>\n According to one relatively large-scale, multi-center clinical study of 927 patients who recently experienced a stroke, a 12-gram dose of piracetam (a very high dose) for 12 weeks was not reported to result in a high rate of adverse side-effects. However, this study was not specifically designed to monitor the incidence of side-effects, and so the conclusions that can be made from this study are rather limited [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Additionally, while piracetam appeared to be relatively well-tolerated by these patients, neither was it associated with any statistically-significant therapeutic benefits in this study [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Another, smaller-scale, study of 11 epilepsy patients reported some relatively minor side-effects, such as increased fatigue, but ultimately concluded that piracetam was generally well-tolerated by most patients over the course of the 18 months of treatment [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n In another placebo-controlled study of 60 concussion patients, a daily 4800mg dose of piracetam for 8 weeks was reported to partially reduce some of the symptoms commonly associated with brain injuries, such as vertigo, headaches<\/a>, fatigue<\/a>, and decreased alertness. However, 64% of the piracetam-treated patients reported experiencing negative side-effects (compared to just 32% of the placebo group [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Some of the side-effects commonly reported by the patients in this study included [R<\/a>]:<\/p>\n Another placebo-controlled study in 60 elderly patients with diffuse brain damage and cognitive impairments reported that patients treated with piracetam showed improved scores on some tests of cognitive functioning. However, these therapeutic benefits wore off after 12 weeks, suggesting that these cognitive effects were not long-lasting or permanent. Additionally, many of the treated patients reported a variety of adverse side-effects, including [R<\/a>]:<\/p>\n Finally, one interesting study on the safety of piracetam reviewed a variety of medical cases based on user experiences posted on an online nootropics forum, and reported that the following negative side-effects were relatively common among piracetam users [R<\/a>]:<\/p>\n In one of the medical cases reported on in this study, a 17-year-old adolescent with OCD<\/a> who was previously stabilized with SSRI treatment reported having to visit a hospital emergency room after taking piracetam supplements. This user reported severe side-effects such as extreme restlessness and paranoia. Although these symptoms eventually resolved after piracetam was discontinued, the patient and their parents both expressed surprise at these effects of piracetam, which the patient originally began taking due to the fact that it was marketed online as a \u201csafe,\u201d \u201cnatural remedy.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to some of the side-effects that have been reported in the relatively few- and small-scale human studies done on piracetam so far, there are also many personal reports from piracetam users online that allude to various potential side-effects.<\/p>\n We have combed through some of these \u201cuser reports\u201d to compile a list of some of the more commonly-experienced adverse side-effects. Nonetheless, keep in mind that this is a <\/strong>highly unofficial list, based solely on <\/strong>subjective reports from anonymous piracetam users online.<\/b><\/p>\n None of the information below should be considered scientifically or medically verified, and this information should <\/b>never<\/b><\/span> be used to replace conventional medical attention or treatment.<\/b><\/p>\n With those important caveats in mind, some of the adverse side-effects commonly reported by piracetam users online include:<\/p>\n Anecdotally, piracetam users sometimes report using additional<\/i> supplements to attempt to reduce or counteract some of these commonly-reported side-effects. Some of the more typical supplements that these users report using include:<\/p>\n However, the effectiveness of these additional supplements in controlling or reducing the potential side-effects of piracetam \u2014 as well as the overall <\/b>safety<\/i><\/b> of these supplement combinations \u2014 remains unknown.<\/b> They have not<\/span> been tested by any well-controlled scientific studies, and so no solid conclusions can be made about these approaches.<\/p>\n Similar to the situation with its potential side-effects, exactly how piracetam may interact with other pre-existing health conditions is also largely unknown.<\/b><\/p>\n However, a few preliminary studies have identified at least a few possible warning signs to look out for. Nonetheless, it is important to keep in mind that these are only a few of the potential risk factors involved in using piracetam, and that there may be many more that haven\u2019t been identified or studied yet.<\/b> This is why it is always crucial to discuss any new medications or supplements with your doctor first.<\/p>\n While supplementing with piracetam could theoretically cause negative side-effects in anyone, according to at least one review, individuals with a prior history of psychiatric disorders or substance abuse disorders may be at elevated risk from taking piracetam<\/b> [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n Additionally, some research suggests that piracetam may interfere with the activity of platelets<\/i><\/a>, the component of the blood responsible for blood clotting. Based on this, some researchers have warned that piracetam may effectively \u201cthin\u201d the blood.<\/b> By extension, this implies that piracetam could potentially interact with common blood-thinning medications, such as warfarin<\/i>, as well as increase the risk of bleeding and other cardiovascular issues. For similar reasons, caution would also be advised for anyone whose platelet counts are already low, or anyone who is preparing for an upcoming surgery [R<\/a>].<\/p>\n The exact mechanism of side effects of piracetam is unknown. The mechanisms and pathways mentioned below are based on experimental animal and cellular findings, and have not been verified by appropriate clinical trials in human subjects. Therefore, the mechanisms described below should be considered as \u201c<\/b>lacking evidence<\/b><\/span>\u201d until much more additional research is performed.<\/b><\/p>\n\n
Mechanisms of Action<\/span><\/h2>\n
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Piracetam Side-Effects & Risks<\/span><\/h2>\n
Side-Effects Reported By Preliminary Research Studies<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n
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Side-Effects Reported By Users (Unofficial)<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n
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Contraindications<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n
Possible Mechanisms of Side-Effects<\/span><\/h2>\n