Piracetam

Overview

Piracetam is a non-peptide pyrrolidinone-derivative racetam, the prototypical member of the nootropic racetam class. It is approved in the EU/UK exclusively for adult cortical myoclonus as adjunctive therapy (marketed as Nootropil), but has NO FDA approval in any form in the United States. The FDA has rejected its New Dietary Ingredient notification and issued warning letters to US vendors marketing it as a supplement. Piracetam itself is not WADA-prohibited, though its derivative phenylpiracetam is a banned stimulant.

Mechanism of Action

Piracetam is a weak, low-occupancy positive allosteric modulator of AMPA receptors, binding at a distinct site along the receptor dimer interface. It also modulates cholinergic and glutamatergic neurotransmission and has been proposed to act on neuronal membrane fluidity and ion channels, though the clinical relevance of the AMPA interaction remains debated.

Research Summary

Piracetam is an approved prescription drug in the EU/UK for adult cortical myoclonus (adjunctive therapy) and has been studied off-label in multiple placebo-controlled human trials for age-related cognitive decline, post-stroke aphasia, post-ECT cognitive deficit, and post-CABG cognitive decline, with mixed results. A Cochrane systematic review (2001) concluded that available evidence does not support piracetam's use for dementia or cognitive impairment beyond a global-impression measure. In rodent models, piracetam reduced focal ischemia infarct volume by ~35.8%, improved neurological/locomotor outcomes and survival, attenuated oxidative stress and excitatory amino acid release in oxygen-glucose deprivation, and showed anticonvulsant and neuroprotective effects in PTZ-induced epilepsy.

Reported Side Effects

• Nervousness, insomnia, agitation
• Depression, drowsiness, hyperkinesia
• Weight gain
• Diarrhea, abdominal pain
• Rash

Compare Piracetam with Others

Research References

• Piracetam - PubChem Compound Summary for CID 4843.
• Piracetam defines a new binding site for allosteric modulators of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionic acid (AMPA) receptors. 2010. PMID 20163115.
• Piracetam: physiological disposition and mechanism of action. 1986. PMID 3946121.
• Piracetam: a review of pharmacological properties and clinical uses. 2005. PMID 16007238.

Frequently asked questions

Has Piracetam been independently lab-tested?

Disclosed Labs has collected 1 Certificate of Analysis (COA) for Piracetam from 1 independent testing lab. 1 vendor has submitted material for testing. Products average 99.8% tested purity across the corpus. Full testing data is available at https://www.disclosedlabs.com/peptides/piracetam/testing.

How does Piracetam work?

Piracetam is a weak, low-occupancy positive allosteric modulator of AMPA receptors, binding at a distinct site along the receptor dimer interface. It also modulates cholinergic and glutamatergic neurotransmission and has been proposed to act on neuronal membrane fluidity and ion channels, though the clinical relevance of the AMPA interaction remains debated.

What does the research say about Piracetam?

Piracetam is an approved prescription drug in the EU/UK for adult cortical myoclonus (adjunctive therapy) and has been studied off-label in multiple placebo-controlled human trials for age-related cognitive decline, post-stroke aphasia, post-ECT cognitive deficit, and post-CABG cognitive decline, with mixed results. A Cochrane systematic review (2001) concluded that available evidence does not support piracetam's use for dementia or cognitive impairment beyond a global-impression measure. In rodent models, piracetam reduced focal ischemia infarct volume by ~35.8%, improved neurological/locomotor outcomes and survival, attenuated oxidative stress and excitatory amino acid release in oxygen-glucose deprivation, and showed anticonvulsant and neuroprotective effects in PTZ-induced epilepsy.