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Synthetic nootropics & research compounds

Picamilon

Picamilon (nicotinoyl-GABA)

Picamilon is a synthetic compound made by linking GABA to nicotinic acid (niacin). Small patient studies do not establish focus or calming benefits for healthy adults, or a suitable self-directed dose. Compare the declared chemical form, strength and pack size before price. In the United States, FDA does not recognize it as a dietary ingredient.

SyntheticLimited Human EvidenceInsufficient EvidencePopulation Specific EvidenceDriving CautionKidney CautionPregnancy Caution
Updated October 2026/6 min read/10 citations
Reviewed by the NootropicsIndex editorial team.Method: prioritize cited human research and official safety or regulatory sources; compare retailer-listed prices without endorsing products.Affiliate disclosure
Extra caution

Who should avoid this or get expert review first

This is not a recommendation to use. These groups should treat the profile as a reason to slow down and verify safety, rules, and personal context.

  • Pregnancy, breastfeeding and developing children7FDA's assessment identifies potential fetal and neonatal developmental concerns and missing reproductive/developmental safety studies. Safety has not been established for pregnancy, breastfeeding or developing children; these populations should avoid self-directed use. The developmental concern is mechanistic, not a measured human Picamilon event rate.
  • Chronic kidney failure and tablet contraindications10The manufacturer's sodium-tablet instruction lists chronic kidney failure and ingredient hypersensitivity as contraindications. Its sugar-containing tablets also have restrictions for fructose intolerance, sucrase-isomaltase deficiency and glucose-galactose malabsorption. These populations should avoid self-directed use of that formulation.
01

What is it?

What Picamilon is

7

Picamilon, also called nicotinoyl-GABA, chemically links GABA and nicotinic acid. It is a distinct synthetic substance; taking separate GABA and niacin products is not the same chemical exposure. Verify whether a listing declares Picamilon or its sodium salt.

What the human evidence can tell you6
A patient trial, a drug-measurement study and a laboratory screen answer different questions. Relevant human outcome trials are needed to assess everyday focus or calm; concentration measurements and receptor assays do not establish nootropic performance.
02

Names, aliases and forms

Chemical NamesNicotinoyl-GABA; N-nicotinoyl-GABA
Spelling variantsPikamilon; Pycamilon
Salt FormPicamilon sodium
03

Mechanisms of action

GABA-related chemistry has limits

5

A 2023 laboratory study found weak or no binding to 50 safety-related biological targets at the tested concentration. That result describes the parent compound in an assay, not its effects after metabolism in people. It neither proves the advertised GABA-like benefits nor establishes safety.

04

Potential effects and evidence map

A small 2024 open patient study reported cognitive-screening changes, with no placebo group. It cannot establish benefits in healthy adults. Human plasma measurement and laboratory target screening add information about the compound, not confirmation of nootropic efficacy.

Effect domainMagnitudeGrade
Calm / relaxation5
UnknownConfidence: Medium

A dependable calming effect in healthy adults has not been established.

Note Chemical similarity to GABA and laboratory target assays do not demonstrate a human calming effect.

0/5
D
Focus / attention6
UnknownConfidence: Medium

Clinical cognitive-screening findings do not establish healthy-adult attention or focus benefits.

Note Indirect patient evidence; cognitive screening is not a healthy-adult attention outcome.

0/5
C
05

Typical dosages and timing

Oral-only clinical patient arm6150 mg/day

In the 2024 patient study, the oral-only group received 50 mg three times daily for 60 days; the comparison group started with injections before switching to tablets. These medical-study conditions do not establish a suitable dose, escalation plan or cycle for healthy adults.

06

Timing & effect horizon

Effect horizonUnknown
Unknown
Label half-life is not effect duration10

The manufacturer's sodium-tablet instruction reports a The time for blood levels to fall by half during the final elimination phase.Source of 0.51 hours without identifying the study population or methods. This is label information, not verified healthy-adult effect timing. The human plasma-assay abstract supplies no numeric timings. Onset and duration of focus or calming effects remain unestablished.

07

Safety, side effects and risk profile

Short-term adult risk signal and its limits6
Short-term oral tablet evidence suggests a minimal observed intrinsic-harm signal, with low confidence. The small patient trial reported self-resolving adverse events, without dose adjustment, serious events or early withdrawal. Rare harms, healthy-adult rates and longer-term risks remain unquantified. This limited clinical experience does not establish general safety.
Food-use assessment and longer-term uncertainty8
FDA's 2015 conventional-food assessment raised safety concerns and found insufficient data for general recognition of safe food use; its 2019 update retained that conclusion. That population-wide food assessment does not supply clinical harm rates for ordinary adult tablets. Long-term, developmental and reproductive evidence remains insufficient.
Legal / regulatory risk1
Confidence: High

United States, checked 2026-10-14: FDA says Picamilon is not a dietary ingredient; declaring it as one in a dietary supplement makes that product misbranded.

Note Market/category-specific regulatory caution, separate from intrinsic healthy-adult harm. Numeric row score expresses practical regulatory concern.

3/5
B
Evidence uncertainty6
Confidence: High

Healthy-adult harm rates and an ordinary oral use pattern remain uncharacterized; evidence uncertainty is separate from the base harm signal.

Note Evidence uncertainty is not a measured harm severity.

1/5
C
Tablet-label adverse effects and driving10

The tablet instruction lists dizziness, headache, mild nausea, agitation and allergic rash or itching, without incidence estimates. It warns against driving or operating machinery because of possible dizziness and other effects.

08

Interactions and cautions

Tablet-label drug interactions10

The manufacturer's tablet instruction reports stronger opioid painkiller effects and shorter barbiturate effects, without effect-size estimates. Compatibility with other sedatives, alcohol or psychoactive medicines remains uncharacterized; chemistry alone does not establish phenibut-like interactions or withdrawal.

09

Legal and regulatory status

United States | checked 2026-10-141

As of 2026-10-14, FDA states that Picamilon is not a dietary ingredient. U.S. dietary supplements declaring it as one are misbranded; FDA also states it is not an approved U.S. drug. These findings concern specific U.S. product categories. They do not establish a worldwide ban or determine personal possession and import rules.

10

Practical buying and quality notes

  • Compare the selected strength, pack count, chemical form and currency together. For label arithmetic only, 30 tablets declaring 50 mg each equal 1,500 mg declared total content; this is not an intake recommendation or a laboratory result. Historic U.S. product testing found large differences in detected amounts, so price per tablet is not proof of potency or quality. Prefer documentation identifying the actual batch and measured ingredient.4
  • Offer titles can cover more than one strength or pack size, while catalog unit labels may say capsules for products described as tablets. Confirm the selected variant and current availability directly with the merchant. Compare cost per declared amount only across matching forms and currencies, and include shipping or import costs where applicable.4
11

FAQ

Is Picamilon the same as GABA plus niacin?

1

No. Picamilon is a separate chemically linked substance. Its identity, regulatory status and evidence cannot be assumed from the two starting ingredients or from a seller describing it as a vitamin-like product.

Does a patient study establish a nootropic cycle?

6

No. A medical-study observation period is not a validated healthy-adult cycle. Benefits, treatment breaks and repeat-use safety need separate evidence.

12

References

  1. FDA. Picamilon in Dietary Supplements.
  2. NCBI PubChem. Picamilon compound summary.
  3. Cui W, et al. Determination of picamilon concentration in human plasma by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. J Chromatogr B. 2010;878(15-16):1181-1184.
  4. Avula B, et al. Identification and quantification of vinpocetine and picamilon in dietary supplements sold in the United States. Drug Test Anal. 2016;8(3-4):334-343.
  5. Santillo MF, Sprando RL. Picamilon, a gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) analogue and marketed nootropic, is inactive against 50 biological targets. Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol. 2023;132(4):355-358.
  6. Danilov AB, et al. Integrative assessment of the effectiveness and safety of outpatient use of Picamilon. Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova. 2024;124(7):119-130.
  7. FDA. Scientific memorandum: regulatory status and safety information for Picamilon in conventional food. November 16, 2015.
  8. FDA. Updated literature search and GRAS evaluation on Picamilon. June 24, 2019.
  9. FDA. Post-market determination for Picamilon use in conventional food.
  10. Pharmstandard-UfaVITA. Picamilon medical-use instructions, oral sodium-salt tablet section, pages 9-13 (Russian).
Note

This page is informational and summarizes available evidence. It is not medical advice, a recommendation, or a substitute for guidance from a qualified clinician.