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Synthetic nootropics & research compounds

Piracetam

piracetam (2-oxo-1-pyrrolidineacetamide)

Piracetam is a synthetic racetam with limited, mixed evidence for cognitive enhancement. An old healthy-volunteer study reported a verbal-learning signal after two weeks, while clinical reviews do not establish reliable memory benefits. Compare the actual piracetam amount, tablet or capsule format, and additional active ingredients before comparing prices. The featured dose is historical research context; healthy-adult safety at repeated doses remains poorly quantified.

SyntheticClinical ResearchLimited Human EvidenceMixed EvidencePopulation Specific EvidenceDriving CautionInsomnia Risk
Updated October 2026/8 min read/14 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.

  • Kidney disease, brain hemorrhage or Huntington disease7The UK label contraindicates piracetam when kidney clearance is below 20 mL/min, with brain hemorrhage or Huntington disease, or with allergy to piracetam or other pyrrolidone derivatives. Other renal impairment also slows elimination and requires prescriber-directed dose adjustment.
  • Pregnancy and breastfeeding11Avoid self-directed use in pregnancy or breastfeeding; seek prescriber assessment.
01

What is it?

A synthetic racetam

1

Piracetam is also known chemically as 2-oxo-1-pyrrolidineacetamide. Its formula is C6H10N2O2 and its CAS identifier is 7491-74-9. Other racetams are distinct substances; the family name alone does not establish equivalent effects.

What the memory research can answer6
The 2024 review concerned adults with memory impairment. Its pooled result crossed the no-effect boundary and varied substantially across studies. It cannot establish a dependable memory benefit for healthy users.

Why older reviews sound more positive

3

A 2002 meta-analysis of 19 studies in older cognitively impaired adults found improvement on global clinical impressions. That broad assessment differs from a specific memory test and does not establish enhancement in healthy adults. Several authors were affiliated with the manufacturer.

Condition-specific language findings

4

A 2016 review of seven trials in 261 post-stroke patients found a written-language signal, but no statistically clear improvement in overall aphasia severity. These results do not establish better everyday verbal fluency in healthy users.

What the Cochrane review adds

2

The Cochrane synthesis found that specific cognitive measures did not support the more favorable global-impression results. Missing and unpublished trial data limited confidence. Its current summary reports a search through December 2011, so it is historical context alongside the newer review.

02

Names, aliases and forms

Common Namepiracetam
Chemical Names2-Oxo-pyrrolidin-1-ylacetamide; 2-oxo-1-pyrrolidineacetamide
Cas Number7491-74-9
Molecular FormulaC6H10N2O2
Brand NamesNootropil; Nootropyl; Lucetam; Breinox
03

Mechanisms of action

An EEG change is not a proven performance gain

9

A placebo-controlled healthy-volunteer experiment found changes in electrical brain activity after single oral doses, but none of the measured neuropsychological outcomes improved. This separates a biological signal from a useful cognitive outcome.

04

Potential effects and evidence map

Human evidence is limited and population-specific. A 2024 meta-analysis of 18 studies in 886 adults with memory impairment found no statistically clear pooled memory benefit, with substantial differences between studies. Older positive global-impression findings and isolated healthy-volunteer results do not establish dependable everyday cognitive enhancement.

Effect domainMagnitudeGrade
Memory / learning6
UnknownConfidence: Medium

Memory benefit remains uncertain in clinical populations and is not established for healthy users.

Note The 2024 meta-analysis concerned people with memory impairment.

1/5
C
Focus / attention9
AcuteConfidence: Medium

An acute healthy-volunteer experiment found no improvement in its neuropsychological tests.

Note A null result in these tests is not proof that every possible attention outcome is unaffected.

0/5
C
Cellular / long-term brain support2
UnknownConfidence: Low

Long-term cognitive protection in healthy adults is unestablished.

Note Dementia studies cannot establish prevention benefits in healthy people.

0/5
E
05

Typical dosages and timing

Healthy-volunteer study (1976)84.8 g/day

The 1976 double-blind healthy-volunteer study used oral capsules for two weeks. Word learning was unchanged at day seven and improved at day fourteen. This isolated result does not validate an optimal dose or a self-directed regimen.

06

Timing & effect horizon

Effect horizonUnknown
Unknown
Plasma peak (UK label)7Acute
1.5 hours
Half-life7Acute
5 hours
Plasma timing does not predict cognitive duration7

The UK label reports a plasma peak within 1.5 hours and a The time for blood levels to fall by half during the final elimination phase.Source of 5 hours in young adult men. These describe absorption and elimination, not when memory benefits begin or end.

Food and formulation change plasma peaks10

In the 2026 tablet study, peak concentrations occurred around 0.5 hours fasting and 1.7 hours after food. Overall exposure was similar. This explains why one plasma-peak figure cannot promise a precise subjective onset.

07

Safety, side effects and risk profile

Base risk and its limits10
Minimal is a provisional baseline for brief oral use in generally healthy adults; common clinically meaningful harm has not been established in that setting. Evidence remains limited: single-dose tolerability cannot establish that repeated daily use is safe. The clinical side effects and targeted cautions below remain relevant.
Interaction risk7
Confidence: High

Platelet effects warrant caution with bleeding risk, surgery, anticoagulants and antiplatelet medicines.

3/5
C
Overstimulation / insomnia11
Confidence: Medium

Nervousness and trouble sleeping are reported; healthy-user incidence is unquantified.

2/5
C
GI discomfort11
Confidence: Medium

Nausea, diarrhea and abdominal discomfort are reported.

1/5
C
Sedation / impairment11
Confidence: Medium

Drowsiness or shakiness can impair driving and machinery use.

2/5
C
Evidence uncertainty10
Confidence: Low

Single-dose tolerability does not establish repeated-dose or long-term healthy-adult safety.

Note The 2026 tablet study used 800 mg per period, not the featured daily research dose.

1/5
C
Pregnancy / lactation caution11
Confidence: Medium

Pregnancy and breastfeeding require prescriber assessment.

3/5
C
Movement and alertness effects7

Common: involuntary movement and nervousness. Uncommon: drowsiness and depression. These frequencies combine clinical populations and doses.

What direct healthy-adult safety data show10

A 2026 report studied 56 healthy adults receiving single 800 mg tablet doses. No serious events occurred; recorded events were mild, resolved without intervention and were judged unrelated. This short bioequivalence study did not evaluate repeated daily nootropic use, rare harms or long-term safety.

08

Interactions and cautions

Bleeding and medicines11

The leaflet flags thyroid medicines, anticoagulants and low-dose aspirin. Bleeding history also needs prescriber assessment.

09

Legal and regulatory status

United States12

As checked on 14 October 2026, the FDA record includes a February 2019 warning against piracetam products from Peak Nootropics as unapproved new drugs based on their marketed uses. The letter explicitly did not decide their lawful dietary-supplement status. It supplies no U.S. approval or worldwide legal conclusion; check current local sale and import rules.

United Kingdom7

As of 14 October 2026, the cited UK product is prescription-only for adult cortical myoclonus. This does not establish a healthy-user indication or authorization elsewhere.

10

How it compares

Omaron ingredient amounts13

The manufacturer specifies 400 mg piracetam plus 25 mg cinnarizine per tablet. A listing marked 425 mg therefore combines two amounts; it does not supply 425 mg of piracetam. Compare this combination separately from single-ingredient piracetam.

Package arithmetic11

The UK Nootropil pack contains 60 tablets of 1200 mg: 72 g of piracetam. Check actual format and active grams; some offers labeled capsules have tablet titles. Compare in one currency, including shipping.

Vinpotropil adds another active compound14

Canonpharma's capsule label combines piracetam with vinpocetine. A VINPOTROPILE listing therefore needs its exact formulation and both ingredient amounts checked. Single-ingredient evidence and risk summaries do not cover the full combination.

11

Practical buying and quality notes

  • A laboratory study published in 2019 tested ten samples from five brands bought in 2018. Eight contained piracetam, with detected amounts spanning 85-118% of label claims. This historical sample does not test today's offers. Seek a batch-specific identity and content report; a low price per capsule alone cannot establish equal exposure or quality.5
12

FAQ

Is piracetam proven to improve memory in healthy adults?

8

The evidence is too limited and mixed for that conclusion. An old word-learning study gives a narrow positive signal after repeated use; it does not demonstrate broad or lasting cognitive enhancement.

How long is a piracetam cycle?

8

No validated healthy-user cycle follows from the two-week study. Its observation period does not establish how long to continue, when to take breaks, or whether an effect persists after stopping.

Does a higher dose prove better effects?

9

No useful dose-response rule follows from the acute healthy-volunteer study: it tested several doses and found no improvement on the neuropsychological measures used. More grams or a change in EEG is not evidence of better daily functioning.

13

References

  1. NIST Chemistry WebBook, SRD 69. Piracetam: formula, CAS number and chemical synonyms.
  2. Flicker L, Grimley Evans J. Piracetam for dementia or cognitive impairment. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. CD001011.
  3. Waegemans T, Wilsher CR, Danniau A, Ferris SH, Kurz A, Winblad B. Clinical efficacy of piracetam in cognitive impairment: a meta-analysis. Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders. 2002.
  4. Zhang J, Wei R, Chen Z, Luo B. Piracetam for Aphasia in Post-stroke Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. CNS Drugs. 2016.
  5. Cohen PA, Zakharevich I, Gerona R. Presence of Piracetam in Cognitive Enhancement Dietary Supplements. JAMA Internal Medicine. 2020;180(3):458-459.
  6. Gouhie FA, Barbosa KO, Cruz ABR, Wellichan MM, Zampolli TM. Cognitive effects of piracetam in adults with memory impairment: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery. 2024;243:108358.
  7. electronic Medicines Compendium. Nootropil 1200 mg film-coated tablets Summary of Product Characteristics.
  8. Dimond SJ, Brouwers EYM. Increase in the power of human memory in normal man through the use of drugs. Psychopharmacology. 1976;49:307-309.
  9. Sannita WG, Balestra V, Rosadini G, Salama M, Timitilli C. Quantitative EEG and neuropsychological effects of piracetam and of the association piracetam-lecithin in healthy volunteers. Neuropsychobiology. 1985;14(4):203-209.
  10. Yan H, Zhou M, Pan Z, et al. Pharmacokinetics and Bioequivalence Evaluation of Piracetam Tablet: A Randomized, Single-Dose, Two-Period, Crossover Study in Healthy Chinese Participants Under Fasting and Fed Conditions. Drugs in R&D. 2026;26:71-81.
  11. Mercury Pharmaceuticals / ADVANZ Pharma. Nootropil 1200 mg film-coated tablets: patient information leaflet, revised May 2026; posted on emc 11 June 2026.
  12. US Food and Drug Administration. Warning letter to Peak Nootropics LLC aka Advanced Nootropics, 5 February 2019.
  13. Nizhpharm. Omaron: manufacturer product information and composition.
  14. Canonpharma. Vinpotropil capsules: official prescribing information, registration LP-No.(006074)-(RG-RU).
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.