# Piracetam, wonder drug or snake oil? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 28, 2005, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/piracetam-wonder-drug-or-snake-oil/337435 "2005-12-28T14:03:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Testy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@Testy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Testy)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2005, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/piracetam-wonder-drug-or-snake-oil/337435/1 "2005-12-28T14:03:09Z")
I’ve recently bought a box of Nootropil or piracetam and I’m wondering what it _actually_ does as opposed to what it is advertised to do. AFAICT, it will keep me awake at night but that’s about all. Maybe I’m takeing it at the wrong time or the wrong dosage or maybe it’s just another dud. I’ve Googles for some research on this but so far haven’t found anything I’d really trust. Does anyone have the straight dope on this drug’s effects on healthy humans? Thanks. Testy ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2005, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/piracetam-wonder-drug-or-snake-oil/337435/2 "2005-12-28T14:58:33Z")
> [@Testy](#): > > Does anyone have the straight dope on this drug’s effects on healthy humans? No facts but strong suspicions that it is another snake oil product. Postive results most likely the result of wishful thinking. It must be making money for the sellers as they are on TV frequently. ---
**Author:** ![Testy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@Testy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Testy)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2005, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/piracetam-wonder-drug-or-snake-oil/337435/3 "2005-12-28T16:34:35Z")
> [@spingears](#): > > No facts but strong suspicions that it is another snake oil product. > Postive results most likely the result of wishful thinking. > It must be making money for the sellers as they are on TV frequently. **springears** Thanks. I kind of suspected it. As I say, it seems to keep me awake later than normal but then so will a cup of coffee which is a lot cheaper. Thanks again Testy ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2005, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/piracetam-wonder-drug-or-snake-oil/337435/4 "2005-12-28T16:51:29Z")
Here’s the mainstream medical community’s take on it: > [@](#): > > A) At present, there are very few indications for which piracetam has demonstrated significant and reproducible clinical benefit. The drug appears to have a definite effect in children with dyslexia, especially with regard to improving reading speed. Due to its apparent low order of toxicity, it might be worth study in selected patients. Further studies are needed in dyslexia to define optimal doses and duration of therapy, and long-term toxic sequelae. A trial is currently underway to evaluate the efficacy of piracetam on 20 children with Down syndrome at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto (Holmes, 1999). > B) Potential therapeutic benefits of piracetam have been reported in patients with myoclonus (in combination with other agents), sickle cell anemia, vertigo, neuroleptic-induced extrapyramidal syndromes, schizophrenia, and alcoholism. However, conclusive evidence of efficacy in these conditions will require confirmation by well-controlled clinical trials. > C) In patients with Alzheimer’s dementia, studies to date have not provided convincing evidence that piracetam alone or in combination with lecithin or choline is consistently effective in improving cognition or memory function. However, larger, well-controlled studies employing rigid diagnostic criteria are needed. Newer “nootropic” agents (ie, oxiracetam, aniracetam, etiracetam, pramiracetam) are reportedly more potent and more effective than piracetam with regard to learning and memory effects. These agents should also be investigated further in Alzheimer’s patients. > > MECHANISM OF ACTION > > 1. Piracetam (2-oxo-1-pyrrolidine acetamide) is a “nootropic” agent. > 2. Specific actions of the nootropic agents, and the mechanisms involved, are poorly defined. Even exact definitions have been elusive. Some investigators have defined nootropics as “metabolic enhancers” with others suggesting that these agents “selectively improve the efficiency of higher telencephalic integrative activities (of the brain)” (Tacconi & Wurtman, 1986; Klawans & Genovese, 1986; Goodnick & Gershon, 1984; Smith et al, 1984). Overall, the primary actions of these drugs are to improve learning and memory (Nicholson, 1990). > 3. The entire class of nootropics were derived from studies with piracetam (Klawans & Genovese, 1986). Other nootropic agents under investigation include oxiracetam, aniracetam, etiracetam, pramiracetam, tenilsetam, suloctidil, and tamitinol; many of these agents are reportedly more potent and more effective than piracetam with regard to learning and memory effects (Nicholson, 1990; Klawans & Genovese, 1986). > 4. Piracetam is a cyclic gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) derivative, and was first developed in a mechanism-based approach to discover novel hypnotic agents (Nicholson, 1989). The drug has since been demonstrated to lack both hypnotic activity and GABA-ergic effects. Animal studies have reported the ability of piracetam to facilitate learning and retrieval of acquired information, improve interhemispheric information transfer through the corpus callosum, and protect the brain against physical and chemical injuries, including hypoxia-induced retrograde amnesia (Nicholson, 1989; Nicholson, 1990; Branconnier, 1983). The drug has been shown to lack sedative, analeptic, analgesic, neuroleptic, or tranquilizing properties (Klawans & Genovese, 1986; Branconnier, 1983). > 5. Under both normal and hypoxic conditions, piracetam has been reported to increase levels of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in the brain by stimulating transformation of ADP to ATP (Branconnier, 1983), and this has been suggested as a potential mechanism to explain some of the reported beneficial effects (Branconnier, 1983; Nicholson, 1990). An effect of piracetam on cholinergic transmission (enhancement of acetylcholine release) may also be contributory (Nicholson, 1989; Nicholson, 1990). Enhancement of dopamine release has been reported, which may be involved in beneficial effects on memory formation (Nicholson, 1990). > 6. Piracetam appears to have antimyoclonic properties (Obeso et al, 1986; Obeso et al, 1988). Micromedex I’m not gonna start taking it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Emerald\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Emerald\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emerald_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2005, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/piracetam-wonder-drug-or-snake-oil/337435/5 "2005-12-28T17:01:02Z")
The only bit I have to add is that, here in the United States, it has not received FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approval. In fact, one article published by the FDA had [this to say](http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/CONSUMER/CON00207.html) about amino acid based drugs including piracetam (Nootropil): > [@](#): > > But, like cure-alls of the past, no scientific evidence exists to show that “smart” drugs and “smart” drinks work. The article also warns about possible side effects when using Priracetam in particular: > [@](#): > > Piracetam and Hydergine can cause insomnia, nausea and other gastrointestinal distress, and headaches. Then again, it is from way back in 1993. ---
**Author:** ![Testy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@Testy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Testy)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2005, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/piracetam-wonder-drug-or-snake-oil/337435/6 "2005-12-28T17:19:13Z")
> [@Emerald Hawk](#): > > The only bit I have to add is that, here in the United States, it has not received FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approval. In fact, one article published by the FDA had [this to say](http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/CONSUMER/CON00207.html) about amino acid based drugs including piracetam (Nootropil): The article also warns about possible side effects when using Priracetam in particular: Then again, it is from way back in 1993. Well, I’m not sure if keeping me awake would count as insomnia or just what. Whatever it does, it isn’t drastic and is certainly not any kind of amphetamine-ish effect. I think I’ll finish the box and if nothing happens by then I’ll just drop it. I don’t have any of the disorders it might work against and really can’t think why I bought it except that it seemed a good idea at the time. Thanks. Testy. ---
**Author:** ![Testy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c37758/32.png) [@Testy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Testy)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2005, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/piracetam-wonder-drug-or-snake-oil/337435/7 "2005-12-29T06:31:01Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#): > > Here’s the mainstream medical community’s take on it: > > Micromedex > I’m not gonna start taking it. 🙂 **QtM** Thanks for the info and apologies for taking so long to respond. Out of curiousity, has anything like this _ever_ been shown to work? Selling nootropics seems to be a substantial industry but I’ve never been able to locate one that actually does anything in a double-blind trial. Regards and thanks again Testy