How fast does pramiracetam reach peak concentrations in the blood?
In the plasma of healthy humans, the max concentration of pramiracetam was reached 2-3h after administration [5]. Larger doses (1200, 1600mg) took longer to reach peak concentrations than smaller doses (400, 800mg).
What is the half-life of pramiracetam?
In healthy humans, it is 4.5-6.5h [8].
Should you use pramiracetam?
One thing that is certain about the effects of pramiracetam is that we know relatively little about them.
There is a lack of high-quality research, especially in healthy humans.
Because of the lack of research on pramiracetam, we never recommend that people use it.
If you have already decided to use it, here are some guidelines to maximize the benefits and minimize the risks.
How much and how often should you use pramiracetam?
It has been found in one human study and several animal studies [6][2] that a U-shaped dose-response curve exists for pramiracetam. This means that too little or too much will likely lead to worse cognitive performance compared with the optimal dose.
So what is the optimal dose of pramiracetam?
In human studies, doses between 400 and 1200mg have been used. It is usually taken daily.
Anecdotal reports from self-experimenters posting how they use it on the web tend to be around the same doses used in studies.
Which route of administration is best for pramiracetam?
Many people report negative experiences, both safety-wise and taste-wise, from sublingual dosing of pramiracetam. Oral use of capsules is the safest, most studied, and most practical route of administration for pramiracetam.
What substances may stack well with pramiracetam?
There's no high-quality research on the effects of combining pramiracetam with other substances, such as nootropic drugs or supplements. The safety and efficacy of the below-listed combinations are supported only by anecdotal reports.
People tend to report better effects from pramiracetam when they also use:
- Choline sources, such as Alpha-GPC, Choline Bitartrate, or CDP- Choline
- Theanine
- Caffeine
- Methylliberine
Before combining any drugs or supplements, talk with your trusted medical professional about the risks involved.
What is a racetam?
Pramiracetam is a nootropic in the racetam family of compounds.
All racetams are similar in chemical structure but different in nootropic effects.
Other racetam compounds that are used by some self-experimenters for cognitive enhancement include:
- Piracetam
- Oxiracetam
- Nefiracetam
- Phenylpiracetam
- Omberacetam, also known as Noopept (sometimes classified as a racetam, sometimes not)
- Coluracetam
- Fasoracetam
- Aniracetam
How does pramiracetam work?
Pramiracetam administration resulted in a significant increase in high‐affinity choline uptake (HACU) in cells from a rat hippocampus [12]. Coluracetam also increases HACU. An increased rate of HACU is hypothesized by some researchers to result in improved memory formation and recall.
There is also some animal evidence for the effectiveness of pramiracetam in preserving cerebral blood flow in chemically induced impaired CBF [13].
Pramiracetam exerts cholinergic activity in the rat brain [14].
Pramiracetam seems to not affect many of the other major neurotransmitters in the central nervous system [15].
The neuropsychopharmacological effects of pramiracetam have not yet been fully discovered by researchers.
Is pramiracetam found in food?
No. Pramiracetam is a man-made synthetic compound that is not naturally found in any food.
Is pramiracetam a stimulant?
Pramiracetam is often described as a mental energy booster by people who use it to improve their productivity. Many people report stimulating effects, especially from high doses of the substance, but there's little scientific research to confirm that it is a stimulant.
Will pramiracetam get you high?
While some users report strong stimulating effects with pramiracetam, most describe these effects as subtle and in almost all cases performance-enhancing as opposed to the usual performance-impairing effects of a "high" that you might get from certain psychoactive drugs.
No research has been conducted to answer the question of whether pramiracetam induces a high.
How does it feel when you take pramiracetam?
The following qualitative user experience reports and reviews are included to give you an understanding of what the experience of taking pramiracetam is like.
Anecdotal pramiracetam experience reports and reviews from Reddit
One redditor said the following:
"Pramiracetam provides me with a clearly tangible cognitive boost that I can verify through both subjective experience and empirically through improved performance. Time almost seems to pass at a slower rate on Pramiracetam, it is almost as if I am able to think at a higher speed within a shorter period of time. I have experienced higher productivity at work, both on in terms of being able to more quickly deal with tedious tasks and to produce higher quality material in more mentally intensive projects.
Now for the bad/weird:
- Pramiracetam tastes absolutely horrible
- It tears up my stomach if I don't consume food with it.
- I have a greater propensity to employ words on the frontiers of my mastered vocabulary, which can occasionally lead me to either misuse a word or sound like a pretentious dick for using "big words" regardless of the context.
- I often find myself attempting to create new words on Pramiracetam. The most common manifestation of this is my tendency on Pram of converting words into a non-standard english adverb form in both text and speech.
- I feel incredibly robotic and logical, which can often be a bad thing in social situations." [16]
Another person said:
"Pramiracetam is amazing. I think my IQ on it increases up to 10 points" [17]
And yet another person said the following:
"I find it excels at increasing focus - and DEPTH of focus - for 2 to 3 hours. It is useful when preparing for exams or writing a research paper or typing up lengthy lab reports, etc. Unlike every other nootropic I have tried I would never take pramiracetam and go into public. I find it grants a very slight depersonalization effect and I have no desire to talk to or deal with people in any social context." [18]
Three people had no or negative effects from pramiracetam [19].
Another person on Reddit reported the following experience:
"The first day I took 50mg at 7am and whet to work. I felt nothing discernible but noticed a few things. One, I was staring down others and holding eye contract some times excessively until they broke away first. I'm not very alpha and they subconsciously waited for me to break first. When it does not happen, I could see the self doubt immediately in the other person. The next day, one person went out of his way to great me in a way that did not require him to linger so as to avoid the situation. Also, I was driven to get things done, not that I felt anything perceivable, I just did not mess around at all. [...] A coworker asked me about some complex business rules, he typically is better at this type of things, I was able to explain a very complex set of rules and consequences without hesitation as my mind could easily grasps all the conditions and hold them at once. I was also able to recall all the numeric names of the tasks I was working on which can be a challenge normally. So without question I experienced enhanced cognitive ability." [20]
Several people reported emotional dulling during the same day that they used pramiracetam [21].
Anecdotal pramiracetam experience reports and reviews from YouTube
One person reported emotional suppression and increased subjective discipline, as well as improved memory [22].
Another pramiracetam user reported increased cognitive functioning, speed of processing, working memory, and ability to "get things done" [23].
