My Experience With Piracetam
You may have heard of this nootropic drug. According to the
claims on the jar of it that I recently purchased, it is supposed
to support memory and concentration as well as reduce stress
and fatigue. These claims have not all been proven, but there
have been studies done on this substance. Wikipedia cites studies
that show it increases blood flow and oxygen to the brain and
enhances cognition and memory among other effects.
A double blind study reported in the journal Psychopharmacology
as far back as 1976 found that piracetam significantly increased
verbal learning and memory in college students after two weeks
of daily supplementation. Interestingly, the effects did not
show up after only a week. This seems to be contradicted by the
anecdotal reports I have read online by users, who often get
immediate effects.
A meta-analysis of nineteen double blind, placebo controlled
studies, reported in In the journal Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive
Disorders, found that older subjects with cognitive impairment
(all of the subjects of these studies were older patients suffering
from cognitive impairment) had "clinically meaningful improvement"
from using piracetam.
I am sure that more studies will be done, and at the moment
piracetam is unregulated in the United States, so we get to do
our own experimentation. Although I haven't heard or read about
any side effects nastier than a headache, I am not recommending
that you try taking this nootropic. Nonetheless, I though it
worth reporting on my own experience with powdered piracetam.
I bought a little plastic bucket of the powder (500 grams)
for under $60 online, and after leaving it in my cupboard for
months, I finally decided to try it. I put about 1500 milligrams
in a little water and drank it. It is extremely bitter, which
is not a big deal - I just washed the taste away with a sip of
orange juice. Then I went to work. I wrote 12 articles in the
following few hours - more than I normally write in a day.
Two days later I decided to use it to help me with some blog
posts I needed to write. I use these posts to promote our various
websites and it is sometimes difficult to get a reader interested
and sum up a point in 150 words or less. I have written as many
as 30 or so in a day before. I took about 1500 milligrams of
piracetam and went to work.
I wrote 110 posts in two sessions totaling about six hours.
I didn't get "stuck" on some like I often do (not knowing
what to say on a topic), and I averaged about 120 words each.
I'm not sure if I have ever written 13,000 words in a day - and
I reviewed and spell checked it all. It seems that Piracetam
may help with focus, and may even prevent mental fatigue.
It's only anecdotal evidence, but interesting. I'll certainly
be using the powder again when I have projects which require
hours of concentration. I might try daily use for two weeks,
as in the experiment with the college students. If so, I'll report
on it in The Mind Power Report. I was introduced to piracetam
by a friend, and if he gets back to me about his experiences,
I may report on that as well.
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