Noopept

Last updated: June 11, 2018

Summary

Often confused as part of the racetam family, noopept is a unique nootropic peptide that was developed in Russia to treat age-related cognitive decline. Today, it is used by elderly and young nootropic enthusiasts alike and has become one of the most potent and popular smart drugs currently in use.

Also Known As

N-phenylacetyl-L-prolylglycine ethyl ester, Noopeptide, Ноопепт, GVS-111

Editors’ Thoughts on Noopept

I can see why people think noopept is similar to piracetam given the sensation and results. From what I’ve read, it was created to imitate piracetam (among other things), so there is no surprise there.

The potency of noopept is quite a useful tool (even at a low dose of 10 mg) especially when I don’t have the time or patience to consume grams and grams of powder. I prefer to use noopept with a sublingual dropper, which makes for easy administration throughout the day that I use it.

Noopept has helped with focus somewhat, but primarily it is a mood enhancer and helps with creativity in my experience. Unless I use it at higher doses, there is no improved concentration or anything similar.

For people who have already tried piracetam and others, noopept is a good secondary foray. It is what I would consider an “intermediate” nootropic, but I think it is pretty valuable.

Mansal Denton, Nootropedia Editor

Benefits of Noopept

Despite noopept’s purpose to improve memory and prevent cognitive decline, one of the main benefits of noopept is anti-anxiety and mood enhancement. A study concluded that noopept was more effective than piracetam as an anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) and helped with feelings of irritability [4]. Even further, noopept has been implicated in reducing depression [5], which might make it a useful (and safer) option than other currently prescribed options. This hasn’t been thoroughly tested, however.

Beyond mood enhancement, there are many benefits of noopept. Primary among these is memory enhancement through brain chemicals called NGF and BDNF [6]. These brain chemicals help act as fertilizer for the brain to create new connections and memories.

Many of these same properties make noopept beneficial for preventing cognitive decline. In countries like Russia, the drug is used as a prescription to treat Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and age related cognitive decline. One of the primary mechanisms (beyond NGF and BDNF) are benefits for acetylcholine processes [7].

Another benefit of noopept is how well-tolerated the drug is despite high potency. You can take a strong and impactful smart drug while still feeling safe.

Finally, this drug can be a powerful psychostimulant (concentration / focus enhancer) as well. There is some evidence noopept excites neurons [8], but more research is needed to confirm this as a main benefit of noopept.

Noopept Benefits and Research

We would be remiss without mentioning that many of the noopept benefits come from studies, which are hard to extrapolate for the common healthy adult. For example, many of the noopept benefits we have described in the section above are related to the existing scientific literature on the subject. Unfortunately, there are few companies that have the money to invest in research to uncover all of the potential noopept benefits because it is a nootropic that cannot be patented any longer.

This means that we must do our best with the information that we are given and the anecdotal evidence that we have from communities like Reddit and Longecity. Many of the noopept review articles provide insights about what the drug does for health individuals.

How Does Noopept Work?

Noopept is a synthetic molecule, derived in 1996, in order to prevent cognitive decline in elderly. One “mechanism of action” (how noopept works) is by improving alpha brain wave function in adults [9]. By improving alpha brain wave function, the user is more likely to remember facts, figures, and patterns. Noopept supports cognitive function by also improving specific brain chemicals as we have mentioned above.

The BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) chemical is responsible for forming memories and learning ability. While you may not feel any differences from having more BDNF, it is assuredly how the memory enhancement of noopept can help you.

Finally, noopept is a potent anxiolytic that helps reduce irritability and stress. The way noopept manages to do this is through an “increase of tonic inhibition in the hippocampus” [10]. Unless you deeply desire to understand what this nootropic is doing in your brain, there is no need to understand this highly scientific phrase.

Is Noopept a Racetam?

Another common point of confusion is whether noopept is a racetam. Because the properties and effects are similar (and comparisons have been made in scientific literature), there is some confusion about the provenance of the drug. This synthetic smart drug was created with the structure of piracetam in mind, but it is actually an unrelated dipeptide.

Side Effects of Noopept

Given the potency of noopept compared to other nootropics (particularly piracetam), there are actually relatively few side effects. Some people record side effects of noopept as irritability, nausea, and anxiety. Others find that noopept creates a sense of insomnia if taken too late at night.

Although the anecdotes from communities like Reddit and Longecity are valuable, the scientific literature shows almost no noopept side effects. In fact, most of the research has no mention of noopept side effects at all and the toxicity issues were not problematic. The lack of noopept side effects is one of the main reasons why the drug was approved for use in medical settings.

In general, noopept is considered well-tolerated even with a direct comparison of piracetam. Researchers took equitable doses of noopept and piracetam (measured by their effect on cognition) and saw 1.8 times less side effects associated with noopept than piracetam.

Noopept Dosage

Standard doses of noopept are between 10 – 30 mg per day depending on age, cognitive decline, and goals. Many healthy adults who use noopept for cognitive enhancement purposes find a dosage of 10 mg three times per day to be the most effective start point.

The noopept dosage recommendations will depend highly upon desired goals and outcomes. For someone seeking stimulation, a higher noopept dosage fewer times per day might be more effective. Someone who is seeking long-term benefits might utilize a noopept dosage that is more frequent.

Studies of noopept often use within this range with 20 mg being a common number. Thus far, research only looks at noopept dosage in increments less than 60 days, which means long-term use data is not available.

One popular way to consume noopept is through sublingual solutions. This can be done at home through volumetric measuring and helps to bypass first-pass metabolism in your intestinal tract while supporting more potency. A noopept sublingual solution can be an effective way to get the most out of this nootropic even if it costs slightly more for this type of product.

A Common Noopept Stack

The noopept effects are quite strong according to the research, but there are ways to increase the efficacy of the drug even further. Many of the scientific studies (rightly) focused on the noopept effects alone, but there are anecdotal reports of various stacks that may be beneficial for cognitive performance.

Similar to the racetam family (which is a cholinergic compound interacting with the acetylcholine neurotransmitter), adding noopept to a few choice nootropics can make a big difference.

Noopept Choline Stack – combining noopept with a choline source seems to be synergistic in some people. Because choline sources (such as CDP choline) provide raw choline, the noopept can increase utilization and uptake into parts of the brain where memory enhancement is taking place.

The combination can be with alpha gpc and noopept or the choline source mentioned above. Some even mention positive effects using a new cholinergic called centrophenoxine alongside noopept.

Noopept and Racetam Stack – in addition to choline sources, there are ways to combine noopept with racetams to good use. Even though they sometimes get clumped together, these drugs are different and operate in different ways. Besides piracetam, it can be helpful to combine noopept with aniracetam, oxiracetam, and even some of the more experimental options like phenylpiracetam and coluracetam.

Noopept and Unique Blends – there are some unique blends that already include noopept (the early version of Qualia did), but most will stay away as it is not an FDA regulated compound. It's possible to combine noopept with other unique blends like Mind Lab Pro or Alpha Brain considering both of these have cholinergics and are not highly stimulating.

Noopept and Natural Nootropics – noopept is a synthetic peptide and adding natural nootropics like bacopa and pycnogenol (pine bark extract) can help with memory retention and learning. Other natural options include Ayurvedic anxiety supplement ashwagandha, holy basil, and gotu kola. Some people enjoy tongkat ali as a natural (but powerful) nootropic and alongside noopept there doesn't seem to be any issues from anecdotal perspectives. Keep in mind that none of these stacking ingredients have been tested with scientific rigor.

How and Where to Buy Noopept

This drug is ubiquitous in the nootropics community. As an intermediate / beginner nootropic, it is easy to find noopept for sale. Unfortunately, like many other nootropic compounds, it is not regulated by national (or international) agencies. This means there is less strict laws and regulations, which is beneficial in some ways, but requires self-regulation.

To achieve peace of mind when you buy noopept online, it is useful to look for vendors that have a solid reputation and back that up with facts and figures. This is often done in the form of testing their products and providing customers with results (such as assay tests for purity or heavy metals for harmful additives).

When wondering where to buy noopept, consider the online portals that have the most evidence and support. Nootropedia recommends Pure Nootropics noopept because the owner has a full array of testing and analysis (including third party verification). Also, the brand has produced their own sublingual noopept solution, which tastes okay and helps improve efficacy of the drug.

Selected Community Experiences

“To summarize, the closest substance to NZT-48. The people in my life are nothing short of shocked. In mbti terms, my personality changed from an INTP in a manic depressive state to a healthy ENTP. Best way to describe it.. I feel the way I should feel.” [11] – stoicjoker

“I drank eight beers and two generous glasses of Maker's Mark over the course of five hours while watching a couple movies and hanging out with my girlfriend. I'm no stranger to drinking for fun, and I know my limits. This was well beyond them, and yet I felt none of the fuzziness or lack of focus I usually feel when drinking heavily.” [12] – dubyrunning

“I have definitely noticed improvements in language skills as well as my ability and willingness to empathize with people, especially people I don't know. I have also noticed an increase in my ability to be mindful about my own thoughts and feelings. I am less likely to follow any particular emotion down its path without first considering where that path begins and ends.” [13]- Pixeleyes

Noopept Review Online

As with any other nootropic drug, the noopept review you read from an individual is going to be in stark contrast to the rigid scientific studies found in the NCBI database. That being said, a noopept review in the online communities still has value.

Most of the research is done on disease patients or animals rather than healthy adults looking to improve their cognitive performance. Although the scientists who manage studies pay more attention to detail and the scientific process, you have more in common with the noopept review online than you do with the Alzheimer's sufferers who are part of the study. For that reason, the selected community experiences above are important markers for your decision to buy noopept or not.

References (Click to Expand)

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Editors’ Thoughts on Noopept