Like most smart drugs in the racetam family, pramiracetam is known to improve memory formation and learning ability [1]. In contrast with some of the other racetams, pramiracetam has been tested on healthy adults instead of merely focusing on elderly who are already losing their cognitive abilities. Specifically, pramiracetam helps to develop long-term memory in these trials [2]. Perhaps best of all, pramiracetam is a neuroprotective agent [3].
Also Known As
CI-879, Diisoprop-yl-(2-oxopyrrolidin-1-yl)acetamide, CI879
Pramiracetam Benefits
If you have ever been in a work or personal situation where you had words, thoughts, or an answer on the tip of your tongue, but couldn’t remember, welcome to the human race. Just about every human has had this experience forgetting things.
Most commonly reported benefits of Pramiracetam are
– Significantly Improves Focus and Alertness: typically users report that taking pramiracetam gives them strong feelings of mental alertness, focus, rapid idea formation, and clear thinking.
– Enhances Long-Term Memory Formation and Repair: in limited clinical trials, pramiracetam has been shown to be an effective treatment for memory loss and other cognitive problems caused by brain injuries.
– Shown to Improve Cognitive Performance: most users report significant improvement in memory formation and speed of recall, a claim that has been corroborated by animal studies.
– Improved Sensory Perception: users often report enhanced or improved sensory perceptions, including amplified and richer sound and clearer and more vivid visual perception with greater color contrast.
This supplement should definitely not be the first nootropic or Racetam that you take. It is simply too powerful and not intended for first-time or one-off users. Consider the fact that, despite there being tons of evidence for some really incredible benefits, it is impossible to predict ahead of time exactly how this nootropic will work for you. As one author wrote, “Taking Pramiracetam without already having experience with other Racetams is a bit like learning to drive in a Ferrari.” **
Here are other interesting things for you to consider:
- It has a very pungent flavor that most people find extremely unpleasant.
- Often, it is portrayed as being able to reduce “mental road-blocks” which would make it a true learning supplement.
- Because pramiracetam has such high potency it is generally advisable to use it on its own for a trial period before combining it with other nootropics.
- Cognitive ability in youth who experienced brain trauma is improved with prolonged usage of pramiracetam
- Appears to decrease the influence of amnesiac drugs (scopolamine), and is effective when loaded over a few days rather than relying on acute administration
- Although the evidence is fairly limited in both older subjects and youth with brain injuries, pramiracetam does appear to have nootropic potential after oral ingestion of the standard supplemental dosages.
- There is currently no evidence to support the usage of pramiracetam in reducing symptoms or pathology of Alzheimer's disease
- In individuals who are hyper-sensitive to substances who took high doses experienced headache, fatigue, insomnia, nervousness, gastrointestinal distress
- Because it creates a very strong feeling of focus along with a certain amount of emotional blunting, it is often compared to Ritalin.
- Unlike piracetam, Noopept and many other popular nootropics, pramiracetam is fat soluble rather than water soluble, which means it is absorbed into the bloodstream via fatty acids.
- Stacking pramiracetam with a powerful anti-anxiety agent like aniracetam can give users heightened focus and concentration while improving mood and reducing feelings of mental strain and anxiety.
- It reaches peak concentrations and maximum bioavailability relatively quickly, generally within 30 minutes, and it has a moderately long half-life of 4-6 hours.
- Researchers have hypothesized that in addition to its action in the brain, pramiracetam acts outside the brain in peripheral sites that rely on the adrenal glands.
- Pramiracetam is non-addictive and no significant adverse effects of long-term use have been documented.
- Unlike many other racetam class nootropics, pramiracetam doesn’t appear to strongly alter either wakefulness or emotional states.
- Compared to most other nootropics, users find the effects most similar to oxiracetam overall.
- Due to the lack of sufficient scientific studies, recommendations on the most effective daily dose vary considerably.
- The fact that it is fat rather than water soluble means that mixing the powder with water is difficult
- Pramiracetam works well on its own, but one of its most interesting aspects is that it appears to be a powerful potentiator for other nootropics.
- It isn’t generally possible to find pramiracetam in brick-and-mortal stores but it is available from some specialty online stores that carry nootropics.
- Because it’s more complicated to synthesize it’s generally higher in price than other racetams.
Pramiracetam studies suggest one of the main benefits is for decreasing forgetfulness [4]. While this might look similar to improving memory (just two sides of the same coin?), in fact this has a completely different meaning. In this study, the participants were given a chemical called scopolamine, which induces amnesia in order to test the efficacy of a drug.
In this case, the pramiracetam benefit was clear: even when a “forgetfulness” agent was given to subjects, they still managed to remember at a similar rate as before. This neuroprotective benefit of pramiracetam helps the elderly, but healthy adults can see benefits to.
One major study looked at youth cognitive ability and concluded that amongst those with brain trauma, pramiracetam was able to improve cognitive abilities (such as learning) [5]. Given that brain trauma often comes in the form of athletic events, dehydration, lack of sleep, or substance abuse, there is a high percentage of people that could use the benefits of pramiracetam to reverse these trends.
- References (Click to Expand)
How Does Pramiracetam Work?
Pramiracetam might be newer than many of the other neuro enhancers in the family, but that doesn’t mean it is poorly researched. Developed first in 1984 [6], pramiracetam has many potential mechanisms of action (i.e: how pramiracetam works) similar to that of the others in this family.
One major way pramiracetam works is by altering brain wave function in order to help improve cognitive abilities [7]. Pramiracetam is also able to improve memory formation and learning through a process called high-affinity choline uptake (HACU) [8]. This is a fancy way of saying pramiracetam helps produce more brain chemicals that aid in memory. Because of the slight change in the chemical structure of this drug, there are quite large changes to the efficacy.
If you’re wondering “how does pramiracetam work compared to piracetam?” the answer is: better. At least in some regards (such as amnesia / brain trauma), pramiracetam is more potent than piracetam [9].
Not to worry if some of this material is confusing. Just know that there are slightly different ways pramiracetam can help improve your brain health, but many are similar as the parent racetam drugs.
Pramiracetam Side Effects
Ah yes, what are the downsides of pramiracetam? Beyond the horrid taste, pramiracetam side effects might include burning and irritation within your throat and esophagus. Even though it is not life threatening, it is an extremely uncomfortable side effect of pramiracetam.
Other than the taste and accompanying burning, the side effects of pramiracetam are somewhat similar to that of racetams in general. This includes a headache if your brain chemistry is running low on choline. While this is not a confirmed or researched phenomenon, it is one that community members often remark on.
Additionally, you might find pramiracetam causes nausea, irritability, or insomnia if you take it too late in the day. Because pramiracetam is somewhat stimulating, it might keep you up at night!
Pramiracetam Dosage
Like any nootropic, the pramiracetam dosage will vary from person to person. It is suggested that you take 300 mg twice per day (600 mg total), but recommendation ranges go all the way up to 1200 mg per day.
There are no human trials that point to 1200 mg as the optimal dosage, but it is probably better to start at the lower end and move upward as you see fit and it works well with your brain chemistry.
How and Where to Buy Pramiracetam
As we have made clear in other sections of this article, pramiracetam is an effective and researched nootropic, but not one you’d like to consume in powder form. Make sure you buy pramiracetam powder only in the last / worst case scenario. For every other pramiracetam purchase, ensure you are getting capsules instead.
Pramiracetam capsules are far more convenient for adding into your nootropic stack and they will reduce the chances of inconvenient side effects, which plague most people who utilize the bulk pramiracetam powder.
Beyond the pramiracetam powder vs. capsules debate, this is another racetam product, which is unregulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Because it is unregulated, it is up to the vendors to provide adequate support and safety precautions. To that end, it is best to purchase pramiracetam from vendors who are willing to share information regarding the quality of their ingredients, such as PureNootropics. PureNootropics is our recomended source to buy pramiracetam.
Namely, you’d be well off focusing on two main things:
- Assay
- Heavy metals
Both of these will give you peace of mind and prevent some of the ill-health effects that have plagued other members of the nootropics community.
Selected Community Experiences
“Took some of the Pramiracetam this morning, my first taste of a nootropic outside of 5-HTP. It was the worst tasting shit I ever tasted, it tasted like toxic waste, but I liked that because I knew it must be some potent stuff…My brain never has worked this well. I was super focused…It was like that feeling you get when you are in that state at a party where you can do no wrong and have complete trust in your faculties and you are the fucking man- the life of the party. There was hardly any background noise. Thoughts were clearer” [10]. – Lurkin_Dirty
“So far, I'm satisfied, especially with the Pramiracetam capsules. I heard that they were fat-soluble so I learned to take said capsules with Multi-Grain bread laced with Omega-3 fatty acids. As much as I feel a boost in clarity, I feel as if I want to tackle so many things at once but can't seem to decide on what to tackle. I did work on two critical abstracts for one of my history classes back to back, and I'm eager to start on this essay for another class. I find pramiracetam to be very powerful, and I want to look into getting some choline to enhance the effects.” [11] – WhitePhantom77
“took the pramiracetam during the day for classes, then started drinking about four hours later. My tolerance was GONE, lowered even. Just a word of advice.” [12] – Flamewall26
Author's Thoughts on Pramiracetam
Do NOT buy the powder. Just don’t do it. It tastes so bad, it must be good! Given that most people believe it tastes like fish scales, it is worthwhile to buy pramiracetam capsules as opposed to raw powder. Your tongue will thank us and if you don’t believe it, check out the Selected Community Experiences below.
If for some reason you end up with the powder, do your very best to combine it with others and shove it down your gullet quickly.
The effects are actually pretty nice. You’ll find that it is more stimulating than aniracetam or oxiracetam and is not as much as phenylpiracetam. Somewhat of a happy medium between the two and is great for both cognitive function / clarity and concentration. I’ve been mostly impressed with pramiracetam, but I would recommend not making the mistake of buying powder.
The capsules are only a bit more expensive, but believe me they will be well worth the added expenditure. Not all nootropics taste poorly (in fact, many of the racetams taste sweet), but this is the ugly step-child of racetams flavor-wise.
Mansal Denton, Nootropedia Contributor
- References (Click to Expand)
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- h//www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6716406
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- //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4043326
- //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2987637
- //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6716406
- //www.reddit.com/r/Nootropics/comments/1e26u3/success_story_had_my_first_experience_with/
- //www.reddit.com/r/Nootropics/comments/38y40k/my_personal_experience_with_pramiracetam_so_far/
- //www.reddit.com/r/Nootropics/comments/p1c2v/pramiracetam_and_alcohol_not_even_once/
- Other Scientific Resources (Click to Expand)
- //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21202668
- //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3088666
- //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6716406
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- //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4008675
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- //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1688280
- //onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ddr.430030503/abstract
- //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2137359
- //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3427459
- //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1410129
- //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4065299
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- //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3786350
- //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2765166
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- //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18653001
- //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1786500
- //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15374306
- //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2011259
- //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8557218
I’ve had a great experience with pramiracetam, but you are dead on when you recommend capsules. The taste of pram without capsules is just terrible
I can’t even tell you how bad it was the first time I did it. Just horrendous.
I just ordered this I hope its effects really work on my memory and cognition. Piracetam used to do the trick about 10 years ago but it stopped working.