24 replies to this topic

[impdaddee]

I started my little experiment with piracetam near the beginning of September, so three months have passed, and I've had time to observe its initial and on-going effects. For those with a voyeuristic bent, for those wishing to compare their own experience with someone else's, for those considering tinkering with their neurotransmitters and supporting wetware for the first time, or for those merely bored and curious, I've jotted down a few observations for your idle entertainment.

Me?

Male, early 50s, no ADHD or ADD or other cognitive kinks, no major psychosocial challenges, a rather high but not an OMG!-freaky-high IQ, multiple university degrees, and a job requiring constant mental exercise (I'm a reference and research librarian). Healthy so far, and about 90 kg. Currently, exercise is a brisk 25 minute walk to, and from work, and lots of prostrations during my ngondro practice. A long-time practitioner of shamata, vipassana, and other Buddhist meditation techniques. A total homosexual. Left-handed. Get between 8-9 hours sleep a night. No notable decline of cognitive faculties (yet). Content, or about as content as a smart, well-educated, and successful professional can expect to be in today's mad world.

Why experiment with piracetam (and, hopefully, other nootropics)?

Errr...why not? I'm a grown-up.

My "youthful" experiments with alcohol, pot, LSD, shrooms, and cocaine were very moderate and didn't begin until my late 20s...by which time my brain had settled down into, ahem, "comfortable middle age". I had no bad experiences, and no addictions came of them. Pot even took the uncomfortably sharp edge off a razor-keen memory that was proving to be more of a social liability than a personal asset.

How'd I do it?

First, I read a lot to familiarize myself with the territory.

I started with an attack dose of 2400 mg piracetam morning, noon, and afternoon (total 7200 mg/day) plus 1000 mg of alpha-gpc in the morning. This for three days, then a drop in piracetam to 1800 mg/dose (x3 = 5400 mg/day) for another three days, and a further reduction to 1200 for another three days (x3 = 3600 mg/day), finishing with a on-going, maintenance dose of 600 mg three times daily (1800 mg/day). I dropped the alpha-gpc to just 250 mg in the morning after the first couple of days, as it seemed to boost my libido a bit more than I appreciated. No headaches at all.

Related to, but not part of the experiment—I also take 4.5 gm/day fish oil, a B-complex, CoQ10 and reservatrol, 4 gm vitamin C, 4000 IU vitamin D, 81 mg ASA, and a multivitamin.

The effects?

The attack phase was very exciting, with a noticeable boost in my perceptual field within one hour: colour saturation up... sound perception up... the whole sensorium turned up a notch or two. There was also a background elation/euphoria, almost as if I were expecting something amazing to happen at any second. (It didn't.) I'm not keen on feeling drugged unless I deliberately want to feel drugged, so the initial, non-stop ZOOM!!! was annoying, and I was happy reducing the dose to an almost subliminal level. I want to feel like I'm me...not like I'm a piracetam side-effect. And, frankly, the cautionary example of at least one former poster who gobbled it like candy has made me conscious of the seductions of hypomania. I don't want to feel like I'm a superior being (at least no more so than I am already prone to do).

At 1800 mg/day my perceptions are still subtly cranked, but not distracting so, save for the red taillights of vehicles at night. That particular spectral range seems supercharged. Sensitivity to the human vocal range is up, to the point that voices on the telephone are almost painfully loud. Taste and smell seem unaffected, as is touch...with one (major?) exception: there's a tiny, tiny bit of orgasmic anhedonia. It's barely noticeable, but unmistakeable.

My mood is relatively unaffected, maybe lighter, with a slight increase in my ambient sense of humour... not quite like smoking a joint, but not unlike it either. Again, subtle. Laughter comes more easily.

The most unsubtle effects have been aesthetic. The range of men I find attractive has exploded ridiculously, absurdly. The effect is not at all unpleasant, just bemusing. This extends beyond to the whole environment, which is somehow more "painterly" to my eye. Maybe a result of increased communication between the brain's hemispheres? How far this aesthetic change extends breached my awareness a couple of weeks ago when I looked in the mirror and realized that my body dismorphia had completely vanished (omg...who is that hot man in the mirror...omg it's me).

Music, too, is affected. The beauty of Dead Can Dance has reached points where I'm pulled into an aesthetic trance almost against my will.

Typing speed is up. Verbal fluency is up. Creativity is up, with solutions to persistent issues at work becoming evident using tools that were there all along, but never considered. Physical activity is up (why take the elevator when those stairs are screaming to be used?). Memory has improved, both short- and long-term, but not alarmingly so. (Backstory: I tried 5 mg/day of Aricept a while back, and found it very, very harsh. Memory became insanely acute, to the point that I dared not look at any licence plates lest I remember them all. Very unpleasant. That experiment ended after a couple of weeks.)

Piracetam has been anxiolytic for me, not that I'm anxiety-prone anyhow (I love playing to an audience).

Dreams are a bit more vivid, but not unpleasantly so.

Alcohol now gets me drunker faster, so it's only two beer out with friends instead of three. (Nice way to save money.) Weirdly, my physical coordination doesn't suffer as much even when drunk.

All in all, the effect has been a subtle boost verging on the subliminal, which is exactly what I had hoped for. The effects have "normalized", becoming commonplace and part of my background consciousness, again something had I hoped for, as the thought of permanently feeling WOW!!! creeps me out.

I can see why some people report that the "magic went away". I can't report that yet, but have very little desire to feel like a cognitive wizard every day, in any case.

Ethics?

Tough question. I'm a bad Buddhist (oh well...shrug) as I indulge in occasional intoxication. Does something which increases attention, alertness, creativity, etc. count as an intoxicant? Caffeine, the common nootropic agent of billions, finds its way into the teacup of every Buddhist teacher I've encountered, so there's at least some latitude in the tradition. I haven't figured this one out yet.

Next...?

A reduction in dosage, perhaps. Certainly less in total per day (probably down to 1600 mg from 1800), but split into two 800 mg doses, one morning and one noon-time. I hope this doesn't increase transitory background euphoria too much.

A bag of aniracetam and pramiracetam are sitting on the shelf whispering, "Try me...try me..." I shall, but becoming a know-it-all memory sponge again just doesn't attract me. I would truly hate hyperthymesia, even if pharmacologically induced.

But, all in all, it has been an excellent experience that I see no reason to put the brakes on.

[unregistered_user]

Interesting account of things. Thanks for sharing.

[JChief]

Dead Can Dance eh? Well I just found some different music. Thanks! ha I like all kinds of music but when I think Dance I think this.

[impdaddee]

Dead Can Dance eh? Well I just found some different music. Thanks! ha I like all kinds of music but when I think Dance I think this.

You're welcome! :-) Lisa Gerrard has such a lovely voice and exotic talent.

A little update...

I've eliminated the choline supplement entirely, and, after a week and a half, experienced no headaches, other noticeable side-effects, or any decrease in piracetam's effects.

I've also started test driving aniracetam (450 mg. with breakfast and 450 mg. with lunch). After three days I can characterize its primary subjective effect as "smoothness". Totally smooth focus, almost like chemically enforced shamatha (for those familiar with Buddhist meditation jargon). This "smoothness" has eliminated virtually all traces of piracetam's euphoria, not exactly creating a Spock-y, emotion free state of mind, but smoothing out the rough edges. I'm not unhappy with the effect, nor happy either...just smoothly aware of it (quelle surprise!). More after a couple of months.

[1thoughtMaze1]

So you said Aricept made your memory really good?? How did you get it?

Edited by 1thoughtMaze1, 01 December 2011 - 06:46 AM.

[impdaddee]

So you said Aricept made your memory really good?? How did you get it?

Horrifyingly good. 'Twas like a replay of my super-memory days in university, only far, far worse. Really, it was very unpleasant. (I shit you not.) Not hyperthymesia, but akin enough to understand why the disorder is classed as a disorder.

How did I come by it? Sigh... My mother had to enter long-term care a while back (Alzheimer's). As I closed up her apartment, I found a couple of month's worth that she had simply forgotten to take. She had already started her new prescription in LTC, so didn't need the left-behinds. I should have returned them to the pharmacy of course, but put it off, being lazy. A month or so later I came across them and thought, "What the hell, pourquoi pas?" A couple of weeks later I knew exactly "pouquoi pas". I've got a naturally good memory that was almost eerie in my youth (I never took notes during all my years at university because I remembered/learned everything as soon as I heard it during lectures, or upon reading it once), and the Aricept made all that re-emerge, plus some. It Was Not Pleasant. So, off the remainders went to the pill graveyard at the pharmacy. Of course, mileage may vary! :-)

Memory's a funny thing. We all want a good memory, and that's okay. But what if you remembered every annoying thing your friends did or said? What if you simply couldn't forget every agonizing emotion experienced during a break-up, even years later, but relived it as fresh every time it came to mind? What if you dared not do something as simple as look at a passing car's license plate, because to look is to read and to read is to remember? Horrible and alienating, and the chief reason I'm a titch suspicious of the pramiracetam I've got. The piracetam, great! The aniracetam, I'm still testing cautiously...though reports indicate that it builds for a week or so before it really kicks in.

[hippocampus]

maybe somewhat relevant: problem in PTSD is not that you remember that horrible experience, but that you continuously experience the same horrible emotions. that's why beta blockers are (somewhat) good at treating PTSD - they lower emotional response to the memory - but you don't forget that memory.

[J.B]

That was a great read, thanks for sharing.

Would you recommend maybe a smaller attack dose to start off with?
What you experienced on such a large dose, sounds like it would freak me the hell out.
I've got some on order, can't wait to try it out.

jb

[1thoughtMaze1]

So you said Aricept made your memory really good?? How did you get it?

Horrifyingly good. 'Twas like a replay of my super-memory days in university, only far, far worse. Really, it was very unpleasant. (I shit you not.) Not hyperthymesia, but akin enough to understand why the disorder is classed as a disorder.

How did I come by it? Sigh... My mother had to enter long-term care a while back (Alzheimer's). As I closed up her apartment, I found a couple of month's worth that she had simply forgotten to take. She had already started her new prescription in LTC, so didn't need the left-behinds. I should have returned them to the pharmacy of course, but put it off, being lazy. A month or so later I came across them and thought, "What the hell, pourquoi pas?" A couple of weeks later I knew exactly "pouquoi pas". I've got a naturally good memory that was almost eerie in my youth (I never took notes during all my years at university because I remembered/learned everything as soon as I heard it during lectures, or upon reading it once), and the Aricept made all that re-emerge, plus some. It Was Not Pleasant. So, off the remainders went to the pill graveyard at the pharmacy. Of course, mileage may vary! :-)

Memory's a funny thing. We all want a good memory, and that's okay. But what if you remembered every annoying thing your friends did or said? What if you simply couldn't forget every agonizing emotion experienced during a break-up, even years later, but relived it as fresh every time it came to mind? What if you dared not do something as simple as look at a passing car's license plate, because to look is to read and to read is to remember? Horrible and alienating, and the chief reason I'm a titch suspicious of the pramiracetam I've got. The piracetam, great! The aniracetam, I'm still testing cautiously...though reports indicate that it builds for a week or so before it really kicks in.

Yeah very interesting! That's exactly what I need right now! But how da hell do I get my hands on alzheimers meds?? Damn

[Geoffrey]

I’m curious, impdaddee, as to whether you’ve ever experienced any fatigue associated with such regular Piracetam usage. I’ve been taking -racetams for about the same period as you, maybe a couple of months longer, and when I manage to get some balance or other right, the effect is one of increased focus, faster recall, and increased sensory “gain”, as many have reported.

Unfortunately, fatigue is the main thing stopping me from using Piracetam. I find that after Piracetam has “built up” in my system for about four or five days (it seems to accumulate), subsequently even half a tablet (400mg) induces a state of total “drain” in me, and an overwhelming need to sleep. So much so that I started using it as a sleeping pill, taking it at night. It puts me out like a light. Unfortunately, the next day I feel groggy and tired, so I can’t even use it that way. It actually seems to prevent sleep from refreshing me. Doesn’t matter if I take it with or without choline, still the same effect.

So I switched to Oxiracetam and Aniracetam, in very small doses (a tenth of the doses most people say they’re taking). These don’t have the same tiring/draining effect, though if I accidentally take too much, disorientation sets in which is quite counterproductive. Because of the accumulation effect, getting the right balance is difficult to achieve. When I stop taking them for a period, the effects (increased sensory “gain”, faster recall) last for several days, up to a week, with the intensity coming and going in waves. It’s as if the chemicals are stored somewhere in my body and are released in waves. Clearly my system clears these drugs very slowly.

You experience no problems with dosing at all then, and no side effects other than intensity? And you’ve even managed to give up choline supplementation with no ill effects at all?

[magister]

Thanks for the report.

You have reminded me of some important issues as I start my 5th sojorn into
the nootropishere since my 1st trial in 1995, I am on day 3 of my initial attack
dose of Piracetam. I have already encountered one glance of "oh you think
your so smart", when all I was trying to do was poetically integrate random
connections in an amusing way.

Sometime back in 2004-2006 I had bought a kilo of Piracetam powder and somewhere
along the line simply put it aside. It did loose some of its fizzle although adding some creatine
could bring it back for a few days. The nootropic market really had
moved on to where bulk powders were available, as in the 90's only branded pharmaceuticals
were available and were a bit more difficult to procure. Of course the Internet was in its
infancy back then. Jez the memories are taking me.

Anyhow thinking back to the last time I had reached the zenith in my career as a computer
programmer and this had been my purpose for using the nootropics, so once I was there it
was as if I didn't need them anymore, goal attained. Now I have a different set of goals, first
of all is to pull me out of this ditch I dug myself into. To wake up my mind and get the motivation
and focus I need to start to sort out my personal issues. As these first attack doses hit I am
startled to find that everything I need is right here at hand, I simply didn't realise it or was to
lazy or absent-minded to look around and realise it.

I would say that back in 1995 I did combine Piracetam with LSD and ketamine and for awhile
I felt like I had reached a state of consciousness which put me in situation which I felt that
certain 'agencies' had an interest....I had realised that I had subverted the dominant paradigm
and I had seen the bullshit and the bullshit had set me free.....it all got a bit too hot, and after
stopping the nootropics and going back to hardcore hashish smoking...i once again became
a silly but safe pothead.

Edited by magister, 02 December 2011 - 02:41 PM.

[JChief]

Thanks for the report.

You have reminded me of some important issues as I start my 5th sojorn into
the nootropishere since my 1st trial in 1995, I am on day 3 of my initial attack
dose of Piracetam. I have already encountered one glance of "oh you think
your so smart", when all I was trying to do was poetically integrate random
connections in an amusing way.

Sometime back in 2004-2006 I had bought a kilo of Piracetam powder and somewhere
along the line simply put it aside. It did loose some of its fizzle although adding some creatine
could bring it back for a few days. The nootropic market really had
moved on to where bulk powders were available, as in the 90's only branded pharmaceuticals
were available and were a bit more difficult to procure. Of course the Internet was in its
infancy back then. Jez the memories are taking me.

Anyhow thinking back to the last time I had reached the zenith in my career as a computer
programmer and this had been my purpose for using the nootropics, so once I was there it
was as if I didn't need them anymore, goal attained. Now I have a different set of goals, first
of all is to pull me out of this ditch I dug myself into. To wake up my mind and get the motivation
and focus I need to start to sort out my personal issues. As these first attack doses hit I am
startled to find that everything I need is right here at hand, I simply didn't realise it or was to
lazy or absent-minded to look around and realise it.

I would say that back in 1995 I did combine Piracetam with LSD and ketamine and for awhile
I felt like I had reached a state of consciousness which put me in situation which I felt that
certain 'agencies' had an interest....I had realised that I had subverted the dominant paradigm
and I had seen the bullshit and the bullshit had set me free.....it all got a bit too hot, and after
stopping the nootropics and going back to hardcore hashish smoking...i once again became
a silly but safe pothead.

Piracetam is great stuff. Thanks for the report! So, magister, how were the 80s for you as a whole? Just curious. Random I know.. kidding really. Yknow 1995 was a great year for me. I remember being under the influence of MDMA and listening for the first time what was a whole new genre of music I'd never heard before (a far cry from metal). Golden. Back to piracetam. I think it combines well with cannabis. When listening to music it's like that MDMA-rush almost returns.

Edited by JChief, 02 December 2011 - 04:17 PM.

[magister]

double posted.

Edited by magister, 02 December 2011 - 04:58 PM.

[magister]

I tried MDMA in 88-89 a few years after it had been banned. It was not in the context of techno/trance electronic
music. I did not do it again until the mid-90s. I recall 2CB being legal and available to buy as a sex-enhancer.
I went to many Drums and Bass and Goa/PsyTrance parties and the music was visceral and synesthetic.

I did start smoking cannabis again recently after nearly a decade of not using - besides only very occasionally about once
a year. I think it helps my obsessive/compulsive behavior but it can also make me anxious and paranoid. I have to
use it wisely, I think sometimes the anxiety can be helpful because it makes me think about what is important for
me to get done. For OCD I smoke a tiny bit then wait 1-2 hours, then smoke a bit more, slowly building up the
high while keeping the paranoia under control. This was never an issue when I smoked alot. I have yet to use
cannabis since starting Piracetam, but I remember having much more control due to the anxiolytic action of the
Piracetam. I also have been reading about 25C-nBOMe. I have skipped much of the Research Chemical scene
since the 2cb days but this one seems to have come along specifically for me after my decade of abstinance and
subsumption of the costume of the corporate type. I don't think the things are mutually exclusive but in my case
it was part of an identity change that I needed to go thru at the time. But oh how much I enjoy not having to drink
beer and listen to close-minded co-workers at the bar after work.

[JChief]

I find piracetam squashes much of the anxiety induced by cannabis. It does not completely eliminate the paranoid yet rational tendencies. And the anxiety if it ever manifests is more of a minor annoyance than a "whoa let me check my pulse" moment lol. But much of the time it's just an enjoyable experience.

[magister]

I will let the Piracetam saturate the system a bit more thoroughly
and then give it a go.

[JChief]

I will let the Piracetam saturate the system a bit more thoroughly
and then give it a go.

I'm out of positive votes for the day

[impdaddee]

maybe somewhat relevant: problem in PTSD is not that you remember that horrible experience, but that you continuously experience the same horrible emotions. that's why beta blockers are (somewhat) good at treating PTSD - they lower emotional response to the memory - but you don't forget that memory.

Well, both remembering and forgetting have been given to us by evolution in varying quantities, for good "reasons".

[impdaddee]

That was a great read, thanks for sharing.

Would you recommend maybe a smaller attack dose to start off with?
What you experienced on such a large dose, sounds like it would freak me the hell out.
I've got some on order, can't wait to try it out.

jb

Aricept is not administered in attack doses.

Physicians generally start with 5 mg., then move up. At 5 I had side effects, not severe, but enough to understand my mother's response to it, and to decide it was not worth my while:

-very slightly sweaty palms all the time
-constant hunger, stilled for a few minutes by the tiniest amount of food
-always being ON and never being able to "space out", even for pleasure (sleep was not affected, save for vivid dreams)
-curious obsessive tics, like catching myself humming snatches of melodies over and over
-racing thoughts (which is not as bad as it sounds, besides, years of training have given me the skill to stop a thought stream dead in it's tracks)
-irritability

Nothing ever to make me fearful, but enough to make me stop, despite the memory crank it gave... after all, I'm not a student anymore. But, the experience gave me insight into my mother's experience and sometimes curious behaviour under a very potent pharmaceutical. I now understand why there is a HOT market on university campuses for it.

I found it gross. But, what's a mind for, if not to enjoy exploring?

[impdaddee]

That was a great read, thanks for sharing.

Would you recommend maybe a smaller attack dose to start off with?
What you experienced on such a large dose, sounds like it would freak me the hell out.
I've got some on order, can't wait to try it out.

jb

Or, if referring to the piracetam, you be the captain of your own fate. :-) I'm just a librarian.

It seems almost impossible to poison oneself with, but sensitivities to drugs varies. I'd characterize myself as being relatively sensitive, and I loathe feeling "buzzed" unless I absolutely want to feel "buzzed".

[impdaddee]

So you said Aricept made your memory really good?? How did you get it?

Horrifyingly good. 'Twas like a replay of my super-memory days in university, only far, far worse. Really, it was very unpleasant. (I shit you not.) Not hyperthymesia, but akin enough to understand why the disorder is classed as a disorder.

How did I come by it? Sigh... My mother had to enter long-term care a while back (Alzheimer's). As I closed up her apartment, I found a couple of month's worth that she had simply forgotten to take. She had already started her new prescription in LTC, so didn't need the left-behinds. I should have returned them to the pharmacy of course, but put it off, being lazy. A month or so later I came across them and thought, "What the hell, pourquoi pas?" A couple of weeks later I knew exactly "pouquoi pas". I've got a naturally good memory that was almost eerie in my youth (I never took notes during all my years at university because I remembered/learned everything as soon as I heard it during lectures, or upon reading it once), and the Aricept made all that re-emerge, plus some. It Was Not Pleasant. So, off the remainders went to the pill graveyard at the pharmacy. Of course, mileage may vary! :-)

Memory's a funny thing. We all want a good memory, and that's okay. But what if you remembered every annoying thing your friends did or said? What if you simply couldn't forget every agonizing emotion experienced during a break-up, even years later, but relived it as fresh every time it came to mind? What if you dared not do something as simple as look at a passing car's license plate, because to look is to read and to read is to remember? Horrible and alienating, and the chief reason I'm a titch suspicious of the pramiracetam I've got. The piracetam, great! The aniracetam, I'm still testing cautiously...though reports indicate that it builds for a week or so before it really kicks in.

Yeah very interesting! That's exactly what I need right now! But how da hell do I get my hands on alzheimers meds?? Damn

Fate, or prescription, or the black market.

[impdaddee]

I’m curious, impdaddee, as to whether you’ve ever experienced any fatigue associated with such regular Piracetam usage. I’ve been taking -racetams for about the same period as you, maybe a couple of months longer, and when I manage to get some balance or other right, the effect is one of increased focus, faster recall, and increased sensory “gain”, as many have reported.

Unfortunately, fatigue is the main thing stopping me from using Piracetam. I find that after Piracetam has “built up” in my system for about four or five days (it seems to accumulate), subsequently even half a tablet (400mg) induces a state of total “drain” in me, and an overwhelming need to sleep. So much so that I started using it as a sleeping pill, taking it at night. It puts me out like a light. Unfortunately, the next day I feel groggy and tired, so I can’t even use it that way. It actually seems to prevent sleep from refreshing me. Doesn’t matter if I take it with or without choline, still the same effect.

So I switched to Oxiracetam and Aniracetam, in very small doses (a tenth of the doses most people say they’re taking). These don’t have the same tiring/draining effect, though if I accidentally take too much, disorientation sets in which is quite counterproductive. Because of the accumulation effect, getting the right balance is difficult to achieve. When I stop taking them for a period, the effects (increased sensory “gain”, faster recall) last for several days, up to a week, with the intensity coming and going in waves. It’s as if the chemicals are stored somewhere in my body and are released in waves. Clearly my system clears these drugs very slowly.

You experience no problems with dosing at all then, and no side effects other than intensity? And you’ve even managed to give up choline supplementation with no ill effects at all?

No fatigue at all, but I absolutely need eight or nine hours sleep a night. Without the sleep, I feel like crap and just want to lounge and eat chocolates and stare at the back of my eyelids for hours. So, I sleep well, every night, if I can.

No headaches without choline supplementation, but I like peanuts... Not gobs of them, but maybe a handful as a snack in the morning and afternoon Maybe it's necessary while beginning a regime, but I'm not headachy now.

[1thoughtMaze1]

Ok black market it is!

[snuffie]

Can you cut Aricept in half? Maybe 5mg is a bit too much for someone without Alzheimer's.

I would love to try some of that. My memory is terrible. Doubt I could get my hands on some though.

When you stop taking it, do you still remember all the things you've freakishly remembered, or do they fade away?

[angela86]

Guys, you can order generic Aricept online. I hope it's not sketchy - because I ordered it about 3 1/2 weeks ago and mine should be arriving relatively soon. Just Google keywords Generic + Aricept + India

So you said Aricept made your memory really good?? How did you get it?

Horrifyingly good. 'Twas like a replay of my super-memory days in university, only far, far worse. Really, it was very unpleasant. (I shit you not.) Not hyperthymesia, but akin enough to understand why the disorder is classed as a disorder.

How did I come by it? Sigh... My mother had to enter long-term care a while back (Alzheimer's). As I closed up her apartment, I found a couple of month's worth that she had simply forgotten to take. She had already started her new prescription in LTC, so didn't need the left-behinds. I should have returned them to the pharmacy of course, but put it off, being lazy. A month or so later I came across them and thought, "What the hell, pourquoi pas?" A couple of weeks later I knew exactly "pouquoi pas". I've got a naturally good memory that was almost eerie in my youth (I never took notes during all my years at university because I remembered/learned everything as soon as I heard it during lectures, or upon reading it once), and the Aricept made all that re-emerge, plus some. It Was Not Pleasant. So, off the remainders went to the pill graveyard at the pharmacy. Of course, mileage may vary! :-)

Memory's a funny thing. We all want a good memory, and that's okay. But what if you remembered every annoying thing your friends did or said? What if you simply couldn't forget every agonizing emotion experienced during a break-up, even years later, but relived it as fresh every time it came to mind? What if you dared not do something as simple as look at a passing car's license plate, because to look is to read and to read is to remember? Horrible and alienating, and the chief reason I'm a titch suspicious of the pramiracetam I've got. The piracetam, great! The aniracetam, I'm still testing cautiously...though reports indicate that it builds for a week or so before it really kicks in.

Question: How long did it take for you to start feeling these repercussions? I'm wondering if i'll need to order another package before the effects start kicking in even slightly. Also: Do you know from your mother if Aricept helps long term with memory - or is it a drug you have to take on a daily basis to sustain the benefits?