28 replies to this topic

[samiamm]

So I ordered some piracetam a while back from bioscience neutracueticals, I got the package on monday, and began taking it on Tuesday.

It doesn't work, and not only does it not work, it actually gives me brain fog, and makes me tired.

I ordered CDP choline and sulbutiamine (wasted about $168)

I've varied the doses, taken it without choline, taking 4.6 grams, taken .8 mgs, taken it with fishoil, and every single time, the same brain fog, the same effect.

Now, i'm not trying to sound like a douchebag, but I'm a relatively smart kid naturally. I read all the bs anecdotes on here, and even some of the published studies, and decided to give it a try. I don't know if it just has an opposite effect on healthy individuals whom have brains already functioning pretty well, or what, but this stuff just absolutely sucked for me.

Just wanted to share my experience with anyone else who notices this and keeps trying in hopes of some kind of cognitive edge.

Things I felt

1) Tired
2) brain fog
3) reduced reading speed, and if I attempted to read at my normal pace, I would gets words jumbled up
4) tired
5) tired
6) brain fog





I'm sure that MAYBE (presuming it is not a placebo effect) it works for some people, but if you feel these within the first week of taking it, after titrating doses and doing everything else people recommend, I recommend just throwing it out and calling it a day.


ON THAT NOTE

for any one that it does work for, I have about 90 gs of piracetam, 90 gs of CDP choline, and 90 gs of sulbutiamine laying around that I will not take. I ordered all from bioscience neutracueticals (cerebral health) and they are in the original packaging. If you're interested, pm me.

[samiamm]

Oh yea, obviously i'll resell them at a cheaper price then I bought then, which means a cheaper source then you'd find on cerebral health or bioscience neutracueticals

[jonnyD]

According to my experiences Piracetam makes some people tired during the first 1-2 weeks... i do not know why.
I had the same effect with pramiracetam on my first 3 days. But the effect is gone and it works great now.

[samiamm]

According to my experiences Piracetam makes some people tired during the first 1-2 weeks... i do not know why.
I had the same effect with pramiracetam on my first 3 days. But the effect is gone and it works great now.

Did it also inhibit and retard your normal brain function though??

I'm not trying to bash piracetam, I'm just saying that, so far, (1 week) for me, it has done the exact opposite of its claimed purpose.

[Sanguine_Rogue]

It takes some time for you to adjust to taking Piracetam mate. I know when I first started taking it I didn't really notice anything other than slight brain fog during the days and an inability to fall asleep easily at night. It took me about 2 and a half weeks before it started to positively effect me.

Have you considered trying Aniracetam or Pramiracetam? As to your statement regarding Piracetams effects on healthy individuals there has been at least one study I saw that showed a positive boost for healthy individuals, I can't remember the exact name of the study but I know it was located here along with a downloadable PDF regarding all the racetams.

I'd honestly tell you to continue taking it until at least 3 weeks have passed and if it still isn't giving you any results go ahead and get rid of it. Why are you trying to get rid of the Sulbutiamine though??

[samiamm]

Im sellin the sulbutiamine because at this point, I'm not really sure what is causing what.

I guess the only thing I haven't tried by it self in actuality is sulbutiamine, but idk man, im getting upset and disappointed.

I'm an undergrad and I have exams left and right, so having brain fog really fucks up my routine, idk maybe ill try it over winter break

[Sanguine_Rogue]

Yea I can totally understand where your coming from. I'm going to school too so brainfog isn't something I would want to deal with either (especially since I'm taking Nootropics to combat just that).

Try the sulbutiamine over Thanksgiving break (if your in the states) and see how it works for you. It is used to help with fatigue and increases your glutamatergic and cholinergic transmissions so it should really only be positive for you.

[samiamm]

Could you, if you have the time, explain the your effects on piracetam when starting it??

[Sanguine_Rogue]

Sure thing mate.

When I first started taking it I didn't notice anything really in the first few days (~4) aside from difficulty sleeping at night and feeling slightly distracted (assuming this was due to the fact that my brain was being stimulated and I was "focusing'' on too many things). I didn't see any positive memory effects until about 3 weeks into taking it, and it was very subtle things such as using an old vocabulary word that I had learned in high school or something pertaining to chemistry that I had learned in a previous lab.

After those three weeks it continued to slowly improve to where I am currently at now. Which is that I'm capable of recalling a lot more of notes that I take in lecture than I ever have been, and the ability to speak a little more easily in or around groups of people.

[AceSun]

Also I did notice some effects from piracetam after 2 days of usage. I believe it can be 4 days for some individuals, as all of our chemicals structures are genetically different.
At first I was skeptical about the supplement and it's effects, but they are noticable later within the first days of usage.
I went ahead and ordered my piracetam from a trusted and reputable supplier on amazon who I also order Neuro Wave Aniracetam from.
Also I would like to mention that I have received minor scintilating effects from the piracetam, but it is not anything close to a side effect.

It's possible that Aniracetam and Piracetam are synergistic when taken together. I've been using both together for 2 weeks now and they seem to go hand in hand with each other.

I can think straight and focus easily in whatever I'm doing with both supplements. I recommend them both 100%

[Absent]

Tip:

Do not mistake brainfog from Nootropics as a sign that it doesn't work for you or is fake. Here's why:

These Nootropics....Piracetam namely... boost electrical activity in the brain, to put the effect vary generally. This is what produces a large degree of the effects and also explains the Mania many users experience at Megadoses. If high levels of brain activity aren't controlled, then mania is a result.

When electrical activity in the brain is boosted, underlying problems can be brought out. Problems such as Dehydration, not enough protein in the blood to make enzymes, not enough blood sugar to keep the brain activity fueled.

If you take a Nootropic and run into some sort of brainfog scenario, it's likely due to some momentary deficiency shining. Think of it like this. If you have low blood sugar, and you go try to run a Marathon, you're going to get pretty tired, aren't you? A marathon boosts brain activity, blood flow, muscular exertion, etc... all things that use blood sugar.

I would go out on a limb to say almost all downsides of popular & effective nootropics that some individuals claim to experience are a result of an underlying problem being brought to attention.

Remember. Nootropics, AKA, Smart Drugs, are NOT Drugs. Things like Piracetam act indirectly on the brain so they are not going to give you that super boosts if other areas of the brain aren't fueled properly. Nootropics ENHANCE brain function, they do not force it like for example Adderal would.

[samiamm]

When electrical activity in the brain is boosted, underlying problems can be brought out. Problems such as Dehydration, not enough protein in the blood to make enzymes, not enough blood sugar to keep the brain activity fueled.

I though this same exact thing, as I follow the Primal Caveman diet, and I increased my intake of carbs by ALOT

but still, I felt the brain fog and everything


trust me, I wasn't really expecting the crazy effects (some people make it sound like they're taking MDMA) people report, but I definitely wasn't expecting this sort of brain fog.

I also know that it wasn't fake, because I have an upcoming chem exam, and stuff I had easily locked down prior to starting piracetam was getting jumbled up for me. Its scary when you're an undergrad student to not be at your 100 % (at least for the people who are anal about great grades)

If I give you guys my background, could you tell me what might be "deficient"

OK for one, I want to say I'm on the medication Dutasteride, which is known to inhibit a certain neurosteroid, however, no study has ever said anything about negative effects on the brain. My dutasteride is actually the reason I was introduced to nootropics, as someone currently taking Dutas told me to look into it and how amazing it is. I don't know if this could be conflicting with it

Two, i've taken drugs like MDMA and shrooms before, but I am 100 % certain that means nothing

Three, I work our 3 times a day, heavy weight lifting, which I heard is actually beneficial

Four, I eat ALOT of eggs, but I took piracetam without choline also, so I don't think thats the problem

Five, I tried it for a week before quitting, I have an exam on Thursday and it was really messing up my study habits


Do you guys think maybe it is just not for me? Or, like some, think I didn't have enough time or maybe deficient in something else?

Sure thing mate.

When I first started taking it I didn't notice anything really in the first few days (~4) aside from difficulty sleeping at night and feeling slightly distracted (assuming this was due to the fact that my brain was being stimulated and I was "focusing'' on too many things). I didn't see any positive memory effects until about 3 weeks into taking it, and it was very subtle things such as using an old vocabulary word that I had learned in high school or something pertaining to chemistry that I had learned in a previous lab.

After those three weeks it continued to slowly improve to where I am currently at now. Which is that I'm capable of recalling a lot more of notes that I take in lecture than I ever have been, and the ability to speak a little more easily in or around groups of people.

How did you manage to experiment for three weeks, were you in school during the time?

[Spinlock]

I had the same effect, Piracetam did nothing until about my 5th time taking it, kind of like weed.

[Heh]

Did you try the standard non-responder extras of 10-100mg L-Glutamic Acid (or maybe L-Theanine) and 500mg calcium? What about 1g TMG and 500mg Centrophenoxine (to replace CDP-Choline)? I've tried those without success, but others have reported they work. You can start with the calcium and L-Glutamic Acid.

BTW: L-Glutamic Acid becomes an excitotoxin at daily dosages much above 100mg, so... keep that in mind.

[jonnyD]

I forgot to say one very important thing:

I still get brain fog if i dont drink enough. I forgot it because i started do drink 1.5 liters green tee per day a year ago and i am so used to it that i do not think about it anymore.

I would suggest that you drink a least 1 liter water/tea per day more than usual. And start with a low dose like 3x400mg per day... some people react sensitive to Piracetam.

[Sanguine_Rogue]

How did you manage to experiment for three weeks, were you in school during the time?

I was attending class during that time, but when I did find free time inbetween studies and courses I did little puzzles such as sudoku and word finds to see how I was being effected by my Nootropics. I primarily noticed benefits from lectures and notes and how much easier I was able to recall them. I noticed around 2.5 weeks into it that sudoku was becoming a bit easier than it had initially been.

[leftside]

Experiment. It could take you months to nail down a good stack for you. For me, the perfect stack is Aniracetam, ALCAR and Alpha GPC. It has made by day-to-day life so much better. All of the trial and error was worth it.

Every now and then I mix it up a bit, by swapping out the Ani for another -ram or trying something like noopept in addition to my usual stack.

I got nothing from Piracetam, but I'm going to try it again sometime later in the future in a different stack.

[depo]

Samiamm,

Check my thread, it can take weeks to kick in:
http://www.longecity...tam-experience/

[Peak Noots]

I second that motion give it time bro. Check out this 7day vs. 14 day piracetam study. I am not saying piracetam will or will not work for you but you should guve it a chance 1 week is not enough. Also really consider taking ALCAR i have a hunch that it can really help in these situations.

- PeakNootropics | Nootropics Store & Blog

[Heh]

After taking 400mg magnesium for a while, and adding 3g Niacin, 4g Vitamin C, and 1g Vitamin B5, Piracetam seems to be doing something.

Edited by Joel, 28 May 2013 - 03:57 PM.

[Peak Noots]

and seriously consider taking ALCAR. It may not be the piracetam giving you the brain fog. ALCAR + Choline creates an effective conversion into acetylcholine. Taking choline alone may not be the best option for everyone because it can take different processes to turn into acetylcholine. The link i provided to ALCAR explains this a little more.

PS, sorry for all the links. We are not directly trying to advertise our site and just providing relevant info to these topics. Taking nootropics takes proper education to reap the benefits. Plus, everyones chemistry is different and different things will work differently for people. I really think nootropics can benefit you samiam so don't give up just yet

[blueinfinity]

wheres the beginners guide to nootropics?

I want to increase brain function and capacity to put it generally, increases in social communication are always a plus.

Where to start, piracetam seems like a go-to for most people to start, although im considering others as well. inputs?

[Sanguine_Rogue]

There really isn't a set beginners guide for nootropics. When first starting off the best thing you can do is troll forums and look at other peoples experiences and see what they did when first starting to formulate a good starter stack for your own personal use.

[helluva nootro]

I would stick and the piracetam for a few weeks and take a pretty small dose to start with. Week 1 500mg, week 2 1G week 3 1.5G, and see how you feel. A friend of mind took it a few years back, hated the stuff and has since started dosing with it again, same slowed motor skills and brain fog but not always easy to spot unless doing demanding tasks, he kept at and around 1 week in the negative effects fade. I think it just takes time to adjust rather than dishing out extra $$ on additional nootropics to try and sync with it

[Absent]

Piracetam shouldn't take weeks to show effect. If you don't feel effects after one dose then you're likely not taking enough. A lot of people will disagree with me here but effective piracetam doses are 5g+, with under 800mg of choline.... though I find Fish Oil(choline source) to synergize better with it(Piracetam).

Edited by Siro, 30 May 2013 - 04:06 PM.

[Sanguine_Rogue]

I noticed some slight effects when I first started taking it, but it wasn't really in regards to memory or anything like that. More of a photosensitivity and colours seeming much more vibrant.

[blueinfinity]

Piracetam shouldn't take weeks to show effect. If you don't feel effects after one dose then you're likely not taking enough. A lot of people will disagree with me here but effective piracetam doses are 5g+, with under 800mg of choline.... though I find Fish Oil(choline source) to synergize better with it(Piracetam).

siro, at those doses, have you experienced any similar negative effects such as the OP posted?

[Godof Smallthings]

For me taking doses of 4.8 - 6 g of Piracetam, the only noticeable side effect is occasional tiredness. Lower doses (especially around 3 g, for some reason) sometimes made me feel irritable.

800 mg does not seem to do very much on its own, but taken together with ginko biloba and fish oil I experience improved focus.

Interestingly, I have not noticed any irritation with 4.8 - 6 g doses.

[samiamm]

you guys are all placeboing to hell, haha