16 replies to this topic

[jigsaw123]

So I've been taking piracetam for a few weeks now (1.6g 2x/day) and I've been having trouble falling asleep and having vivid dreams as other people have described but the dreams tend to wake me up several times over the course of the night. Does anyone have any advice about how to sleep through the night? Today I'm planning on only taking 800mg for my second dose to see if it helps but i was also considering trying melatonin. I'd really appreciate any help

[Godof Smallthings]

Are you seeing an actual nootropic effect at your dosing of piracetam?

What is your daily caffeine intake and what are your exercise habits like?

[jigsaw123]

It's hard to say if I'm seeing an effect. I believe I'm seeing some effect but it's really hard to quantify. I started taking it on the first day of school this year so starting school as well as going back on prescription Vyvanse (40mg) combined with some serious relationship problems have made for a hectic few weeks but I do believe I am getting some benefit from it. I currently dont have any caffeine and since the start of school I've been doing 20-25 minutes of cardio in the afternoons. Yesterday I was thinking it could be the Vyvanse that's keeping me up but I've been taking it for weeks now and I expect my body would have gotten used to it by now. Also, when Vyvanse is preventing me from sleeping I toss and turn for hours just trying to fall asleep but now I toss and turn for maybe 20-30 minutes trying to fall asleep but then keep waking up. I'm also thinking about taking an extra 800mg of piracetam in the morning today (closer to my initial dose) and not taking any more after about 930 am.

[Godof Smallthings]

Exercise in the early afternoon should be fine.

Piracetam on its own at the small doses you are taking should not cause those kinds of symptoms. I would suspect Vyvanse or an interaction between the two. It's pretty easy for you to check. Just stop piracetam for a week and see if your sleep improves.

If you want to feel a clear nootropic effect from piracetam, take 4.8 grams a dose (but don't do this until you've figured out what's causing your sleeping problems).

[jigsaw123]

Yes, I suppose I'll try decreasing my piracetam dose, possibly to 800mg or 1600mg per day. I know I'm on a low dose already but I have a lot of studying to do everyday so I'm worried about any kind of withdrawl symptoms. Do you know anything about vyvanse/piracetam interactions? I haven't found anything significant online. I do hope I can find a way to fix this because I'd really like to continue w/piracetam but not sleeping well is very frustrating. If I do find that it's the piracetam causing my problems do you have any suggestions for what to try next? Perhaps a different -racetam?

[Godof Smallthings]

I don't know about interactions I'm afraid - it was just a guess based on the info you've provided here.

I would suggest taking salmon oil and ginkgo biloba just before your study sessions, and brewing a large cup of green tea to sip on. That is my personal favorite 'focus and mental energy' stack. Gives me a relaxed, slightly mood elevated clear-headed focus.

Other noots can give focus and mental energy too, coffee and sulbutiamine for example, but generally at the price of a crash a few hours later, and the risk of irritability. Ginkgo/fish oil/green tea doesn't come with those side effects for me.

[jigsaw123]

Alright, thanks for the tips. I'm already taking fish oil in the morning (about 700mg I believe) and bought gingko a while ago but didnt notice much effect from it but after reading about some studies of gingko combined w/ginseng I decided I'd like to try it again. How much gingko do you take?

[jigsaw123]

Well yesterday after only taking 1600mg of piracetam in the morning, I only woke up once during the night which is better. I'm going to do the same again today and see how it goes although yesterday did make me realize how much of a boost piracetam gives me in the afternoon. If I determine it is the piracetam affecting my sleep I may try taking a smaller second dose earlier in the day to see if I can find a balance between piracetam benefits and quality sleep. I may try gingko and ginseng for an afternoon boost. Anyway, thanks for the help and I'd be happy to hear any more tips people have.

[zeropoint]

Vyvanse definitely makes sleep problems, as the rate of conversion can vary with different persons.
Try 4.8 g. piracetam to see if it really helps.

[Godof Smallthings]

Acetyl-L-carnitine (ALCAR) can also be a decent afternoon pick me up.

The ginkgo on its own doesn't do that much for me, except increasing blood flow in the brain, which is useful of course, but not everything I am pretty sure it's the synergy between fish oil, ginkgo and green tea that does it. (Adding piracetam on top of those three is even better, but - your sleep is more important in the long run, make sure that part works OK before you experiment more)

[jigsaw123]

Vyvanse definitely can make sleep problems but I've been on it on and off for a few years and I've been back on it for a month now so I dont think its that. I'm also hesitant to try 4.8g because I tend to have a low tolerance for drugs in general. After reading some posts about smaller doses of piracetam I'm thinking about trying a few 800mg doses spread out throughout the day. Anyway, I'll look into ALCAR but I bought 500g of choline bitartrate not long ago so I'm reluctant to buy more choline. In 2 weeks I'll be under less pressure and may try experimenting with higher and lower doses of piracetam but right now 1.6g 2x/day is affecting my sleep but I've felt focused and energized throughout the day which is the ultimate goal. I'm going to try an 800mg dose in the afternoon now and go from there. Thanks for the tips, I really appreciate your input

[jigsaw123]

additionally, i do feel like i've been experiencing a bit of mental fog, not sure if thats from inadequate sleep or incorrect piracetam dose. Generally feeling foggy suggests a lower dosage might work better, right?

[Synaesthesiac]

Piracetam POTENTIATES the shit out of amphetamines, be warned. This may be the culprit.

[3AlarmLampscooter]

Piracetam POTENTIATES the shit out of amphetamines, be warned. This may be the culprit.

Quite interesting. I've recently been trying small doses of 2-FMA, although have been somewhat concerned about neurotoxicity (and thus stacking with copius neuroprotective agents). I'll try piracetam out and try only 10mg for my next dose, and see what the effects are. Perhaps this will allow me to get away with much lower doses of 2-FMA. It is by far my favorite amphetamine as far as effect profiles goes, quite similar to a stronger phenylpiracetam overall, albeit with some adrenergic activity.

[garysh566]

it just makes me hungry more than anything

[mrnootropic]

Melatonin is great!! But guess what !

It will make your dreams even more vivid !! haha..

But on a serious note, Melatonin is great, you may notice a decrease in Anxiety and Stress when you take it at night.
Dont be afraid to take more than is Recommended, i would take about 20 mg.
Get a high strength formula of about 10 mg per tablet and take 2 about 1 hour before bed.

[mrnootropic]

Melatonin is not just good for sleep but has many other beneficial properties.

It is a powerful free-radical scavenger and anti-oxidant.
It helps normalise your Circadian Rhythm and is a synchronizer of the biological clock.
Its supposedly anti - aging and is beneficial for headaches.

i take it myself and it makes me slightly drowsy and tired at about 10pm, i also take ashwaghanda alongside it.