Unexpected benefits of piracetam - helps with muscle aches, improves physical function

[Scarecrow]

Any update on this, @Scarecrow?

No, I haven't stepped it up my dose yet - I've been side-tracked by other things. I'll report back when I do.

 

[Battery Muncher]

Sorry to bother you, but I was wondering whether you had the chance to try this yet?

 

[Scarecrow]

Sorry to bother you, but I was wondering whether you had the chance to try this yet?

It's no bother at all.

No, I haven't tried it yet. I seem to be over the crash that I had at the start of the year but I had a period of a couple of months when I had worse cognitive symptoms. That has only recently resolved.

I've been looking at rowing machines, having decided against jogging, and I think that I have found a suitable one. If I get a rowing machine, the weather doesn't matter and I'll be able to record some basic figures.

I'm aiming to up my dose of piracetam in a few weeks.


How about you? Did you order any?

 

[Wayne]

Hi @Scarecrow,

Thanks for all your posts and updates--I find them very interesting.

I tried Piracetam a few years ago, and discovered early on I couldn't handle very much at a time. I experienced it as sort of a coffee jolt, and eventually discovered that I shouldn't take more than about 1/10 of an 800 mg capsule at a time (I guess around 80 mg) -- far less than the 2400 mg that's recommended.

So I would only use it on an "as necessary" basis, as in when I absolutely had to get something done. If I did it for more than 3-4 days, I could begin to feel a PEM set in, probably from both the effects of piracetam, plus the fact I would generally do more when I took some.

I recently read that aniracetam does not generally have the kind of stimulatory effect that piracetam does, so I ordered some a couple weeks ago. I started out at a half dose, which sent me flying. I took it in the morning, and began to notice I was a bit more alert--without the stimulation I would experience with Piracetam.

But by that night, I could tell my brain was having a hard time settling down, and I only was able to sleep about 3-4 hours. The next day I had more energy than normal, and also felt more alert. But that night I still only was able to sleep about 4-5 hours.

That was about 3-4 days ago, and just an hour ago, I took about 1/10 of a normal dose, and took some theanine as well. I can now feel it sort of gently "churning" a bit in my body, and has given me the energy to make this post. It feels pretty comfortable at this time.

My goal is to find just the right amount that will give me a cognitive and energy boost on a fairly regular basis, but not have it affect my sleep and other relaxation aspects of my life. Perhaps the theanine (for relaxation) will do the trick.

Best, Wayne

 

[Scarecrow]

Thanks @Wayne

I'm sorry that piracetam didn't provide a long term solution for you.

I hope that you have better luck with the aniracetam and theanine combo. I notice that you've taken it quite early in the day - that's just what I do with the piracetam.

Let us know how you get on.

 

[Sidereal]

I tried piracetam a few months ago. It made me feel really good initially. Massive reduction in pain and calm/sedated feeling. Then I fell asleep and slept for like 12+ hours during which I couldn't force myself to wake up. I had pretty severe sedation and vertigo for several days afterwards. Perhaps I started with too high a dose, not sure.

 

[Scarecrow]

Perhaps I started with too high a dose, not sure.

How much did you take? Closer to my level (2.4g) or Wayne's (0.08g)?

 

[Sidereal]

I took one 400 mg tablet. What dose did you start off with @Scarecrow?

 

[Scarecrow]

What dose did you start off with @Scarecrow?

I took 4g (5 tabs @ 800mg). There's a theory that for maximum benefit as a nootropic, you start with an 'attack' dose. I was going to be conservative and only take two but then I thought what the heck and took another three. Five minutes later, I wished I hadn't because it scared the crap out of me. I could feel it slam into my brain and I was aware of the feeling diffusing across. I've never experienced anything like it . It was quickly gone, followed within about half an hour later by tremendous visual enhancement.

I've rated myself a 7 on the PR scale and Wayne is a 3. I have the sensitivity of an elephant with medication and supplements. 400mg for you may have been too much.

That reduction in pain is intriguing

 

[Sidereal]

I took 4g (5 tabs @ 800mg). There's a theory that for maximum benefit as a nootropic, you start with an 'attack' dose. I was going to be conservative and only take two but then I thought what the heck and took another three. Five minutes later, I wished I hadn't because it scared the crap out of me. I could feel it slam into my brain and I was aware of the feeling diffusing across. I've never experienced anything like it . It was quickly gone, followed within about half an hour later by tremendous visual enhancement.

I've rated myself a 7 on the PR scale and Wayne is a 3. I have the sensitivity of an elephant with medication and supplements. 400mg for you may have been too much.

That reduction in pain is intriguing

Very interesting, thank you for the detailed reply. I am closer to Wayne's level of functioning, hovering around 4 on the PR scale. The pain reduction was pretty amazing; it got rid of that yucky all over acid/burning sensation. The pain relieving effects only lasted a few hours but the side effects went on and on. I think I might try 100 mg at some point.

 

[Sidereal]

Piracetam is an AMPA agonist. I'm thinking I gonna combine this with an NMDA modulator (D-serine) next time to counter the excessive sedation.

 

[voner]

I have been using 8-10 gms a day for over a year now.... The noticable benefit has been a slight reduction in muscle (Myofascial) pain/muscle tightness... No other noticable changes....

If anyone is intested I be glad to share a few papers On its effects...including a review paper from 2005.

I use this site for supplement information, perhaps others may find it of use.

http://examine.com/supplements/Piracetam

 

[Scarecrow]

@voner

It's very interesting that you have also experienced a reduction in muscle pain. I think that the reduction in pain that Sidereal noticed was different to mine. She had an immediate response, while for me it takes several days to kick in. How about you?

I notice that in your link examine.com refers to analgesic properties in response to inflammatory hyperalgesia. There is also a possibility that it reduces neuropathic pain - see this charming rat study.

Intuitively, I don't believe that either applies to me but .....I dunno.

 

[voner]

@voner

It's very interesting that you have also experienced a reduction in muscle pain. I think that the reduction in pain that Sidereal noticed was different to mine. She had an immediate response, while for me it takes several days to kick in. How about you?

I notice that in your link examine.com refers to analgesic properties in response to inflammatory hyperalgesia. There is also a possibility that it reduces neuropathic pain - see this charming rat study.

Intuitively, I don't believe that either applies to me but .....I dunno.

It takes several days for the effect to be noticeable for me. I stopped taking it for a week or two and then noticed how much more miserable life felt – myofascial pain wise. It took several days for me to notice the Lessing in my symptoms again.

I have pretty severe hyperalgesia and allodynia. Piracetam has had no effect on it whatsoever. That rat study helped motivate me to try Piracetam... Who knows? Maybe the dosage is this not correct.

I forget the details, but it is supposed to work on the acetylcholine system also.

 

[Scarecrow]

It takes several days for the effect to be noticeable for me. I stopped taking it for a week or two and then noticed how much more miserable life felt – myofascial pain wise. It took several days for me to notice the Lessing in my symptoms again.

Thanks for explaining. That exactly what I found. The pain wasn't making me quite as miserable but all the same it was never ending and I'm glad to be rid of it. It's also comforting somehow to know that someone else has noticed exactly the same thing.

 

[voner]

Thanks for explaining. That exactly what I found. The pain wasn't making me quite as miserable but all the same it was never ending and I'm glad to be rid of it. It's also comforting somehow to know that someone else has noticed exactly the same thing.

well, well..... that is intriguing. that's pretty much exactly how I would describe the effects. How did you get rid of it the unrelenting pain symptoms?

 

[Scarecrow]

well, well..... that is intriguing. that's pretty much exactly how I would describe the effects. How did you get rid of it the unrelenting pain symptoms?

I took the piracetam hoping for an improvement in my ability to learn. I didn't get that but eventually my recall of words was better and I was more fluent in my thinking. This is my experience with respect to the pain, which more exactly was a combination of an ache and tenderness:

After a long mostly stable period of remission, but not complete recovery, I had relapsed early in 2011, to the extent that I was still able to work with difficulty but my social life, which was never embarrassingly busy, was totally hammered. Since April of that year, I developed a permanent muscle ache in the front of my thighs, occasionally also in my arms. The ache in my thighs never let up for a single second for the best part of two years.

A few days after starting the piracetam, I noticed the ache starting to fade to the extent that it had entirely disappeared within the next few days. I was thrilled, obviously! As you do, when things stop or start, you wonder what accounts for the difference and it was so close to happening after the piracetam that I stopped taking it......... reluctantly. Sure enough a few days later the aches returned. So I went back on the piracetam and the ache went away again. I won't labour the point but there are several times I've started and stopped and the effect has always been reproducible. What I have noticed is the lag between stopping and starting and the ache coming and going. Also when I have taken piracetam for months, it weeks going onto months before the ache returns and I can't help thinking that the lag effect is very significant.

 

[Wayne]

Any way, if you have ever used piracetam and have also noticed a reduction or cessation of aches - or any unexpected effect for that matter - it would be interesting to hear from you.

Hi @Scarecrow,

I just ran across a couple of references to piracetam that I discovered while researching on l-pyroglumatic acid. Thought you might find them interesting:

L-Pyroglutamic Acid, the so-called forgotten amino acid, is the natural molecule behind the nootropic drugs, such as piracetam, oxiracetam, and pramiracetam: these drugs are chemically tweaked versions of L-Pyroglutamic Acid. No one quite understands how L-Pyroglutamic Acid or the nootropics work: they don't seem to significantly affect neurotransmitter levels, they don't bind to any known receptors, and their metabolism is extremely simple, nontoxic, and clean.

One more interesting tidbit about piracetam: I've heard it is very popular in other countries and is often used on surgery patients. The reason is that it helps the body use oxygen and if oxygen flow is disrupted during surgery, damage can be delayed from a normal of 5 minutes to as much as 45 minutes.
--
The reason I was searching on this today is because of my interest in l-pyroglutamic acid. I purchased some about four years ago, tried it, and didn't really notice much. But more recently--about three weeks ago--I tried 2 grams at in the morning, and noticed a significant shift.

I noticed I felt slightly more alert for the rest of the morning, but didn't think too much of it. When I went down for my afternoon nap, I only slept about 20 minutes instead of my usual 1-2 hours. When I awoke, I felt pretty alert, instead of my normally heavily groggy feeling. I didn't immediately connect this with taking the l-pyroglutamic acid.

It wasn't until I went to bed that I realized my mental processes were a bit more active than normal. I ended up not getting a particularly good night's sleep. But the following morning, I was pretty amazed how I contnued to feel more alert than normal.

Just this morning, I'm giving this another trial run, but only took 1 gram instead of two. I already notice a greater alertness, but am hoping I won't have disrupted sleep tonight like I did last time.

Wayne

 

[Chriswolf]

I've had an interest in piracetam for a while, I've tried DMAE and Huperzine, both of which have helped somewhat, especially in my last year of consistent work where I had to be mentally "switched on" at all times.

Unfortunately I think the benefits kind of got lost amid other aspects of my health failing, but it's still encouraging to read your account, and I still plan on trying it.

 

[Scarecrow]

The reason I was searching on this today is because of my interest in l-pyroglutamic acid.

Very interesting. Thank you.

I've added it to my wish list.

I notice that a lot of users comment that it improves sleep and alertness.