Piracetam a miracle supplement?

[tdog333]

I have been studying ways to protect and undo damage to the mitochondria. I came across piracetam which has MANY benefits.

The main reason most people use piracetam is for its nootropic effects. It enhances memory, cognition, reflexes, etc..

I found it is also VERY useful for reversing oxidative damage.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1615864/

Abstract

1. Mitochondrial dysfunction including decrease of mitochondrial membrane potential and reduced ATP production represents a common final pathway of many conditions associated with oxidative stress, for example, hypoxia, hypoglycemia, and aging.
2. Since the cognition-improving effects of the standard nootropic piracetam are usually more pronounced under such pathological conditions and young healthy animals usually benefit little by piracetam, the effect of piracetam on mitochondrial dysfunction following oxidative stress was investigated using PC12 cells and dissociated brain cells of animals treated with piracetam.
3. Piracetam treatment at concentrations between 100 and 1000
   
   μm improved mitochondrial membrane potential and ATP production of PC12 cells following oxidative stress induced by sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and serum deprivation. Under conditions of mild serum deprivation, piracetam (500
   
   μm) induced a nearly complete recovery of mitochondrial membrane potential and ATP levels. Piracetam also reduced caspase 9 activity after SNP treatment.
4. Piracetam treatment (100–500
   
   mg
   
   kg−1 daily) of mice was also associated with improved mitochondrial function in dissociated brain cells. Significant improvement was mainly seen in aged animals and only less in young animals. Moreover, the same treatment reduced antioxidant enzyme activities (superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione reductase) in aged mouse brain only, which are elevated as an adaptive response to the increased oxidative stress with aging.
5. In conclusion, therapeutically relevant in vitro and in vivo concentrations of piracetam are able to improve mitochondrial dysfunction associated with oxidative stress and/or aging. Mitochondrial stabilization and protection might be an important mechanism to explain many of piracetam's beneficial effects in elderly patients.

Besides protecting the mitochondria and reversing hypoxic damage it has many beneficial properties.

Piracetam is useful as a long-term treatment for clotting, coagulation, and vasospastic disorders such as Raynaud's phenomenon[38] and deep-vein thrombosis.[19][39] It is an extremely safe anti-thrombotic agent that operates through the novel mechanism of inhibiting platelet aggregation and enhancing blood-cell deformability.[19] Because traditional anti-thrombotic drugs operate through the separate mechanism of inhibiting clotting factors, co-administration of piracetam has been shown to highly complement the efficacy and safety of traditional Warfarin/Heparin anti-coagulation therapy.[40] The most effective treatment range for this use is a daily dose of 4.8 to 9.6 grams divided into three daily doses at 8 hours apart.[39] Piracetam was investigated as a complement or alternative to Warfarin as a safe and effective long-term treatment for recurringdeep-vein thrombosis.[39]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piracetam#Clotting.2C_coagulation.2C_vasospastic_disorders

It has also been shown to reverse aging in rat brains, help with anxiety, alzheimers, the list goes on and on!

Has anyone taken this before?

You can read more about this here:
http://www.longecity.org/forum/topic/176-piracetam-research/

 

[Sushi]

@tdog333

You might want to read this thread on Piracetam.

Sushi

 

[adreno]

I have used it, in different doses. Sometimes it makes me feel energized and clearheaded, other times brain-fogged and sleepy. It also has a tendency to produce depression after a while, makes my sleep lighter, and seems to increase nerve pain.

 

[tdog333]

@Sushi Thanks for the link!

@adreno What dosage did you use, and were the effects noticeable from the first dose, or cumulative?
Did you take it with choline and fish oil?

 

[Martial]

IF you are interested in checking out other herbs for mitochondrial protection I would highly suggest cordyceps, motherwort, rhodiola, Chinese skullcap root, and kudzu. You don't have to take all of them together but they are all very potent in protecting the mitochondria!

Don't know too much about Piracetam but it sounds interesting, though I am already taking way too much stuff already and watching for sides I can't add anymore into the mix :/ Another thing you may find interest in is Broken wall Pine Pollen, this has very similar effects to Piracetam, in regards to other things you mentioned. It is very androgenic so you should take it in capsule form or powder if you are under 40years old if it is in tincture form it produces effects of testosterone replacement so you don't want to do that at your age, some body builders probably abuse this though lol!

 

[adreno]

@adreno What dosage did you use, and were the effects noticeable from the first dose, or cumulative?
Did you take it with choline and fish oil?

Anywhere from 400-4800mg, never could get consistent effects. Yeah, I tried with FO and choline.

 

[heapsreal]

i found piracetam also made me sleepy, maybe through its effects on gaba receptors but other racetams eg aniracetam, pramiracetam are energizing to some degree.

 

[heyitisjustin]

IF you are interested in checking out other herbs for mitochondrial protection I would highly suggest cordyceps, motherwort, rhodiola, Chinese skullcap root, and kudzu. You don't have to take all of them together but they are all very potent in protecting the mitochondria!

How does motherwort protect the mitochondria? I haven't been able to find much on motherwort besides that it helps with tachycardia. Anything you know about it would be useful