A family of synthetic pyrrolidone compounds developed as pharmaceuticals from the 1960s onward, sold online as nootropics. Noopept is a related dipeptide developed in Russia.
These are drugs, and describing them any other way misleads. Piracetam is a prescription medicine in parts of Europe for myoclonus and cognitive disorders; phenylpiracetam was developed for Soviet cosmonauts and is prohibited in sport; noopept is a prescription product in Russia. None is an approved dietary supplement anywhere in the US, and regulators have stated explicitly that piracetam does not meet the statutory definition of a dietary ingredient — yet analysis of products sold as supplements found piracetam present at pharmaceutical doses, with actual content frequently differing from the label, sometimes by a wide margin. The efficacy evidence for cognitive enhancement in healthy people, which is what they are marketed for, is close to non-existent; the trial literature that exists concerns clinical populations and is mostly old and weak.
Sold as
Powder, Capsule, Sold online as "research chemical" or nootropic, Prescription medicine in some countries
Standardised to
Nominally milligrams; analytical studies found supplement content departing substantially from labels, including products with none of the declared compound — a product without this marker may not resemble what was studied.
Regulation: Not approved as dietary supplements in the US, where regulators have stated piracetam does not meet the definition of a dietary ingredient. Piracetam is a prescription medicine in much of Europe and noopept is prescription-only in Russia. Phenylpiracetam is prohibited in sport by the World Anti-Doping Agency. Products are frequently sold with "not for human consumption" labelling to sidestep regulation, which is a legal manoeuvre rather than a safety measure.
What the research used
The amounts, forms and durations published trials of Racetams and noopept actually administered.
These are the amounts published trials administered — not a recommendation, and not a dose to copy. Trial participants were screened, supervised and given a characterised preparation. What is in a retail bottle is frequently not what was studied, and the amount that suits one person is not general advice.
Studied for Clinical use of piracetam (Europe)
2400–4800 mg
Limited
Divided doses, prescribed
Doses used in licensed European indications such as cortical myoclonus, under medical supervision. They are not a template for self-administration.
Studied for Amounts found in products sold as supplements
831–1452 mg
Not enough
Per recommended serving in an analysis of US products
From an independent analysis, which found doses at pharmaceutical levels and content differing from labels by more than a factor of two in some products. Following label instructions could deliver several grams a day of an unapproved drug.
This is general information about food, not medical advice. It cannot diagnose, treat or replace guidance from a clinician who knows your history.
When it was taken
Each window says whether a trial compared it against an alternative, or whether it is convention and pharmacology. Most timing advice is the second kind.
None of the timings below were directly compared in a trial. They reflect how the research happened to dose, or what the pharmacology implies — which is not the same as a timing being better.
🕐Any time
Not enough
No meaningful timing research exists for supplement use. Clinical piracetam dosing is divided across the day.
Timing was not directly compared. This reflects convention or how the compound behaves in the body, not a trial showing this window works better.
The evidence in depth
Best supported: Not enough
What each association actually rests on, and the papers behind it. A rating describes the state of the research, not how promising the supplement sounds. How we rate evidence.
A systematic review of piracetam in dementia concluded the published evidence did not support its use. Nothing supports these compounds for age-related cognitive decline.
Not enough evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.
There is essentially no credible evidence that racetams improve cognition in healthy people. A Cochrane review of piracetam for dementia and cognitive impairment found the evidence did not support its use in that population either, and noopept has almost no published trial data outside Russia.
What may be going on: Proposed effects on AMPA receptor modulation and membrane fluidity. The mechanisms remain poorly characterised despite decades of use.
Not enough evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.
Systematic review · The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2001 · PMID 11405971
Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.
Things to know
Interactions, contraindications and dose limits, most serious first. Concentrated extracts interact with medication in ways the whole plant does not, so this section carries more weight here than it does on a food page.
Worth knowing
Not lawful supplements, and sold as research chemicals
US regulators have stated these do not meet the definition of a dietary ingredient. Sellers commonly label products "not for human consumption" or "for research use only" specifically to avoid supplement regulation, which means there is no manufacturing standard, no adverse event reporting, and no obligation for the contents to match the label.
Worth knowing
Prescription medicines in other countries
Piracetam is prescribed under medical supervision in Europe, noopept in Russia. Buying either online and self-dosing removes the monitoring that those regulatory systems consider necessary, for compounds with poorly characterised mechanisms.
Worth knowing
Content does not match the label
Independent analysis of products sold as supplements found piracetam quantities differing from declared amounts by a wide margin, and some products containing none. A person following the serving instructions has no reliable idea what dose they are taking.
Piracetam has antiplatelet activity and interacts with anticoagulants, and it should be stopped before surgery. Combining these compounds with each other, with stimulants, or with alcohol and sedatives is common in the nootropic community and has no safety evidence behind it. Phenylpiracetam is prohibited in sport.
Too much
Agitation, headache and sleep disruption
Reported effects include headache, agitation, irritability, insomnia and gastrointestinal upset. Long-term safety in healthy people has not been studied for any of them.