Pollywogs!

Nootropil or Piracetam: daddy’s little helper. No, not in any crude sexual way, Piracetam is a nootropic drug which improves memory, attention and learning. And it isn’t a stimulant. Wikipedia has a decent write up on exactly what it is, but a short way of putting it is that it simply “makes your brain work better”. Check this out, if you’d like some dry reading. From a user’s point of view, I’d say that it quiets and centers your brain. It feels like I just got done meditating, all of the time. I feel quiet, composed, alert and aware at any given point in the day, as if that were my ‘normal’ baseline (as opposed to distracted and mentally fatigued, which is my actual ‘normal’ baseline). Apparently a lot of the magic it works is by allowing your various brain areas to communicate more effectively, especially between the right and left hemispheres.

I’m currently taking 800mg twice a day (morning and evening) and the effects are subtle but appreciated. The drug itself is extremely well tolerated, I’ve read that scientists were giving up to 9.6 grams to old folks in some studies with no significant side effects. I’ve read a number of different theories on using it, from people taking a significant dose (4.8 grams seems the most recommended) on the first couple days to prime themselves, then dropping back to a lower maintenance dose. At 1.6 grams a day, I can say that my alertness is no longer disturbed, and I like it. I’ve been flirting with the idea of a megadose day, to see how that goes, but I have no SATs or other challenging mental tasks to accomplish so ramping up my ability seems a little pointless.

The legal status is pretty safe for use in the United States. It is an ‘uncontrolled substance‘, which means you’re allowed to purchase and posses the drug for personal use. It is not regulated, not approved for human consumption, and not scheduled. I purchased mine through mail order from a company in the UK (oh how exciting, buying drugs online from a foriegn country!), along with a B vitamin (Choline) which is recommended as acting synergistcally with piracetam. Apparently you can also purchase it from companies inside the United States as well.

If anyone would like to sample my wares, just shoot me an email ;)