Analyses: 'supplements' with piracetam
They are officially prohibited, but of course you can buy them on the web: supplements with piracetam. The American supplement expert Pieter Cohen warns the daredevils who laugh about the possible health risks of these products.
Piracetam
Piracetam is an experimental drug against dementia and forgetfulness that was developed in the second half of the twentieth century. According to some trials [Acta Psychiatr Scand. 1976;54(2):150-60.] and case studies [Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2013;35(4).] Piracetam improves mental and cognitive ability in this group, but more recent reviews contradict that.
According to a 2004 Cochrane review, for which the researchers used 24 studies, the quality of most research was not always one hundred percent. Besides, for every trial in which piracetam was effective, there was a trial in which piracetam hardly worked. [Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2004, Issue 1.]
Study
Limiting himself to products that were sold as a 'supplement', Cohen bought several jars of piracetam from 5 producers and analyzed their content. Officially, those products are not allowed. In 2004, the FDA decided that piracetam should not be in supplements. The situation is no different in the EU, where pharmacological substances such as piracetam may not be marketed as supplements.
Results
The capsules of 4 brands were pretty good - in the sense that they contained what they should contain according to the labels. Cohen discovered that the amount of piracetam in the capsules deviated a few percent more than is permitted in pharmaceutical producers, but okay.
However, Cohen found no trace of piracetam in the Specialty Pharmacy capsules.
Medical manuals advise doctors to prescribe piracetam in doses of 2400-4800 milligrams. On their labels, the producers ignored this. Cognitive Nutrition, the producer of The Neuropill, even advised users a maximum intake of more than 11000 milligrams per day.
Conclusion
"Until the law governing supplements is reformed such that products can be effectively removed from the market, clinicians should advise patients that supplements are marketed as cognitive enhancers may contain prohibited drugs at supratherapeutic doses", Cohen writes.
Source: JAMA Intern Med. 2019;e195507.
They are officially prohibited, but of course you can buy them on the web: supplements with piracetam. The American supplement expert Pieter Cohen warns the daredevils who laugh about the possible health risks of these products.
Piracetam
Piracetam is an experimental drug against dementia and forgetfulness that was developed in the second half of the twentieth century. According to some trials [Acta Psychiatr Scand. 1976;54(2):150-60.] and case studies [Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2013;35(4).] Piracetam improves mental and cognitive ability in this group, but more recent reviews contradict that.
According to a 2004 Cochrane review, for which the researchers used 24 studies, the quality of most research was not always one hundred percent. Besides, for every trial in which piracetam was effective, there was a trial in which piracetam hardly worked. [Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2004, Issue 1.]
Study
Limiting himself to products that were sold as a 'supplement', Cohen bought several jars of piracetam from 5 producers and analyzed their content. Officially, those products are not allowed. In 2004, the FDA decided that piracetam should not be in supplements. The situation is no different in the EU, where pharmacological substances such as piracetam may not be marketed as supplements.
Results
The capsules of 4 brands were pretty good - in the sense that they contained what they should contain according to the labels. Cohen discovered that the amount of piracetam in the capsules deviated a few percent more than is permitted in pharmaceutical producers, but okay.
However, Cohen found no trace of piracetam in the Specialty Pharmacy capsules.
Medical manuals advise doctors to prescribe piracetam in doses of 2400-4800 milligrams. On their labels, the producers ignored this. Cognitive Nutrition, the producer of The Neuropill, even advised users a maximum intake of more than 11000 milligrams per day.
Conclusion
"Until the law governing supplements is reformed such that products can be effectively removed from the market, clinicians should advise patients that supplements are marketed as cognitive enhancers may contain prohibited drugs at supratherapeutic doses", Cohen writes.
Source: JAMA Intern Med. 2019;e195507.
