165 lines
8.5 KiB
Plaintext
165 lines
8.5 KiB
Plaintext
From: drk20509@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (deadwolf)
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Newsgroups: alt.drugs
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Subject: text3
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Message-ID: <1991Oct24.152157.20951@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>
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Date: 24 Oct 91 15:21:57 GMT
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Excerpts from "Smart Drugs & Nutrients" by Ward Dean MD & John Morgenthaler
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Piracetam (Nootropyl)
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Piracetam is reported to be an intelligence booster and CNS (central nervous
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system) stimulant with no known toxicity or addictive properties. Piracetam
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is inexpensive (under $0.85 per day) and available by mail (see appendix A.)
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The subjective effect described by some people is that piracetam, "wakes up
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your brain." You'll find more personal accounts of the effects of this
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remarkable drug in the case histories and testimonials appendix. It's effects
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and safety are so impressive that piracetam prompted the creation of a new
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pharmaceutical category called nootropics.
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The term nootropic comes from a Greek word meaning "acting on the mind".
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Since the invention of piracetam by UCB Laboratories in Belgium, other
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pharmaceutical companies have been scrambling to develop their own
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nootropics. Some of them being researched now include; vinpocetine,
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aniracetam, pramiracetam, and oxiracetam. As yet, there is no nootropic
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compound that id FDA approved for sale in the US, but there is plenty of
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motivation on the part of pharmaceutical companies to get that approval.
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Financial analysts expect that the US market for these cognitive enhancers
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will soon be in excess of $1-billion per year (Pelton, 1989).
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Piracetam is very similar in molecular structure to the amino acid
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pyroglutamate (see Pyroglutamate). Piracetam and pyroglutamate have the same
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"base" chemical structure, the 2-oxo-pyrrolidine, but they differ by the side
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chain. Pyroglutamate is 2-oxo-pyrrolidine carboxylic acid, and piracetam is
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2-oxo-pyrrolidine acetamide.
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Piracetam enhances cognition under conditions of hypoxia (too little oxygen),
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and also enhances memory and some kinds of learning in normal humans. Outside
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of the US, piracetam is used to treat alcoholism, stroke, vertigo, senile
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dementia, sickle cell anemia, dyslexia, and numerous other health problems
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(Pelton, 1989).
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The effect of piracetam can be increased if taken with DMAE, centrophenoxine,
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choline, or Hydergine. When choline and piracetam are taken together there is
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a synergistic effect that causes a greater improvement in memory than the sum
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of each when taken alone (Bartus, 1981).
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We know of one person who claims she feels slightly agitated and depressed if
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she takes piracetam for more than a week without a choline supplement. This
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feeling is alleviated for her with a single dose of choline. It may be that
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the piracetam causes acetylcholine to be used up more quickly and that the
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choline helps to replace this important neurotransmitter.
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Once fascinating study suggests that piracetam might increase the number of
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cholinergic receptors in the brain. Older mice were given piracetam for two
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weeks and then the density of muscarinic cholinergic receptors in their
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frontal cortexes was measured. The researchers found that these older mice
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had 30-40% higher density of these receptors than before. (Pilch, 1988).
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Piracetam, unlike many other drugs, appears to have a regenerative effect on
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the nervous system.
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One theory of Alzheimer's disease is that the decline of intellectual
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functions is partly caused by a decreased activity of the cholinergic system
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in the brain caused by cell death and cell degeneration. The researchers in
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the above study speculated that their findings could explain how piracetam
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works and could also explain the finding of Bartus, et. al. regarding a
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profound effect of combining choline with piracetam on memory enhancement of
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old rats.
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As mentioned previously the late drug researcher Arthur Cherkin related to us
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that he believed the combination of Hydergine and Piracetam potentiate each
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other by 5 times. This highlights the importance of adjusting the dosage when
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multiple substances are taken because, some of these substances will cause
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paradoxical effects when excessive amounts are taken.
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Although piracetam is a derivative of GABA (gamma amino butyric acid, a
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neurotransmitter), there is no evidence that piracetam works through the
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GABAergic system. Some research even suggests GABA may even inhibit memory
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and learning (Zhang, 1989).
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Precautions: Piracetam may increase the effects of certain drugs, such as
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amphetamines, psychotropics, and Hydergine, as stated. Adverse effects are
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rare but include insomnia, psychomotor agitation, nausea, gastrointestinal
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distress, and headaches. Piracetam has virtually no known toxicity or
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contraindications.
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Dosage: Piracetam is supplied in 400mg or 800mg capsules or tablets. The
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usual dose is 2400 to 4800 mg per day in three divided doses. Some literature
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recommends that the first two days a high "attack" dose should be taken. We
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have noticed that often when people first take piracetam they do not notice
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any effect at all until they take a high dose (approximately 4000 to
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8000mg). Thereafter, they may notice that a lower dosage is sufficient.
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Piracetam takes effect within 30 to 60 minutes.
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Sources: Piracetam is not sold in the US. It can be purchased over the
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counter in Mexico or by mail form the sources listed in appendix A. Other
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names include: Avigilen, Cerebroforte, Cerebrospan, Cetam, Dinagen,
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Encefalux, Encetrop, Euvifor, gabacet, Genogris, Memo-Puren, Nootron,
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Nootrop, Nootropil, Nootropyl, Normabrain, Norzetam, Pirroxil, Psycotron,
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Stimucortex, and UCB-6215.
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------
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APPENDIX D: Testimonials & Case Histories
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Testimonials and case histories are always suspect in scientific circles.
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This is because the human mind is so powerful at producing the placebo
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effect. Humans repeatedly experience powerful drug effects from taking
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inactive substances when they believe that the substances are drugs. That is
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why we rely on references to scientific research for the information we
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present.
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We include this appendix of testimonials and case histories so that you may
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orient yourself as to which substances you would like to try. If you would
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like to share your experiences with us, whether they are similar or different
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than the ones described here, please feel free to write to the authors c/o
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B&J Publications, PO Box 483, Santa Cruz, CA 95061-0483.
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Piracetam:
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"My secretary responded so well to piracetam (at doses of only 800mg) that I
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decided to give her a small raise so she could afford it. She takes piracetam
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instead of heading for the coffee machine. Every day she takes it she is
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decidedly more alert, and intelligent acting and she smiles more. She is
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overall a much better employee. She says it wakes up her brain." -JM
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"Piracetam keeps me alert when I am driving. It also helps me to formulate
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new and different ideas when I am taking essay tests in school." - DB
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"I liked piracetam so much that I decided to try it with vincamine and
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xanthinol nicotinate. I took standard doses of all three - 2400mg of
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piracetam, 20mg of vincamine, and 300mg of xanthinol nicotinate. I actually
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felt stupid! I had the "right on the tip of my tongue" response for hours.
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Recently a friend suggested that I combine Hydergine with piracetam,
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explaining that the two synergize each other, and that I should try a small
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dose of each. I had tried Hydergine years ago and liked it a lot, but found
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it prohibitively expensive. I decided to experiment with these two in
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combination with ginkgo biloba. I started with what I thought were very small
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quantities, 1/4mg of Hydergine, 200mg of piracetam, and 50mg of ginkgo, but
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found the combination to be extraordinary. I've tried many different
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cognitive enhancers, but this low-cost, low-dose combination is my favorite."
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-BP
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"I started taking piracetam with choline about a year ago and have found
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this combination to be one of the best things that ever happened to me. I no
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longer get extreme mood swings, I am much happier in general, and my
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concentration and speaking ability is better. I also found that my
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relationships with family and friends have improved, probably due to my
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increased self confidence." - HH
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"I took two grams of piracetam and, after 30 minutes, I began to find my
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boyfriend much more sexually attractive. I assumed this was as fluke since I
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had never heard of this effect from piracetam. Since this experience I have
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taken piracetam every day for two months and every time, without fail, it has
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the same effect. Piracetam has vastly improved my sex life." -DB
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"Intelligence is the ultimate aphrodisiac." - Tim Leary
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