Nefiracetam

Other names DM-9384

Nefiracetam is used by some to improve mood, memory, and focus. But how science-backed is it really? Read on to find out.

This nootropic has no healthy human placebo-controlled studies that meet our inclusion criteria. Negative side effects can occur if used carelessly, so make sure you’re aware of the risks of Nefiracetam.

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Benefits

Read about the effects of Nefiracetam in relation to the amount of evidence we've found

Can nefiracetam enhance your memory and cognitive performance?

No published studies have examined the effects of nefiracetam in healthy humans.

In an unpublished study that has been referred to in other texts in the scientific literature, the following was found:

"Psychomotor performance in 6 healthy male volunteers was not significantly affected by nefiracetam 600mg daily for 1 week." [1]

There have been some studies in people with various forms of cognitive disorders, but none of them have been published in English [2].

There's some animal evidence that nefiracetam can protect learning:

"In aged rabbits, nefiracetam 10 mg/kg facilitated acquisition of eye blink classical conditioning." [3]

It also protected rats and other animals from several forms of chemically induced memory impairment [4].

It should be kept in mind that these benefits were noted in animal studies. Animals are in many ways different than humans in how they respond to substances. The animals also had heavily impaired cognitive performance heavily. Cognitive performance was preserved, not enhanced.

To conclude, there is some evidence of beneficial effects from nefiracetam on certain cognitive functions, but this evidence is of very low quality and much better data is needed before any practically useful takeaways for healthy humans can be extracted.

Can nefiracetam improve your mood?

No published studies have examined the effects of nefiracetam in healthy humans.

In one study [5] that examined the effects of nefiracetam in patients with poststroke depression the drug reduced apathy but not depression in a dose-dependent manner.

Apathy is a lack of feeling, interest, or emotion, so a rough inversion of the term could be motivation. A lack of motivation, or apathy, are both common symptoms of depression.

Another study found that only the largest dose (900mg, but not 600mg) was effective for only the most depressed post-stroke patients [6].

So could nefiracetam boost your mood? Considering that there's no evidence in healthy humans, it is impossible to say. But if one wants to go to less reliable sources of data and make conclusions based on studies in diseased people, that evidence says no. It may have beneficial effects for some aspects of a person's mood (apathy, specifically), and in very specific populations of people (people with severe mood issues, specifically). However, the closer the mood disturbance severity is to a healthy person, the less of an effect does nefiracetam appear to exert. Nefiracetam is likely not an effective mood enhancer for healthy people, but there is a need for more data before it can be definitively concluded.

To see anecdotal reports from people who have used nefiracetam, see the FAQ section below.

Risks

The legality and side effects of Nefiracetam

You should always consider the risks of a nootropic before you use it.

There is a relatively large amount of human evidence on the safety of nefiracetam [1].

For example, in one study, the following safety profile was established amongst participants who received nefiracetam:

" Nefiracetam was judged 'safe' or 'almost safe' in 98 to 99% of 297 patients receiving a dosage of 150 to 450mg daily for 8 weeks. Adverse events, mainly gastrointestinal, occurred in 1 % of patients given 150 or 300 mg/day and 5.1 % of those receiving 450 mg/day." [2]

In another study [5], 48 participants were given 600mg, and 54 people were given 900mg nefiracetam. There was also a placebo control group in this study. No differences between any of the groups in the frequency of negative side effects were found. Nefiracetam in these relatively high doses had no negative side effects compared with placebo in humans after 12 weeks of daily use.

This data is promising. But there are some animal studies suggesting kidney and testicle toxicity [11][12] from nefiracetam when it was administered in very high doses. Based on the evidence available, it is unlikely that such effects occur in humans, but there is not enough data to make any valid conclusions with confidence.

There still have not been any studies in humans examining the effects of years of daily use of nefiracetam, so toxic or other negative side effects from very long periods of nefiracetam use cannot be ruled out.

While nefiracetam appears safe in humans when used for up to 12 weeks in up to 900mg doses, it has a stigma attached to it many people's minds, because of its toxic effects in some animals. There's a lack of data on the long-term effects of nefiracetam use in humans.

Side effects

Interactions

Supplements and drugs can interact with Nefiracetam to increase or decrease the positive or negative effects you experience. If you are already using any supplements or drugs, speak with your trusted medical professional before you experiment with Nefiracetam. To learn more about the potential interactions between Nefiracetam and other substances, use interaction-checker.

Legality

Is your country not included? Learn how to find out if Nefiracetam is legal in your country.

Legality Disclaimer

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about Nefiracetam

How does nefiracetam work?

Nefiracetam has been found to exert glutamatergic [13][14], cholinergic [15][16], and GABAergic [17] activity in cell and animal studies.

The neuropsychopharmacological effects of nefiracetam have not yet fully been discovered by researchers.

Should you use nefiracetam?

One thing that is certain about the effects of nefiracetam is that we know relatively little about them. There is a lack of high-quality research, especially in healthy humans.

Because of the lack of research on nefiracetam, we never recommend that people use it.

If you have already decided to use it, here are some guidelines to maximize the benefits and minimize the risks.

How much and how often should you use nefiracetam?

In human studies, doses between 10 and 900mg tend to be given to participants [6][19]. It is usually taken daily.

Anecdotal reports from self-experimenters posting how they use it on the web tend to be around 100mg, 1-3 times daily.

How does it feel when you take nefiracetam?

The following qualitative user experience reports and reviews are included to give you an understanding of what the experience of taking nefiracetam is like.

Anecdotal nefiracetam experience reports and reviews from Reddit

One redditor had the following effects from nefiracetam:

"Felt an interesting clarity of mind. Like things just seemed simpler and just made sense easier." [20]

Another person said the following on Reddit:

"Its only been 2 days but I must say, it seems to really be working with my brain chemistry or something. None of the other racetams and few nootropics in general have had such noticeable effects on me. I simply feel like my mind has less static; my thinking is just more goal/point oriented without contradictions going on in my head. An increase in coherent thinking is a good way to describe it. Its like, things just seem more simple. [...] I am dosing at 150mg, 3 times per day." [21]

And a third user reported the following:

"I have been taking it on and off for two weeks now with really positive results. [...] I had a biochm exam last week, and I took a single dose the day before while studying and took another the dose two hours before the exam. All I can say that it is one of the most effective supplement. I have used for studying. I got 94% on that exam, which is my highest so far this semester, and I didn't even study as much.

Normally when I'm studying, I would have to go back and review multiple times to be able to fully memorize the material, but with nefiracetam, it's just so easy to get the information in my memory and to be able to recall it with no effort.

I find nefiracetam to be non-stimulatory, and it has subtle effect in terms mind clarity and focus, but if you pair it with studying, it's makes it so easy to grasp all the concepts and materials with less effort." [22]

Yet another person said the following:

"It's like everyone had their brights on, and the green and red traffic lights had a glow around them. It was distracting at times, actually. The color enhancement was extreme. I have that on other racetams, but usually at higher doses. This was only 100mg twice in a day, and it happened. Also, I got drunk very quickly, as expected. 3 beers feels like 6. All fairly standard for racetams in my experience, just at much lower doses. Music still sounds fantastic. That is all. [...] I just realized that I forgot to eat today, and my shirt is on inside out. Coincidence or nefiracetam? I'll let you be the judge" [23]

How fast does nefiracetam reach peak concentrations in the blood?

In the serum of healthy humans, the max concentration of nefiracetam was reached after 2h independent of which dose between 10 and 200mg participants had been given [24].

What is the half-life of nefiracetam?

In healthy humans, it is 3-5h [25].

Does taking nefiracetam with food alter its effects?

There was no difference in how the drug moved through the body once absorbed when taken with or without food [26]. This likely means that food timing will have minimal impact on the effects of nefiracetam.

The effects may take a bit longer to come if you take nefiracetam with food [27], but they will probably be the same once they come.

Studies

Studies conducted on the effects of Nefiracetam in healthy humans

Last updated Saturday, June 10, 2023