Aniracetam
Aniracetam is a nootropic that helps with many brain functions. Its primary benefits are improving memory, learning and focus.
It can also help protect the brain and can be used as a form of treatment for elderly patients with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
Among similar nootropics, Aniracetam is unique in its anti-anxiety and mood enhancing effects, not found in any other compound in its class.
What is Aniracetam?
Aniracetam is a nootropic of the racetam family known for its effect on memory. It helps improve memory, focus, and learning capability.
It can also help prevent brain trauma and serve as a form of neuroprotection. The supplement has also shown progress in treating cognitive functions in the elderly, particularly aspects of Alzheimer’s disease.
While similar to piracetam, a drug that has been around longer, aniracetam is unique in that it can improve mood and reduce anxiety and depression.
To date, no other racetam drug has this effect, and may even do the opposite. Because of the low risk of side effects, some people seek out aniracetam as a replacement for Adderall or other depression medications.
In some countries, aniracetam has been approved for medical use in treating elderly patients with degenerative cognitive disorders, as well as attention disorders and as a general memory aid.
It is not accepted as a primary medical treatment for any treatment in North America but can be obtained as a nootropic and used in stacks.
Aniracetam has great potential for memory, learning capability, aging-related mental impairments, and, anecdotally, may be an effective anti-anxiety treatment.
Also known as:
N-anisoyl-2-pyrrolidinone , 1-p-anisoyl-2-pyrrilidinone, Ro 13-5057, CAS 72432-10-1, 1(4-methoxybenzoyl)-2-pyrrolidinone, Draganon, Memrodrin, Sarpul
Editor’s Note
I’ve found aniracetam to be a great way to stimulate my brain and improve focus at times when I need it. I can concentrate on tasks for longer without becoming unmotivated.
In addition to an increased mental clarity, aniracetam can also give me better eye-hand coordination, although I don’t feel this effect consistently. I’ve never experienced any noticeable side effects some users have mentioned, like headaches.
The stimulation it provides is like feeling a light, gradual boost of energy that keeps me more awake.
It’s not as strong of a rush as caffeine, but I can more easily direct my energy into a productive task. I’ve also tried piracetam, but prefer aniracetam, the more potent of the two.
I like being able to take a smaller dose and still have the same, or usually improved, effects. I did notice, however, that taking aniracetam made it hard to sleep if I took it too soon before going to bed.
I would be able to fall asleep but would wake up frequently until the supplement wore off.
The anti-anxiety factor is a very significant one. It’s the biggest different between aniracetam and piracetam (or any other drugs in the racetam family).
I’m not especially prone to anxiety, but piracetam occasionally gave me feelings of anxiety. Friends and family members around me also noticed that I was more emotionally volatile.
While I can’t speak firsthand to the effects of aniracetam on elderly patients and Alzheimer’s, research in this area is significant and on the rise.
Aniracetam Reviews
Within online communities, some have found aniracetam to be highly effective. You can view some of these user testimonials below:
“Aniracetam has severely reduced my anxiety, has allowed me to take back control of my life and has given me a new sense of purpose through increased mental clarity, focus and motivation.”
– simplicitea
“Well, it’s only been about 5 days since I started taking Aniracetam daily but the results are already quite staggering. Decreased anxiety, cheerier attitude, better focus, less frustration, better sleep. I’m not sure why it’s affecting me the way it is so far but I only hope that it keeps up as time goes on.” -Enzor
“First and foremost I have found myself much more resilient to stress than I would normally be. Things that would spin me up in the past are barely even noticeable, and it is exponentially easier to shrug off all but the largest of stressors as if they did not even occur. I have had an elevated mood also. Feelings of happiness and contentment come much more easily to me, and I will catch myself smiling without understanding why. It is a very pleasant change from my previous baseline. I have a much easier time focusing on tasks, and accomplishing goals.” -DarrenRM
Benefits and effects
- Memory improvement
- Focus and learning ability
- Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia
- Mood and Anxiety
Memory Improvement
One of Aniracetam’s primary and most well-known uses is to improve memory. Aniracetam can not only enhance memory but aid in memory formation.
This is great news for students hoping to cram for exams. The ability to improve memory also has the potential to significantly help in the aging process and address diseases affecting the central nervous system.
Among rodents with impaired cognitive functions, an oral treatment of aniracetam improved cognition within three weeks.
This study found that mice and rats avoided short-term and induced amnesia, depending on their size and the dosage.
Focus and Learning Ability
Taking aniracetam supplements increases blood flow and activity in the association cortex of the brain. This cortex is associated with holistic thinking and the ability to connect concepts into a whole.
The same study testing cognitive functions in rats found that aniracetam improved various areas of learning and memory, resulting in increased task completion and productivity.
Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia
Aniracetam is especially beneficial for elderly patients. In one study, elderly patients with Alzheimer’s-related dementia took 1500 mg a day.
They showed greater improvements than placebo groups and those taking higher doses of piracetam. Aniracetam caused no harmful or significant side effects.
Researchers continue to study the possibility of aniracetam as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease and other disorders in the central nervous system.
Mood and Anxiety
Aniracetam is the only nootropic in its class that has both anti-anxiety and anti-depression effects. In addition to the mental boost it can provide, many people take aniracetam for its anxiety-reducing and mood-boosting properties.
This chemical compound influences AMPA modulation. AMPA is key to moderating mood-related issues in the brain including the decrease of depression.
This is the same area of the brain that affects cognitive ability, which is why aniracetam has been shown to improve memory and focus.
Aniracetam stimulates GABA receptors in the brain and increases dopamine and serotonin levels. All of these factors help to reduce anxiety and elevate mood. The supplement also boosts sociability and motivation.
In one study on the link between depression and memory-enhancing drugs, including aniracetam, researchers found that rats displayed less submissive behavior after three weeks of treatment.
The results indicate that aniracetam could be effective in treating not only anxiety but depression too.
How It Works
Aniracetam, a part of the racetam chemical family, is a fat-soluble nootropic. It is best absorbed with a fatty acid, either a meal or a snack containing fatty acids like yogurt.
It is also an AMPA modulator, which means it stimulates AMPA receptors to release brain-derived neurotrophic factors, a chemical necessary for your brain to function efficiently. The result is increased cognitive functions, like memory and learning capacity.
Uniquely, aniracetam improves mood and lessens anxiety, including social anxiety without producing a feeling of sedation.
It does so by increasing activating dopamine receptors in the brain. Currently, aniracetam has shown the most influence over AMPA than any other racetam compound.
Most users start to feel the effects of aniracetam between 30 to 60 minutes after consumption.
Increasing your dosage doesn’t speed up the time it takes for you to feel an effect, but a greater dose could help lengthen the longevity of the effects to some extent.
Aniracetam has a short half-life, which refers to the time when it can be detected in your bloodstream. Its half-life is two hours.
However, you don’t stop feeling the effects at this time. You’ll most likely feel the effects of aniracetam for up to four to five hours.
Dosage
The standard dosage for aniracetam is two servings of 750 mg a day.
It comes in capsule or powder form. While the powder reacts slightly faster, it has a bitter taste that might turn off some users.
The lowest effective dose reported has been 400 mg, but 1000 to 1500 mg, divided into two doses, appears to be the most effective. Aniracetam is also effective when taken as three or four smaller doses spread throughout the day.
Aniracetam is a very potent and fast-acting nootropic that is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream. As a fat-soluble compound, aniracetam needs to be digested with fatty acids.
While there is some evidence that it can be consumed without food, we still recommend taking aniracetam with meals.
Side Effects
In general, aniracetam is very safe and shows few adverse effects. Healthy adults usually tolerate the drug very well. The same is true for most racetam nootropics.
Aniracetam’s possible side effects include headaches, vertigo, nervousness, insomnia, nausea, and diarrhea.
Fortunately, these side effects are usually mild and only tend to occur when the user takes higher than average doses. Side effects also disappear more quickly because of aniracetam’s short half-life.
The most common side effect reported are headaches. Users found that Choline or other aniracetam stacks helped alleviate this effect.
Don’t take aniracetam while taking fat-blocker or carb-blocker supplements, which will prevent your body from fully absorbing this nootropic.
Stacking
Aniracetam, Choline, and Fish Oil Stack
This stack helps with focus and anxiety. Choline can also prevent you from getting headaches, the most common reported side effect of aniracetam.
Start with one dose a day. If needed, you can increase your dosage to twice a day, one in the morning and one in the late afternoon or early evening.
- 750 mg Aniracetam
- 500 mg Choline
- 1000mg fish oil
Aniracetam, L-Theanine and Bacopa Stack
If you’re taking aniracetam for anxiety, this is the stack for you. L-theanine is a natural supplement found in green tea leaves that is often taken for anxiety and sleep.
Bacopa helps reduce stress and also improve cognitive functions. L-theanine is often taken with caffeine to avoid feelings of sedation or drowsiness.
Try this stack once a day using:
- 500 mg Aniracetam
- 200 mg L-theanine
- 150 mg Bacopa
- 100 mg caffeine (optional)
Best Alternative to Aniracetam
- Piracetam
- Rhodiola Rosea
- Noopept
1. Piracetam
Both piracetam and aniracetam are part of the racetam family of drugs.
Piracetam was developed first, but aniracetam is said to be more potent. As a result, their dosages are very different, requiring you to take more piracetam to feel any effect.
Piracetam’s advantage is that it has a much higher half-life, with its effects lasting six to eight hours, compared to four to five hours for aniracetam.
This nootropic improves cognitive function, making it a viable form of alternative treatment for dementia or Alzheimer’s.
- Positive results for heart disease and brain trauma
- Helps with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease
- Might improve longevity
- Water-soluble; doesn’t need to be taken with food
- Effects last 6-8 hours
- Higher dosage needed (4000 – 4800 mg)
- Cheaper than aniracetam
2. Rhodiola Rosea
Rhodiola Rosea is an herbal supplement that can improve cognitive function and mood. It’s an adaptogen, which helps the brain cope with internal and external stressors.
Decreasing stress levels can also result in increased longevity. Rhodiola can also reduce physical and mental fatigue. Anyone from athletes to students can benefit.
- Improves brain function
- Decreases stress and fatigue
- Improves mood and reduces anxiety
- Water-soluble
- Effects last around 4 hours
- Cheaper than aniracetam
3. Noopept
Noopept is one of the strongest nootropics on the market. It increases mental capacity, including memory, learning, and focus, while also acting as a mild stimulant.
Like aniracetam, it metabolizes quickly and can pass the brain blood barrier.
Noopept is more powerful than aniracetam. However, it has a much shorter half-life.
Researchers have found that Noopept remains detectable in the bloodstream for only 30 to 60 minutes. Users report that feeling the effects of Noopept up to three to four hours after consumption.
- Improves cognitive function, learning capacity, memory, and focus
- Has mood-boosting effects
- Could help with Alzheimer’s disease
- Can be taken as a powder or capsule
- Effects last 3-4 hours
- Slightly cheaper than aniracetam
Closing Thoughts
Aniracetam is an effective nootropic for many cognitive functions.
Its effects range from everyday use and mental enhancement to treatment of damaging diseases affecting the central nervous system.
Elderly patients with Alzheimer’s and dementia can benefit from aniracetam’s effects on cognitive functions. Those suffering from anxiety and depression can see improvements with this supplement.
Finally, aniracetam can help anyone enhance their memory and learning capacity.
Users, including myself, have found that the nootropic results in heightened focus, better ability to concentrate on tasks at hand, and better hand-eye coordination.
If you’re looking for a mental boost with low risk, aniracetam might be worth a try.