Can you buy racetam nootropics like Piracetam, Pramiracetam powder, Aniracetam capsules, and Phenylpiracetam powder at brick-and-mortar stores like GNC and RiteAid.
Consumers often look for these popular nootropic supplements at retailers like Walmart, Walgreens, Costco or Amazon. However, most of these stores do not carry racetams as single-ingredient products.
There are some multi-ingredient formulas like TruBrain which can be purchased through local stores near you, but the majority of people who take nootropics have to buy these products line.
This article looks at regulations regarding buying racetam nootropics at stores like RiteAid and the Vitamin Shoppe, and why purchasing them online from trusted suppliers is the best idea.



- Promotes brain health & communication
- Supports memory, reasoning & cognition
- Boosts focus, mental clarity & attention
Where to Buy Racetams Online
Related Topics
- Racetam Nootropics
- Best Racetam Stacks
- What is Piracetam?
- Piracetam Reviews
- Piracetam Effects
- What is Oxiracetam?
- Oxiracetam Dosage Guide
- Oxiracetam Reviews
- What is Pramiracetam?
- Pramiracetam User Review
- How Pramiracetam Works
- What is Aniracetam?
- Aniracetam User Reviews
- Aniracetam Benefits
- What is Phenylpiracetam?
- Review of Phenylpiracetam
- Phenylpiracetam Experiences
- Coluracetam Review
- How to Use Coluracetam
- Nefiracetam Review
- Nefiracetam Dosages
- Nefiracetam Experiences
- Fasoracetam Review
You can buy racetams online, but not at the websites for GNC, Walgreens, Walmart, RiteAid, or Vitamin Shoppe.
Racetams are a class of nootropic molecules that are used to enhance cognitive function, improve long-term memory, increase neuroplasticity, support mood balance and increase motivation and energy levels.
Racetams are commonly called “smart drugs.” They are used by students who want to perform better academically, people in the workforce who want to enhance their productivity and by individuals who are concerned with brain health as they age.
Racetams have existed for over 50 years and some of the compounds have been well-researched. Some are used clinically to address cognitive decline and age-related memory loss in certain parts of the world.
The first racetam ever formulated was Piracetam (Nootropil). Variations of this racetam prototype yielded derivatives like Aniracetam and Oxiracetam, and later, Coluracetam, Phenylpiracetam, and many others.
Racetam nootropics are not regulated by the US FDA. They have not been approved in the United States as pharmaceutical drugs for the prevention or treatment of any medical conditions.
Some racetams are over-the-counter or prescription-only medications in some others countries like Russia and Latvia, for instance.
These brain-boosting compounds are legal in North America and in parts of Europe. Depending on where you live, you can buy, possess, and use them without a doctor’s prescription.
Some racetams are sold in the United States as supplemental ingredients. In other parts of the world, they cannot be sold as supplements and are instead provided as bulk powders for research purposes.
There are many different vendors of nootropics based on the internet. The industry has grown significantly in the last decade and consumers have a lot of options.
However, not all retailers follow the same quality guidelines and it is important to only purchase from vendors that conduct 3rd-party laboratory testing and manufacture according to cGMP guidelines.
Even though you may not need a prescription to order racetam powders or capsules online, it is still recommended to check with a doctor before taking these products to determine whether they are appropriate for you.
Common Uses of Racetam
Racetams are nootropic agents, which are a class of substances that are purported to promote memory, cognitive and neuronal health without posing a risk of significant side effects.
Of the racetams currently available for sale, Piracetam is the best-known and the most widely used. Aniracetam, Phenylpiracetam and Pramiracetam are also widely used and have clinical studies supporting their use.
Oxiracetam, Coluracetam and Fasoracetam are three related nootropics that have some research in humans supporting their use, but they are not as widely used as the other compounds. There are many other racetams as well, including less commercially available products like Nefiracetam.
Each of these racetams has a different mechanism of action in the brain and is used for different purposes. Some have energy-boosting effects while others have more pronounced mood-enhancement effects.
Some of the racetams are well-known for supporting cognitive health, circulation and metabolism in brain cells. Other racetams are better associated with memory formation, working memory and attention.
In general, racetams are believed to enhance some areas of cognition – like memory formation and retrieval, learning capacity, and logical thinking.
Broadly, nootropic agents are used to help boost brain function, mental clarity, memory performance and to promote a balanced, productive state of mind.
Students and high-stress workers use racetams to help them stay alert and focused during long shifts of study or job performance.
Aside from their nootropic effects, some racetams are further classified as CNS (central nervous system) stimulants. However, they do not induce CNS stimulation like amphetamine drugs.
Instead, racetams like phenylpiracetam are typically described as promoting a relaxed, calm, and focused mindset. Many users report increased daytime wakefulness and mental alertness when using stimulant racetams.
Adrafinil powder and Modafinil are also CNS stimulants but of a different type. They are considered Eugeroic Stimulants, and they are not part of the racetam family.
In addition to their uses for enhancing brain function in healthy adults, some of these nootropics like Piracetam and Aniracetam have been researched for clinical use. These racetams have been studied in the following conditions:
- ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder);
- ADD (attention deficit disorder);
- Age-related cognitive decline;
- Traumatic brain injury;
- Alzheimer’s disease;
- Parkinson’s disease;
- Stress and anxiety;
- Senile dementia;
- Depression;
While preliminary research has demonstrated benefits in some of these areas, other studies have found negative or minimal effects. More double-blind placebo-controlled trials are required to evaluate therapeutic efficacy. The FDA has not approved any racetam nootropics as drugs for use in medical treatments in the United States.
How Racetams Work
Different racetams work via different mechanisms in the brain. While all share some similar activities such as facilitating neurotransmission, there are key distinctions between these compounds.
Scientists have identified some of the ways these nootropic compounds are thought to work, but are not sure precisely of how they function.
Generally, racetams are thought to cross the blood-brain barrier and modulate receptors for brain chemicals called neurotransmitters.
Some of the neurotransmitters that may be affected by racetams include Acetylcholine, Glutamate, GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), Serotonin, Dopamine, and Noradrenaline (Norepinephrine).
Some racetams are also believed to: [1]
- Increase blood, oxygen, and nutrient delivery to the brain;
- Improve glucose metabolism to boost brain cell energy availability;
- Act as positive allosteric AMPA receptor modulators;
- Support pathways related to long-term memory retention and recall;
- Improve resistance to stressors like cold temperatures;
- Support motivation and mental energy;
- Act as anxiolytics and reduce anxiety in social situations;
- Improve functions related to abstract reasoning;
There are various other possible mechanisms of action for racetam nootropics. Researchers continue to explore the ways that these compounds work inside the brain.

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Can You Buy Racetams at GNC, Walgreens and Walmart?
Although stores like GNC, Walgreens, and Walmart do sell some nootropic supplements, they do not stock pure piracetam powder, or aniracetam capsules, or phenylpiracetam supplements.
Searching the GNC, Walgreens, and Walmart separately for the term “racetam” yields zero results. [2][3][4]
You also cannot buy racetams at stores like RiteAid or Vitamin Shoppe. [5, 6]
Even though these nootropics are legal to buy without a prescription, their regulatory status is unclear. Many retail payment processors will not provide their services to stores that sell racetam compounds.
There is a complex system of laws and regulations set by the FDA that determine how compounds like Piracetam and its derivatives can be marketed, labeled, sold, and distributed.
The nootropic products that you will find for sale in local stores near you will likely contain natural ingredients like Ashwagandha, L-theanine, Ginseng, Valerian, Bacopa Monnieri Extract, and other herbs or vitamins with calming or focus-enhancing effects.
Many nootropic stack formulations also contain a choline source like Alpha GPC, CDP Choline, or Choline Bitartrate.
Amazon And eBay
Amazon previously allowed the sale of certain racetam nootropics, but no longer carry these products.
If you are shopping on Amazon, there are some products named after Noopept, a nootropic that is not technically a racetam but is largely-accepted as one. [7]
Amazon also offers other nootropic products – like Genius In A Bottle, Biohackers Choice, NEURO-PEAK, and NeuroPEPT to name a few.
You can also buy the TruBrain nootropic supplement on Amazon which contains oxiracetam, piracetam or noopept depending on the formulation you are buying. However, there is no pure oxiracetam powder or other pure racetams for sale on Amazon.
eBay sometimes allows the sale of racetams online. A “racetam” search on eBay yields results including Aniracetam, Pramiracetam capsules, Noopept powder, and some others. [8] However, quality is questionable from these vendors as eBay has no quality control to prevent the sale of adulterated products.
Other vendors that carry nootropics online include:
- New Star Nootropics
- Nootropics Depot
- Peak Nootropics
- Nootropics City
- Pure Nootropics
- Absorb Health
- Smart Drugs for Thought
- NutriVita Shop
- SmartPowders.com
- Sun Nootropic
- Nootropic Source
Exercise caution and good judgement when choosing where to buy racetams nootropics online. There are severalsuppliers of these and other nootropics that do not have their products tested regularly for purity and quality.
Nootriment recommends purchasing from trustworthy and well-established racetam nootropic suppliers that have every batch or every product they sell tested by unbiased third-party entities.
Article last updated on: July 6th, 2018 by Nootriment