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Nefiracetam is a relatively new nootropic supplement used to boost brainpower by increasing activity at certain key areas in the brain.
With limited commercial availability at present, Nefiracetam is one of the lesser known Nootropic drugs from the Racetam family.
It was originally derived from Piracetam but it actually shares more structural similarities to the supplement Aniracetam.
Both compounds are fat soluble and can be used to improve memory and learning capacity while also possessing some beneficial neuroprotective properties.
Despite having its first Phase I study completed only in the year 1994, Nefiracetam has since undergone a large amount of testing to determine not only its effects and benefits but also the overall safety for human consumption.
Before deciding whether Nefiracetam is right for you, it is a good idea to examine the mechanism of action, benefits and potential side effects of this supplement.
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Benefits of Nefiracetam:
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The main reason for using Nefiracetam and nootropics in general is to achieve some type of cognitive enhancement.
There are many independent functions that make up cognition, but some of the most fundamental areas include memory and learning capacity, critical analysis or logical thinking, attention, perception and planning or impulse control.
Nefiracetam and its fellow Racetams are particularly noted for being able to improve many of these areas of cognition.
One of the primary Nefiracetam benefits is better memory and information retention in the long-term.
There have been studies showing that this supplement can even lead to improvements in spatial learning abilities. Nefiracetam also has a much more potent effect on increasing attention spans, concentration and focus as compared to other nootropics like Pramiracetam, Oxiracetam or Piracetam.
It may also be helpful in treating patients with cognitive decline as well as improving the health and maintenance of your brain cells. Taking Nefiracetam is thought to actually protect brain neurons from premature cell death due to cytoprotective actions.
Like Aniracetam, Nefiracetam has been found useful for reducing stress, anxiety, and even depression. The mechanisms of action for these supplements are similar in many respects, but Nefiracetam seems to exhibit a wider range of effects.
For example, Nefiracetam is highly GABAergic and monoaminergic while Aniracetam does not seem to have as strong an effect in these areas. This may explain why Nefiracetam is an even more powerful anxiolytic than its cousin Aniracetam.
There has even been a study which indicates that Nefiracetam can be successful in treating severely clinically depressed patients.
Studies also indicate that this supplement might be effective in treating seizures. This includes both convulsive and non-convulsive seizures. The primary effect is to greatly reduce the effects of amygdala based seizures and use for stroke patients in reducing the number and duration of post-stroke seizures.
Mechanism Of Action:
Nefiracetam works in a few different mechanisms of action, some of which comport closely with other Racetams and others which you may not be familiar with from using Aniracetam or Piracetam.
The first of these is through prolonging the opening of calcium channels. By taking Nefiracetam, you can enhance the signaling of a receptor independent of the synapse basically resulting in more stimulation to the brain and making it more likely that any single neuron will fire.
When you keep the calcium channels open for a longer period of time, you can amplify the message sent by any excitatory neurotransmitter which may produce higher levels of memory formation and more communication between different areas of the brain.
The second method of action associated with Nefiracetam involves the potentiation of nicotinic Acetylcholine receptors. This action has a number of different effects including the release of GABA and Glutamate, which are two of the most powerful neurotransmitters within the brain.
GABA is actually the main inhibitory chemical and helps to calm the brain down, making it easier to relieve stress, anxiety, depression, and just simply relax.
Glutamate and Acetylcholine are both also believed to play a crucial role in the development of memories, expanding learning capacity, and a wide range of additional cognitive processes and functions.
These two neurochemicals are also highly connected to the idea of synaptic plasticity and can promote the formation of new neurons and pathways in your brain.
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Suggested Nefiracetam Dosage:
The clinical and academic studies conducted on Nefiracetam so far have all used a fairly wide range of doses. This has caused a bit of confusion inasmuch as their really does not seem to be a generally accepted or recommended dosage level.
You will see many different opinions if you read reviews or visit some of the Nootropic discussion forums hosted at different websites. Judging from the literature so far, it does seem to show that a dose of between 8 and 30 mg per kilogram of body weight may be an effective level.
This translates into a daily dosage range of between 500 and 1800 mg for a person of average weight.
Of course, it should also be noted that not everyone will react in the same way, so feel free to do some experimenting until your optimal dosage level is reached.
Always try and start out with a low dose and then build up after you are comfortable with all the effects. This is especially true when trying a more experimental nootropic like Nefiracetam with a much smaller history of use.
Remember that Nefiracetam is fat soluble, so like Aniracetam and Pramiracetam you should take it with milk or with foods that have a high fat content.
Possible Side Effects & Toxicity:
There does not appear to be any serious risk of toxicity when using Nefiracetam by humans.
Unfortunately, human studies have been limited so far so there has not yet been an upper limit for consumption established. However, it has been demonstrated as non-toxic in doses of as much as 900 mg per day with higher levels seen as likely to be safe for healthy individuals.
Studies have shown some testicular toxicity in both dogs and rats. Of course, these events were recorded at significantly higher dosage levels than those recommended above.
Nefiracetam side effects are those typically associated with other Racetams. These include headaches, nausea, irritability, fatigue, dizziness, and stomach issues. The headaches can be easily overcome by taking a high quality Choline supplement like Alpha GPC or Centrophenoxine.
The other reported effects are rare and not likely to be seen unless you are taking excessive doses.
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Article last updated on: March 13th, 2018 by Nootriment
2 Comments
I am curious where you get your recommended dosages. On smartdrugssmarts website they have, e.g., Nefiracetam dosages between 25-125 mg. That’s a BIG difference.
Hi Arnold,
Our dosage guidelines are taken from the Patent Application for Nefiracetam which you can view at http://www.google.com/patents/EP1874300B1?cl=en. “The composition for use according to Claim 1, wherein the effective amount of nefiracetam is in the range of 300 to 1800 mg/day for an adult subject.”
There has not yet been a study conducted to determine optimal Nefiracetam dosages, which is why doses used can vary greatly. A good source of dosage info is the human studies that have been done, such as http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1962268 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18451188 which used 600 mg or 900 mg of nefiracetam per day.