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Picamilon is rapidly being recognized as one of the best nootropics for anxiety and as a safer alternative compared to Phenibut.
This supplement is said to promote relaxation, support a positive mood, lessen the effects of stress and enhance cognitive function.
Another application that has been studied for Picamilon is as a sleep aid to prevent insomnia and improve the quality of deep sleep. Picamilon exerts GABAergic effects on the brain which may make it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep.
The GABA neurotransmitter is directly involved in controlling the slow wave sleep stage and waking during the night. It is plausible that taking Picamilon for sleep can improve the quality of your slumber during the night and allow you to wake in the morning feeling more refreshed.
Mood
Anxiety
Sleep- Consists of GABA & Niacin
- Stimulates GABA receptors in the brain
- Promotes mood, sleep & relaxation
What is Picamilon
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Picamilon, like Phenibut, was invented in the Soviet Union in 1969.
Since that time, it has been used in clinical settings in Russia and other parts of Eastern Europe, though it has not yet been exported to North America in mass amounts.
It is a prodrug which means it is not active until it is broken down into its constituent parts, niacin and GABA.
You may be surprised to learn that GABA – a frequent component of sleeping pills and other relaxation supplements – is largely ineffective when it comes to influencing the sleep patterns of your brain as well as your mood.
On its own, GABA circulating in your blood stream is incapable of reaching the brain due to the blood brain barrier. Picamilon’s properties allow it to pass the blood brain barrier, and actively target neurons in the brain – something that GABA is incapable of doing.
Picamilon and Sleep
When Picamilon is metabolized by the brain it releases niacin and GABA into the Central Nervous System. GABA interacts with the GABA A, B and C receptors in the brain and produces an anti-anxiety response.
GABA levels are often found to be low in individuals suffering from anxiety disorders such as social anxiety, certain phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder.
Picamilon has a calming effect on the patient, normalizing stress responses and quieting the mind. What is interesting is that unlike Phenibut, benzodiazepines, barbiturates and other psychoactive drugs that have anxiolytic properties, under normal usage conditions Picamilon does not cause drowsiness or sedative side effects.
Users of Picamilon may actually feel more alert when using this anxiety supplement as opposed to feeling drowsy or lethargic.
How then can Picamilon be used to promote better sleep patterns? It may seem like somewhat of a paradox for a nootropic to both make you feel alert and to help you fall asleep. Even though Picamilon pills do not exhibit the same activity as tranquilizers, it is believed that by releasing more GABA into the brain, it can improve sleep quality according to certain measures.
- Promotes a restful night of sleep
- Contains melatonin and l-theanine
- Boosts relaxation and lessens day-time fatigue
Higher levels of GABA stimulation will decrease waking during the night, increase the duration of slow-wave sleep and enhance the intermediate stage which occurs between slow-wave and the dream state of paradoxical sleep. It is believed that even though Picamilon does not induce drowsiness during the day, taking it before bed can give you more restful sleep at night.
There have not been many studies looking at using Picamilon for sleep problems, so our best evidence is by looking at user reviews and experiences online.
In one online community, a user wrote, “I can definitely say this stuff has some effect on my sleep and my dreams…. [With Picamilon] I slept very soundly for many hours.”
Another reviewer commented, “I’ve tried Picamilon for sleep, and yeah – it both helps onset of sleep and gets in the way of sleep continuity.”
Dosage also seems to play a role in whether or not Picamilon will help you sleep or lead to more restlessness during the night. According to one user, “Low dose allowed me to sleep well but if I went beyond 250mg it actually gave me interrupted sleep but some cool dreams.”
In one review, a user who did not intend to use Picamilon powder as a sleep aid wrote that it seemed best suited for this purpose: “This was supposed to improve my memory and focus. All it did for me was make me sleepy. That is fine if I wanted a sleep aid. I didn’t want one.”
This nootropic definitely offers positive results for some people, but there are many who have not experienced any improvements in their sleep patterns when using it. The response seems to be highly individualized; in some cases taking Picamilon too late at night may make it more difficult to fall asleep and lead to insomnia.
If you have Picamilon supplements on hand, you might want to try them for yourself to see what effect it has. However, if you are looking to buy a new sleep aid to use, consider other supplements like Phenibut, 5-HTP or Melatonin.
How do you take it
Should you decide to take Picamilon for sleep, it is recommended to take between 50 – 150 mg approximately one hour before planning to go to bed. You may find that different dosages will produce different experiences, so start with a low amount and increase slowly to gauge the effects.
Picamilon is regarded as very safe with low occurrence of side effects. Any side effects that may occur are typically due to excessive dosages being used or interactions with other supplements or drugs.
As with any dietary supplement, you should contact a healthcare professional before you start taking Picamilon powder. Your doctor will be able to tell you whether it is appropriate for you to use this supplement or if there are better options available.
It is also a good idea not to take this nootropic every day, but instead to cycle it with 4 days on and 4 days off. This will ensure that Picmailon retains its effects on your sleep patterns so that you do not develop a tolerance to it over time.
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- Kuchmerovs'ka TM, Shymans'kyÄ IO, Donchenko HV, Stepanenko SP. [State of GABA-benzodiazepine receptor complex in diabetic neuropathy: effect of nicotinamide and nicotinoyl-GABA]. Ukr Biokhim Zh (1999). 2003
- BasinskiÄ SN, Krasnogorskaia VN, Lenis IuA. [Pathogenetic treatment of central chorioretinal dystrophies with pikamilon]. Vestn Oftalmol. 2001
- VishnevskiÄ EL, Guseva NB. [Validation of the treatment of the neurogenic bladder in children with myelodysplasia using pikamilon]. Urol Nefrol (Mosk). 1998
Article last updated on: March 13th, 2018 by Nootriment