TREATMENT DATABASE

Piracetam is a derivative of GABA (gamma-aminobutyricacid), the brain's primary neuroinhibitory amino acid. It is classed as a nootropic, or “smart drug.”

Piracetam has been used for a wide range of neurological impairments, including seizures, dementia, focal lesions in the brain, and concussions. There is also evidence that it can enhance cognitive performance among the healthy. In a study by Dimond and Brouwers, administration of piracetam for 14 days improved verbal memory in a group of college students. Piracetam appears to work not just by acting on cholinergic receptors, but by decreasing the viscosity of blood, which, in turn, enhances the delivery of oxygen to the brain.

USES IN ME/CFS: Piracetam is used more widely in Europe than in the U.S., where the FDA has determined that because it is not a vitamin, mineral, amino acid, herb, botanical, or other dietary substance, it is therefore not a supplement. Nor is it approved as a drug, which puts piracetam in the odd category (along with galantamine) of having no clinical status. As a consequence, there has not been a great deal of research done on piracetam for ME/CFS.

There is, however, a small but significant body of research that seems to indicate that piracetam would be appropriate for the treatment of cognitive impairment in ME/CFS patients. In one such study, researchers in Brazil found that piracetam protected the hippocampus (the part of the brain associated with the formation of new memories) during alcohol withdrawal. It has been widely noted that ME/CFS patients have difficulty forming new memories, which is crucial to learning.

Of even greater interest to patients is a study conducted in 2002  in which piracetam was shown to protect the brain against hypoxic injury. Not only did the drug prevent cell damage, it stimulated mitochondrial function, increasing intracellular ATP. Given the growing body of evidence that people with ME/CFS not only experience lowered oxygenation of brain tissues, but loss of brain matter, this finding could point the way to effective treatment.

Treatment rating for Piracetam