14 replies to this topic

[kozzy90]

Hello, I've been taking Piracetam 600mg at night and sometimes another 1200mg in the morning for almost 1 year. That regimen allowed me to only sleep 4 hours and feel completely rested. Now suddenly, since this week I'm suffering of severe insomnia and anxiety. I'm unable to sleep, not even 10 minutes, no sleep at all since 5 days. I'm going to be mad, yesterday I took 1 pill of Halcion (triazolam) for sleep and it worked well, but I absolutely don't want a benzo addiction. Please help me, give me some advice. What happened to my glutammate receptors? I stopped taking Piracetam 2 days ago but the insomnia and anxiety are still here.

[Tom_]

I call bullshit. You have been to sleep in the last five days. Psychosis or severe mental status changes ususally sets in after 3-4 days of no sleep, take it from someone who knows. You have had more sleep than you think you have (sleep state misinterpertation) and microsleeps.

Piracetam has a short half life, your sleep should normazise within the week.
Stay off it Racetams indefinatly
first gen antihistamines (diphenhydramine or doxylamine). dosages no higher than 50mg.
feel free to use a benzo up to four times a week for upto three weeks
stay of any type of stimulant for at least a month
ultra strick sleep hygine for a month and then slowly ween down to a normal sleep
consider supplementation with tryptophan b6 and vit c and/or melatonin

If you have had any major stressors (family deaths, break-up, loss of job), chronic stressor or a history/family history of mental illness the insomnia is likely caused by that. The Racetam just won't be helping.

I know its a long list of instructions that you will never completely follow but you should. Severe insomnia is no joke, I've been suffering with a bat shit complex sleep disorder since I was tiny and the repreccuions on my life are at times extreme. Get settled back into a normal circadian rythem (should take a month) and keep it that way.

[Absent]

You are not recovering in your sleep. I had the same experience. One effect of Piracetam is that is stimulates glutamine... the excitory neuron... You're not waking up well rested, you're waking up energized... from the Piracetam. Similar to if you took a caffeine pill right before going to sleep... you'll sleep for a little bit, until it kicks in.

I always avoid taking Piracetam at least 8-10 hours before I sleep because any later than that it interfers with sleep, severely. You might not notice at first but the insomnia effects will build and you will feel like crap.

[kozzy90]

Thanks for your answer. I haven't had any major distress. My father is also insomniac too. I've alredy tried diphenhydramine / doxylamine with no success. Tryptophan reduce my anxiety for a few hours but doesn't allow me to sleep and give me a bad stomache. Melatonine (3mg instant relase) seems to do absolutely nothing. I haven't had any major distress. I will tell you now where my decision of taking piracetam 600mg at night one year ago come from. I always suffered from the symptoms of sleep deprivation very badly, if I didn't sleep 7-8h I will have to lay all the day long on the bed feeling sick, no matter how much caffeine I will had to take. One day, by mistake I took 1 pill of piracetam at night, the day after I had an exam so I slept like 4-5 hours the day before, with my big surprise this time I didn't suffered from the very unpleasant symptoms of sleep deprivation and I was even able to go to the gym in the evening! So I linked immediately that was thanks to the piracetam taken the night before. Others days before that when happened that I had to sleep 4-5h I had alredy tried to took piracetam in the morning (but NOT at night) but it didn't improved the symptoms of sleep deprivation at all. So my conclusion was that simply piracetam made my sleep more efficiently. Later I've done a lot of research in the medical literature and it appears that piracetam increase SWS and REM. Only recently I found out that it weakly modulate GluA2 and GluA3 (glutammate receptors). I don't understand why I didn't feel sleepy now that it's the third day without piracetam, in theory a withdrawn from piracetam should leave the glutammate receptor less-stimulated and so lethargy, tiredness etc.. I don't understand where the anxiety and insomnia where come from. Sorry If I made same mistake writing but I'm Italian and I'm too stressed by this lack of sleep to concentrate

[kozzy90]

Ps. I think that the benzos may exacerbate more my problem because a stimulation of GABA_A I know leads to an increment of the receptors of glutammate to compensate.
Pps. my heartbeat rate is 90-100bpm at rest, really scary thinking that I always had 50-55bpm

[Absent]

Piracetam is known for blocking/reducing the negative emotional effects of sleep deprivation such as depression and what not.... so it can make it hard to tell if you slept poorly or not until you start feeling the physical symptoms. Trust me just take Piracetam earlier in the day!

I also suggest trying Aniracetam.... It gave me the effects of Piracetam, but more, as well as actually aiding in my sleep, making it easier to fall asleep, wake up, and feel well rested.

[Tom_]

The reason you felt sleep deprived is because you bloody well were. If you are getting less than 7 hours sleep a night thats abnormal. A 20-25 year old should be sleeping 8-9 hours a night. There is no drug that will safely reduce that. If you are still tired after 8-9 hours a night, then yes you have a problem. Likely a sleep disorder, depression or thyroid problems.

Withdrawal symptoms from nearly any drug tend to present in opposite ways. Either lethargy or overactivation. Piracetam is no different.

You may have noticed I suggested you trial melatonin and a first gen antihistamine together alongside strict sleep hygiene. All of equal importance. If that's not putting you to sleep and you see no difference within two weeks then you need to think about some more heavy duty sedatives and working to reverse the damage the piracetam has caused.

Again, sleeping 8 hours is healthy. Less can cause rebound insomnia & hypersomnia and is a significant risk factor in the development of mental illness, heart disease and diabeties

[kozzy90]

Is strange that I haven't had problem to sleep for 1 year taking piracetam at night and now suddenly no sleep at all, isn't it? Is maybe there another co-cause unknown to me? Have I to do some blood test? However after 2 days of halcion (triazolam) I'm feeling more and more anxious so now I will stop benzos and I will prepare myself to suffer, hoping that this will not last long..

[helluva nootro]

True its strange that only now you are feeling the effects but as the others have said sleeping as little as you had will only have a negative impact regardless of how you may feel. It's just buzz from the piracetam you feel when you wake and not because you have have a refreshing sleep. Polyphasic sleeping is an interesting topic for some but its a little off topic and if you have a history of sleep issues I wouldn't attempt it. Let us know how your getting on

[Tom_]

You are feeling more anxiety on the Benzo?!

[CoolStoryBroo]

Stop taking pills FFS!

It's all psychological, all these pharmaceutical companies are just making drugs for everything now,

Don't take piracetam, don't take sleeping pills, don't take anything.

Just eat good healthy fresh food, exercise everyday and you won't be dependent on all these drugs

[kozzy90]

Triazolam has a very short half-life so in the morning you will have a rebound anxiety, if you take it for as little as 3 days in a row you can notice that your heart beat at rest will increase by at least 20bpm. However piracetam DO improve sleep, in fact if I didn't took it at night but only in the morning I will had ZERO waking felling good effects! Yesterday was the first day that I was able to sleep, very badly however. (after 2 days from triazolam and 4 days from the last dose of piracetam). Today my bpm at rest was normal so I expect to sleep better, I hope. However since 5 days I'm also taking an homeopathic cure, IGNATIA AMARA.

[Tom_]

Half life shouldn't impact on anxiety in anyway. Using for that length of time wouldn't be causing withdrawal effects.

You are taking the pracetam again?! I'm struggling to follow your english, sorry.

Coolstorybro, get off. Drugs have a place. He clearly isn't in any way dependant.

[kozzy90]

Half life shouldn't impact on anxiety in anyway. Using for that length of time wouldn't be causing withdrawal effects.

You are taking the pracetam again?! I'm struggling to follow your english, sorry.

Coolstorybro, get off. Drugs have a place. He clearly isn't in any way dependant.

I'm on the 5th day OFF piracetam. Regarding daytime anxiety with triazolam you can read there: http://www.ncbi.nlm..../pubmed/2230061

[kozzy90]

However tonight I slept I little bit better, I woke up only 6 times.