Comment · Thu, March 14, 2013 · Ceretropic
What's the deal with piracetam?
Original post in this thread
[deleted] · 17 points
I started taking piracetam after reading (here) that the compound is well studied, with plenty of papers backing up its psychoactive effects, both from a theoretical and clinical basis.
Recently, posts involving piracetam seem to receive walls of comments claiming the chemical is only a placebo. Now I'm confused. I obviously don't want to spend money on a useless powder, but I understand I cannot evaluate the compound's effect on myself. For a drug whose primary supposed benefit concerns only the mind, the placebo effect is indistinguishable by definition.
So I'm not asking if piracetam works or not, and I'm not asking for more anecdotes. I just want to know what we know. What clinical trials support or oppose piracetam's effect as a nootropic? Do we even know for sure that the compound is psychoactive? To what extent are the FAQ recommendations based on clinical studies, and to what extent do they stem from (placebo-laden) personal accounts?
What they were answering
andytronic · 2 points
I was just supporting chrico03's post, to take manic praise for a particular nootropic with a grain of salt.
u/MisterYouAreSoDumb · Ceretropic
Sure, I agree. Although that sentiment can go a little too far at times. Anecdotes are a big part of why people try nootropics. If everyone immediately yells placebo at the person, we are less likely to get those anecdotes in the future.