Phenylpiracetam for Health & Longevity - Quick Reference Sheet

Phenylpiracetam for Health & Longevity

Created on 09/04/2026 – Quick Reference based on Evidence Review created using AI4L / Opus 5 Audit

A Soviet-era stimulant relative of the first memory drug, taken in month-long courses. The strongest human signal is reduced persistent fatigue, though almost all evidence is Russian, industry-linked and unrepeated elsewhere. Side effects look mild and reversible, mainly sleeplessness and irritability. Supply outside Russia is unregulated and often misdeclared; tested athletes face a ban. Long-term use is unstudied. (Full Review)

Protocol

Standard Russian clinical course
100–200 mg daily for 30 days
Stroke rehabilitation used 400 mg daily in three separate courses across the first post-stroke year.
Best time of day
Morning, before 12:00
Onset is under an hour; afternoon dosing is the main avoidable cause of insomnia.
Single versus split dosing
Single or twice-daily split of 200 mg
100 mg on waking and 100 mg before noon smooths the peak; both halves precede early afternoon.
Time to effect
Persistent fatigue
30 days
Fatigue benefit assessed at 30 days, with improvement reported from the end of the first month of treatment.
Recovery after brain injury
Three courses over one year
400 mg daily in three courses across the first post-stroke year alongside standard rehabilitation.
Subjective alertness
About one hour
Stimulant effects are felt within about an hour of the first dose; no trial has tested healthy people.

Benefits

Contraindications
  • Athletes in any anti-doping tested pool (masters, amateur, military)
  • Uncontrolled or severe hypertension (at or above 180/110 mmHg)
  • Myocardial infarction within 90 days, unstable angina, uncontrolled arrhythmia
  • Psychotic disorders, bipolar I disorder in or near a manic phase, panic disorder
  • Severe hepatic impairment (Child-Pugh Class C)
  • Severe renal impairment (eGFR below 30 mL/min/1.73 m²)
  • Pregnancy, breastfeeding, anyone under 18 years of age
  • Monoamine oxidase inhibitors, or within two weeks of stopping one
Key Interactions
  • Dopaminergic stimulants (amphetamine, methylphenidate, modafinil)
  • Antipsychotics (haloperidol, risperidone, olanzapine)
  • Antihypertensives (amlodipine, lisinopril, bisoprolol)
  • Antiepileptic drugs (valproate, carbamazepine, levetiracetam)
  • Over-the-counter stimulants and decongestants (caffeine, pseudoephedrine, phenylephrine)
  • Supplements with additive stimulant or dopaminergic effects (yohimbine, synephrine, L-Tyrosine, Mucuna pruriens)
  • Phenibut and other GABA-active compounds
  • Choline donors (alpha-GPC, citicoline, choline bitartrate): no interaction risk
  • Sleep restriction and hard training blocks

Risk & Side Effects

  • High: Stimulant-type adverse effects: insomnia, agitation and raised blood pressure
  • Medium: Undeclared drugs and inaccurate doses in consumer products; anti-doping rule violations in tested athletes
  • Low: Loss of effect with continued daily use
  • Speculative: Dependence and compulsive redosing; rebound fatigue and low mood after stopping

Monitoring

Marker Target Why
Seated blood pressure 105/65 to 120/75 mmHg Detects a stimulant-driven blood-pressure rise
Resting heart rate 50–65 beats per minute Detects fight-or-flight load from the drug
Total sleep time and time taken to fall asleep 7–9 hours; onset under 20 minutes Insomnia is the most frequent adverse effect
MFI-20 fatigue score No established target; track the change from the individual's own baseline Quantifies the primary claimed benefit instead of relying on impression
ALT 10–20 U/L Screens liver tolerability before and between courses
eGFR Above 90 mL/min/1.73 m² The drug leaves the body largely unchanged via the kidneys, so clearance sets exposure
Fasting glucose 75–86 mg/dL Animal work showed glucose and fat-mass effects that have never been tested in people
HbA1c Below 5.4% Confirms whether any fasting-glucose shift is real or incidental
TSH 0.5–2.0 mIU/L Excludes an underactive thyroid as the competing cause of the fatigue
Ferritin 50–150 ng/mL (menstruating women 50–100 ng/mL) Excludes iron deficiency, which causes fatigue long before anaemia appears
Vitamin B12 500–900 pg/mL Excludes a B12 deficit producing fatigue and cognitive complaints

Cadence: Blood pressure and heart rate twice weekly through the first month; fatigue re-scored at day 30 against baseline; the laboratory panel repeated only where courses recur, at roughly every six months; sleep tracked continuously with a wearable throughout each course.

Qualitative Assessment

  • Energy through the afternoon rather than only in the first hours after dosing
  • Motivation to start tasks, which is the effect users most often describe
  • Sleep quality and time taken to fall asleep, tracked nightly
  • Irritability and anxiety, which mark the point where dose exceeds benefit
  • Cognitive clarity and the ability to hold attention on a single task