Coluracetam Guide + Personal Experiences By Reddit Users
Coluracetam is a brand new Nootropic under the racetam-family. The popularity of this Smart Drug has exploded in recent times which is why I'm going to take a closer look at it in this article.
Here's what we will be covering today:
- What is Coluracetam?
- How does it work?
- What does it taste like?
- What are the benefits and side effects?
- How much should you take?
- What's the difference between Coluracetam and Piracetam?
- What other Reddit users are saying about Caluracetam
What is Coluracetam?
If you have been in the Nootropic-space for some time you will know how popular Coluracetam is. Everybody is talking about it and for good reason.
Before I dive into the pros and cons let's first start out with some background information about this popular Nootropic.
Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation, a Japanese company, was the first company to manufacture this Nootropic back in 2005.
The initial intention behind Coluracetam was to manufacture a compound to treat Alzheimer's Disease. Scientifically, it's been proven to have a lot of benefits such as boosting long-term memory as well as being a powerful anti-depressant.
Research shows how effective it is in treating people with servere anxiety and depression which is one of the reasons why it has gained a lot of traction recently.
Coluracetam is also known as, BCI-540, or MKC-231, and is regarded by many as one of the best nootropics when it comes to boosting neurotransmitters, giving you nice and clean brain energy throughout the day.
When you buy it you'll usually get it in powder form which can be dissolved in fats and oils for best results.
A lot of people say that mixing it with fat soluble oils enhances the bioavailablity.
I couldn't find any conslusive evidence that mixing it with oils is superior to any other liquid. Regardless, Coluracetam kicks in relatively quickly and can take up to 30 minutes to reach its peak.
How Does It Work?
One of the most significant compounds our brains produce naturally is choline. Choline plays an important role for our general health as nerves use the nutrient to make acetylcholine.
Acetylcholine is an ester of choline, a neurotransmitter, that has a huge impact on our memory and cognition. In other words it's the chief neurotransmitter of our nervous system.
A great thing about Coluracetam is that it enhances choline uptake which is why people experience long-lasting cognitive benefits.
Studies have shown that an increased level of acetylcholine can be extremely crucial when it comes to enhancing/boosting our cognition, memory and learning abilities.
Coluracetam, like all racetams, works by stimulating all the receptors associated with the aforementioned acetylcholine which in turn triggers an activation of the production of neurotransmitters.
It's worth noting that unlike other racetams, Coluracetam works specifically with high-affinity choline uptake (HACU).
How To Take Coluracetam
If you have experience with other racetams, you'd know that most of these nootropics don't have any specific and universally accepted guidelines when it comes to the right dosage.
This is also the case with Coluracetam.
That being said, there are some recommendations for biohackers like you and me to get an idea of an effective dosage range when it comes to boosting brain power, concentration and alertness.
According to the recommendations I could find on various forums and articles the most effective dosage of coluracetam seems to be anywhere from 2mg to 3mg per body weight (KG).
This means that if you're an adult a normal dose of Coluracetam would be anywhere from 200mg to 250mg per day.
However that seems rather high and I wouldn't recommend taking that much.
As with many other Nootropics I highly recommend that you start out with a low dose (10mg to 30mg) a day for the first week.
You can split the dosage and take it 2-3 times a day for optimal (and steady) results.
Then gradually increase your dose as your body gets used to it.
That being said, most people have no problem when taken coluracetam since it's a relatively safe Nootropic with low side effects but better safe than sorry, right :-).
What Does Coluracetam Taste Like?
Lastly, it's worth noting that most people who take Coluracetam in powder form all say that it has an unpleasant taste.
From the reviews I could find on Reddit many people refer to the taste as gummy.
If you want to avoid the taste you can simply order Coluracetam in capsule form instead.
One of the questions I see a lot is how many coluracetam capsules do I take at a time?
The answer to this question really depends on your goals and what brand/website you're buying from. The capsules come in different mg's.
If we take Nootropics Depot which is a company I personally buy from, their Coluracetam capsules come in 20mg.
I would start out with a relatively low dose, 40mg a day for 3 days to asses its effects.
40mg of Coluracetam is 2 capsules. You can split the dose taking one capsule in the morning and one in the afternoon.
What Are The Benefits & Side Effects?
As I stated in the beginning Coluracetam is a relatively safe Nootropic with low side effects.
I couldn't find any studies reporting any toxic effects.
That being said, like most medications, there's always a possibility that it can cause some adverse reactions which is why I'm always a proponent of starting out with a low dose and gradually increase it to asses its effects.
I was reading reviews about Coluracetam from people who bought it from Nootropic Depot trying to find the most common side effects and the only thing I could find was people experiencing a slight headache and dry mouth.
These are side effects that can be avoided by stacking Coluracetam with other choline sources and drinking lots of water/electrolytes.
In terms of the benefits here's a list of the 3 most common benefits people report experiencing:
Coluracetam Boosts Cognition & Creativity
Starting out it's worth noting that most of the studies you can find about this Nootropic and its effects are basically experiments done on rats.
As of right now we don't have any studies done on humans. So keep in mind that all the benefits people are experiencing taking Coluracetam are anecdotes.
That being said, the benefits found in rats are the same benefits biohackers seem to experience.
What seems to be well documented at this point is that it proves to work in enforcing cognitive and memory function as well as creativity.
I found an interesting study here where you can find an in-depth breakdown of this.
But to summarize the study the way it boosts your cognition and enhances creativity is by the brain’s choline conversion to acetylcholine through the high affinity choline uptake process.
It May Act As An Antidepressant
One of the things that I found interesting about doing some research on Coluracetam is that biohackers report anti-depressant effects when taking the Nootropic.
I searched around on the internet to see if I could find any science/study that would support these claims but I couldn't.
However, I came across an interesting thread on Reddit where a user called Hysterian is giving a detailed breakdown of his experience with Coluracetam as a person who has dealt with Major Depressive Disorder. You can find the thread here.
It Can Reduce Anxiety
Again, this is purely anecdotal, but one of the pattern I see reading reviews about it, is that it's effective in reducing anxiety.
Interesting enough I have found a couple of cases where people are reporting the opposite effects.
I found a thread on Reddit where a guy is talking about how he experiences mental benefits at first then followed by a servere depression and anxiety. You can read it here (an interesting read).
Coluracetam vs. Piracetam: What is the Difference?
I'm a huge fan of Piracetam which is why I came across Coluracetam in the first place. As you might know Piracetam is the original racetam.
Piracetam affects the neurotransmitter acetylcholine by supporting ACh receptors making them more sensitive to acetylcholine.
As with Piracetam, Coluracetam also boosts acetylcholine in the brain.
The main difference between Coluracetam and Piracetam is their mechanism of action.
Unlike Piracetam that makes the ACh receptors more sensitive to ACh, Coluracetam increases the synthesis of acetylcholine from choline.
This is what we call the; High Affinity Choline Uptake Process. You can read more about it here.
In Conclusion
Coluracetam is an extremely popular Nootropic. It's unique and stronger compared to other racetams because it's a high affinity choline uptake enhancer.
According to the limited studies I could find as well as anecdotes from fellow biohackers, Coluracetam seems to be effective for restoring long-term memory, enhance cognition and creativity.
This would make sense since all of these benefits are nomally associated improved choline uptake as well as improved synthesis of acetylcholine.
When it comes to Coluracetam and its effect on Depression there seems to be conflicting evidence on this. However, most people on various forums I could find speak highly of its positive effects.
Lastly, it comes in both powder form and capsules and it's recommended to start out with 20mg/day and slowly work your way up as your body gets used to it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is Coluracetam Safe?
A: Yes. Coluracetam is a relatively safe Nootropic - even in high doses.
Q: How long does Coluracetam last
A: Coluracetam lasts up to 5 hours depending on the dose and body weight.
Q: How do you take Coluracetam?
A: Coluracetam comes in powder form or capsules. You can take 20-80mg a day.