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Noopept is a nootropic drug (cognitive enhancer) which has gained popularity in recent years. Though most of the evidence supporting the use of Noopept comes from studies in animal models and patients suffering from neurodegenerative disease, anecdotal reports suggest that Noopept may improve verbal fluency and other cognitive domains even in healthy subjects.
Noopept Dosage
What’s the ideal Noopept dosage? According to the package insert (translated from Russian), the standard Noopept dosage is 10-30 mg, taken daily.
Noopept is a prescription drug in Russia, but is not regulated in the US and may therefore be sold as a dietary supplement.
Relative Potency and Noopept Dosage
The 10 mg – 30 mg Noopept dosage is much lower than the usual dose of 4800 mg for Piracetam. This difference in dosages reflects the fact that Noopept is over 1000 times more potent than Piracetam.
Noopept is technically not classified as a Racetam. However, structurally Noopept is a dipeptide conjugate of Piracetam and also shares a common mechanism in the brain with Piracetam, i.e., potentiation of excitatory neurotransmission.
Routes of Administration
Noopept can be taken in tablet or capsule form, sublingually (under the tongue), or by dissolving Noopept powder in water or another solvent (like glycerin). Because Noopept is a dipeptide with polar functional groups, it easily dissolves in water.
Noopept Stability / Sensitivity to Degradation
Since peptides are very sensitive to hydrolysis in an acidic environment, most peptides are quickly degraded in the gastrointestinal tract.
This reaction is catalyzed by proteases, also referred to as peptidases or proteinases. Proteases perform hydrolysis, i.e., they begin protein catabolism by hydrolysis of the peptide bonds that link amino acids together in a polypeptide chain.
This discussion about peptide hydrolysis is relevant because since Noopept is a peptide, it is subject to degradation in the GI tract. Therefore, Noopept may never make it into the brain in one piece.
To circumvent this issue, sublingual (under the tongue) administration of Noopept may be superior to simple oral ingestion. Some of the drug may bypass GI hydrolysis by diffusing into cells in the mouth and nose, and eventually cross the blood brain barrier. Sublingual administration also allows some drugs to bypass the hepatic first-pass effect, whereby drugs are converted to metabolites in the liver.