Noopept is one of the most popular nootropics in existence, only rivalled by Piracetam, Modafinil and Adderall. In fact, Noopept may soon displace Piracetam as the most widely-used nootropic in the world due to its sheer potency, safety and efficacy.

With so many people out there using Noopept, it is worth considering how Noopept should be used for optimal benefits.

After all, synthetic nootropics like Noopept are not to be taken lightly. These substances are not natural supplements that anybody can use to enhance learning, focus and memory function without worrying about side effects.

It is important that you take the time to understand how Noopept works, what it does and how long its effects last before you start using it.

What is Noopept & How does it work?

Noopept is a synthetic nootropic. It is frequently described as a racetam (it is sometimes referred to as Omberacetam), but it is not actually a racetam.

The reason it gets described as a racetam is that it is very similar to Piracetam in both structure and effects. In fact, Noopept is prized as a nootropic because it produces the exact same subjective effects as Piracetam at a fraction of the dose.

So how does Noopept work exactly if it isn’t a racetam?

Noopept is a prodrug of cycloprolylglycine. Cycloprolylglycine is a neuropeptide with two main functions in the human brain: increasing the release of Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), and by influencing neurotransmitter systems.

Almost all of the benefits associated with Noopept come from its ability to increase BDNF expression in the brain.

You see, BDNF is a neuropeptide which controls the growth, proliferation and differentiation of nerve cells in the brain. In more simple terms, BNDF acts as a kind of signal for your brain cells to grow, repair, and mature into more complicated structures.

More BDNF means more rapid brain cell growth and development, as well as more efficient brain cell repair. Obviously, this leads to significantly improved cognitive performance.

This mirrors what we see from the clinical studies looking at BDNF and brain function. Increasing BDNF by various means seems to reliably improve several different measures of cognitive performance, including memory recall and retention, learning capacity, focus, and mood.

How long do Noopept’s effects last?

How long a nootropic lasts largely depends on the half-life of the substance in question.

The half-life is how long it takes for half of a substance to leave your body. So if you take 50mg of a nootropic, the half life is however long it takes for 25mg to be eliminated from your body.

We use this measure because it is a very reliable indicator of how long the perceived effects last as well; once a dose has halved, the effects will likely be almost completely gone.

Noopept has one of the shortest half-lives of any nootropic. After taking Noopept, almost half of the drug will have completely left your system within 60-90 minutes.

This matches what users experience with Noopept; for the vast majority of users, Noopept’s effects peak about 15-20 minutes after taking it, and then slowly taper until becoming imperceptible after around 2 hours.

The effects of Noopept can be said to have completely worn off in the vast majority of people in under 3 hours at a maximum.

The peak effects of Noopept, the main benefits associated with the nootropic, usually kick in after around 20 minutes and last for around 1 hour.