Phenylpiracetam

weak data

Also seen as: Aerosol Spray, Fonturacetam, Phenotropil, Carphedon, Actitropil

The Dose Guy’s verdict

Sep 1, 2026
4 sources

Phenylpiracetam does something. I can say that with more confidence than for most of this shelf because it was banned in sport in 1998, and governing bodies do not ban things that do nothing. The stimulant and cold-tolerance effects are real, the community is large, and the reports are consistent: a clean, motivating push that sharpens focus for a day. The catch is that tolerance builds fast, daily use kills the effect within a week, and the published evidence trail is almost entirely animal work. Use it as an as-needed tool, not a daily stack, and it earns its keep.

Would I take it?Cautious yes, a real kick with thin evidence.

What it is

Piracetam with a phenyl group bolted on, and that one modification changes the character completely. Where piracetam is subtle and slow, phenylpiracetam is stimulating, motivating, and perceptibly psychoactive from the first dose. The R-enantiomer binds the dopamine transporter, which explains the stimulant kick. The S-enantiomer appears to do something metabolic, reducing weight gain and improving glucose handling in animal models. The racemate you buy contains both.

Phenylpiracetam was developed in Russia in the 1980s, reportedly for cosmonauts who needed cognitive and physical performance under stress and cold. It was sold domestically as Phenotropil until production stopped. In the West it has always been an unregulated nootropic, and its WADA ban as carphedon is the strongest single credential any racetam holds. Where oxiracetam is the analytical one and aniracetam tilts toward verbal fluency, phenylpiracetam is the one that hits like a clean stimulant.

What the research shows

No primary randomized human trial exists in the published literature. What exists is animal pharmacology and a doping ban:

Fonturacetam, also called phenylpiracetam and carphedon, was the first nootropic prohibited in sport, in 1998.Drug Test Anal 2023 · review

In radioligand binding assays, the dopamine transporter was the only significant molecular target identified for R-phenylpiracetam. R-phenylpiracetam at 50 mg/kg was measured in mouse brain tissue 15 minutes after both oral and intraperitoneal dosing.Inflammopharmacology 2020 · mice

Daily oral S-phenylpiracetam significantly reduced body-weight gain and fat mass in Western-diet mice and obese Zucker rats, with improved glucose tolerance, without changing locomotor activity.Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2017 · mice + rats

In the original comparative pharmacology, high doses of phenylpiracetam produced psychodepressant effects. The compound also showed anticonvulsant activity that piracetam did not.Bull Exp Biol Med 1983 · animal pharmacology

No primary human pharmacokinetic study and no randomized controlled trial appear in the published literature. The compound’s reputation rests on Russian clinical use, the doping ban, and community experience.as of Aug 2026

Realistic protocols

The single most important thing to know about phenylpiracetam is that tolerance builds fast. Take it daily and the stimulant effect fades within a week. The community figured this out long ago and runs it as an as-needed tool, not a daily nootropic: exam days, heavy work sessions, competition prep. Used that way, the effect stays crisp indefinitely.

Dose is 100 to 200 mg oral, once or twice in a day. Morning is the anchor. A second dose at lunch is fine if the day is long, but anything after mid-afternoon risks sleep. The stimulant profile is clean, more focus and motivation than jitteriness, and most people do not need the choline pairing the weaker racetams demand.

If you are a competitive athlete in a WADA-tested sport, phenylpiracetam is banned and detectable. That is not a footnote.

Standard100–200 mgOral, morning. One dose is usually enough for a full work day.

Second dose100 mgAt lunch if needed. Nothing after mid-afternoon.

FrequencyAs neededNot daily. Tolerance is fast and real. Two or three times a week max.

SportNoneProhibited in sport since 1998. Do not use in tested competition.

Side effects

Generally well tolerated at normal doses, with the main risk being overuse:

commonInsomnia from late dosing. The stimulant effect is real and lasts hours.

commonTolerance with daily use, rapid and complete. The fix is not more, it is less often.

anecdotalIrritability or emotional flatness at high doses or with too-frequent use.

monitorHigh doses produced psychodepressant effects in the original animal pharmacology. More is not better, and overshooting the dose inverts the effect.