If you've been interested in nootropics for a while, you probably know all about the popular racetams. Piracetam, the first nootropic ever created, is very popular and is often recommended to new users. Aniracetam is another popular choice, favored for its ability to reduce anxiety while increasing focus. And phenylpiracetam is a favorite amongst beginners and experienced nootropic users alike.

But what about some of the lesser-known racetams? What about coluracetam, fasoracetam, and pramiracetam? Or how about nefiracetam, sunifiram, and unifiram? They might not get as much attention as some of the more popular racetams, but they're just as effective – some of them even more so.

In this post, we're going to explore some of the lesser-known racetams. We'll take a quick look at each substance and I'll link to a science-backed article where you can learn more if you're interested. But first, for those of you who don't already know, let's see what the racetams are.

What Are Racetams?

The racetams are a family of substances that are all chemically similar. Many racetams improve cognitive performance and are considered to be nootropics. It was the first racetam, piracetam, that inspired the creation of the word nootropic.

The names of all the racetams end in -etam. They include piracetam, aniracetam, phenylpiracetam, and many others. There are dozens of racetams and many of them have been studied for their nootropic properties. Some are even used as prescription drugs in parts of Europe, Russia, and around the world.

Each racetam has a unique set of benefits. Some of them increase focus while reducing anxiety, for example, while others might increase motivation and boost mood. They are all different and experienced nootropic users often stack several of them together. Now that we've taken a look at what the racetams are, let's get to our list of the lesser-known racetams.

The Lesser-Known Racetams

Pramiracetam

This is a lesser-known known racetam, but that doesn't mean it isn't a powerful one! Pramiracetam is estimated to be somewhere between 15-30 times stronger than piracetam. It was developed in the 1970's and has been used in several European countries to treat memory problems and other disorders.

Pramiracetam is known to improve cognitive performance without affecting mood or anxiety levels. This is ideal for someone who just wants an increase in focus without their mood being affected.

It is thought that pramiracetam's effects are due to its ability to influence the neurotransmitters acetylcholine and glutamate. It doesn't seem to affect dopamine or serotonin, two neurotransmitters that several other racetams do influence. That goes a long way in explaining how pramiracetam is able to increase focus and memory without affecting mood or anxiety.

Pramiracetam's benefits:

• Increased focus
• Improved working/long-term memory
• Advanced logical/technical thinking
• Improved learning
• Overall cognitive enhancement

You can learn more about pramiracetam here: Pramiracetam – A Powerful Cognitive Enhancer.

Fasoracetam

This is racetam that has been gradually getting more and more popular. It also happens to be a personal favorite of mine. Fasoracetam is able to increase focus while also having powerful anxiety-reducing effects.

Though it hasn't been studied nearly as much as aniracetam, another anxiety-reducing racetam, it seems to be just as effective – maybe even more so. Fasoracetam has been shown to interact with the neurotransmitters GABA and acetylcholine. GABA is the body's chief inhibitory neurotransmitter and drugs that affect it often have a calming, anxiety-reducing effect.

Many users find that fasoracetam has a number of benefits. Unlike most prescription anxiety-reducing drugs, it is able to decrease anxiety without causing sedation. In fact, fasoracetam can actually increase focus and improves learning.

Fasoracetam's benefits:

• Decreased anxiety
• Improved mood
• Increased focus
• Improved learning
• Improved memory

You can learn more about fasoracetam here: Fasoracetam – An Anxiety-Reducing Nootropic.

Coluracetam

Of all the racetams, this is one of the newest ones. Coluracetam was created in 2005 by a Japanese pharmaceutical company. It is being investigated as a treatment for depression and other disorders.

Since coluracetam is so new, there hasn't been a lot of research done on it yet. But preliminary research is very promising and there are plenty of anecdotal reports around the internet of people who find it to be safe and effective.

Users report an improvement in mood, a reduction in anxiety, and increased memory and focus. This makes coluracetam an excellent all-around nootropic. It is known to influence the neurotransmitters acetylcholine and glutamate, though coluracetam's exact mechanism is still being investigated. Its ability to influence these neurotransmitters explains, at least, some of its effects.

Coluracetam benefits:

• Improved mood
• Reduced anxiety
• Improved learning
• Increased focus
• Improved memory

You can learn more about coluracetam here: Coluracetam.

Oxiracetam

This racetam is somewhat well known but doesn't seem to get talked about very often. Like pramiracetam, oxiracetam is a powerful nootropic known for its ability to increase focus and improve memory without affecting mood.

But unlike pramiracetam, oxiracetam has also been shown to act as a mild stimulant. It interacts with acetylcholine and stimulates NDMA and AMPA receptors. Unlike many of the other racetams, oxiracetam doesn't seem to interact with dopamine or serotonin receptors. This explains how it's able to increase focus and memory without affecting mood or anxiety levels.

This powerful racetam has been extensively studied and has been shown to be both safe and effective. It is used in some countries to treat dementia and other memory problems. Nootropic users often take oxiracetam alongside other racetams as part of a stack.

Oxiracetam's benefits:

• Increased focus
• Improved memory
• Improved learning
• Increased logical/technical thinking
• Overall cognitive enhancer

You can learn more about oxiracetam here: Oxiracetam – A Safe and Effective Nootropic.

Honorable Mentions

The following racetams are even less well known than the ones above. There haven't been many (or any) human studies done on them, so it's impossible to fully understand how they work. But this hasn't stopped a number of biohackers from trying them. There are many reports around the internet of people using these rare racetams. All of them seem to be safe, but use at your own risk.

Sunifiram

This is an experimental substance that has been shown to have cognition-boosting effects in animals. It's also been shown to be considerably more potent than piracetam. However, no human studies have been done on sunifiram. But the results of the animal studies that have been done are very encouraging.

Sunifiram has been shown to interact with acetylcholine. This neurotransmitter is known to play a role in memory, learning, and a lot more. Sunifiram has also been shown to be a positive allosteric modulator of AMPA. This is one of three main subsets of glutamate receptor (the others being kainate and NDMA). You can learn more here: Sunifiram.

Unifiram

This is another experimental racetam that is very similar to sunifiram. Unifiram has also been shown to improve cognitive performance in animals. And like sunifiram, no human studies have been done on unifiram. But that hasn't stopped a number of people from experimenting on themselves. Users often report that both sunifiram and unifiram increase focus as good as or better than piracetam.

In animal studies, unifiram has been shown to have an antiamnesic effect with much greater potency than piracetam. However, it does not seem to bind to any of the most common neurotransmitter receptors including serotonin, dopamine, GABA, opioid, glutamate, or acetylcholine.

Nefiracetam

Unlike the last two racetams, this one has been studied in humans – a little bit. Long-term consumption of nefiracetam has been shown to be safe in humans and primates. Users often report that its effects are similar to aniracetam. They say that nefiracetam increases focus and decreases anxiety in much the same way that aniracetam does.

Nefiracetam has been shown to affect a number of neurotransmitters including GABA, acetylcholine, and serotonin. Unlike any of the other racetams, it has a high affinity for the GABA-A receptor. This goes a long way in explaining nefiracetam's anxiety-reducing effects. It is currently being studied in several countries as a treatment for various disorders.

If you are interested in sunifiram, unifiram, or nefiracetam, they are all available at Science.bio. They have an amazing selection of high-quality products, fast shipping, reasonable prices, and great customer service.

Conclusion

While the more popular racetams like piracetam and aniracetam might get the most attention, there are several other racetams with powerful nootropic effects. Coluracetam, fasoracetam, pramiracetam, and oxiracetam all have a number of brain-boosting benefits and have been shown to be safe at reasonable dosages.

And some of the even-lesser-known racetams like sunifiram, unifiram, and nefiracetam show a lot of promise. Although they haven't been studied in humans nearly as much, preliminary research is encouraging. And the brave biohackers who have tried them often report powerful nootropic effects.

Have you tried any of the racetams on this list? If so, feel free to leave your experience in the comments section at the bottom. And if you're interested some of the more common racetams, especially stacking several of them together, check out this post: The Best Racetams – A Comparison. And if you haven't already, make sure to sign up for the NZ newsletter below.

[This article was originally published on July 13, 2018. Updated April 2, 2021.]