piracetam
 

Has anyone heard of this drug. It is supposed to improve mental function without having any harmful effects on the body.

www.dancesafe.org

people here dont know shit yo

or www.erowid.org, but it wont tell you much

Piracetam is supposed to be relatively free of side effects - these are the ones mentioned in the British Formulary used in hospitals in the UK:

diarrhoea, weight gain; somnolence, insomnia, nervousness, depression; hyperkinesia; rash

Certainly to be avoided with alcohol (increases blood flow in brain, so the alcohol can end up causing damage if you're not careful). Also to be avoided (according to the formulary) in kidney or liver disease.
It's also recommended that if you take it regularly, you don't stop suddenly but gradually tail off the dose. I'd imagine this is because it has a short half-life in the body, and especially when you're messing with the brain you don't want to be making sudden changes!

As for 'improve mental function' - the jury's out on its effects on normal people. It improves memory in relation to brain-damage (either by hypoxia, or seizures etc), and I think has some use in Down syndrome. But generally unsure; and most of the positive reports should be read with care - if you just spent whatever getting a drug, of course you're going to say/believe it worked for you - placebo effect!

Hope that's of some help...

Try www.ceri.com

Or look up old issues of the out of print magazine Mondo 2000. They loved the stuff, and devoted a page or two to it in their 'user's guide to the new edge.'