This belongs to the group of medicines known as GABA analogues.
Piracetam acts on the central nervous system. It is thought to protect the cerebral cortex in the brain against a deficiency of oxygen. The cerebral cortex is responsible for consciousness and for voluntary activity and plays a role in perception, memory, and mental ability.

Piracetam is used alongside other medicines in the treatment of cortical myoclonus. This condition results in short involuntary movements or jerks due to stimuli from the central nervous system. This can also result in difficulty with speech, loss of hand function and an inability to walk. Piracetam has also been used following trauma or surgery, and in a variety of other disorders such as alcoholism, vertigo, senile dementia, stroke, and behavioural disorders in children.

Piracetam is available in tablet and oral liquid form.

It is also sometimes known as: Nootropil. You may notice the use of any of these names on the packaging of your medicine.

Why is this drug prescribed?

Piracetam is a drug used to treat certain types of movement disorder resulting from brain disease. Its exact mechanism of action is not fully understood. It is used as an adjunctive treatment.

Treatments

* Sudden spasm of muscles

What side effects can this drug cause?

* Diarrhoea * Difficulty in sleeping * Depression * Skin rashes * Weight gain * Sleepiness * Nervousness * Hyperkinesia