What Is Pyritinol?

Pyritinol is a cholinergic class nootropic supplement which has been linked to increased cognitive performance and mood. It’s considered a “semi-synthetic” and “semi-natural” compound because it’s synthetized in a laboratory using many natural compounds.

Those “natural compounds” include Vitamin B6. In fact, Pyritinol is just two Vitamin B6 molecules connected together. This gives Pyritinol similar benefits to Vitamin B6, and Vitamin B6 is one of the most important nutrients for the human body.

You can get Vitamin B6 naturally from a wide variety of foods, including chicken, fish, potatoes, and chickpeas. When the brain has a sufficient supply of Vitamin B6, it’s able to efficiently produce various neurotransmitters which are vital to brain functionality. Pyritinol takes all of the benefits of Vitamin B6 and maximizes them, which has powerful effects on our memory, focus, and mood.

History of Pyritinol

Pyritinol was synthetized way back in 1961 by a pharmaceutical firm named Merck Laboratories. Merck Laboratories simply bonded two Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine HCI) molecules together.

After years of research, it entered the market in the 1970s, where it was used for clinical applications – including treating stroke patients and those with Alzheimer’s. Since the 1990s, it has been sold as a nootropic dietary supplement in the United States and many other parts of the world.

Pyritinol, unlike many other nootropics, has been approved for use as a medical treatment in countries around the world. Doctors in many European countries use Pyritinol to treat patients with chronic degenerative brain disorders – like dementia. Countries where Pyritinol is an approved treatment include Austria, Germany, France, Greece, Italy, and Portugal.

Interestingly enough, France has approved the use of Pyritinol – but only as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. Pyritinol is not currently licensed for use in the United Kingdom, but in most other countries, it’s available online or through drug stores as an over the counter substance. It’s estimated that Pyritinol has been used by over 100,000 individuals in the EU over the past five years, making it one of the most popular nootropic supplements on the market today.

Pyritinol has been extensively studied in both scientific and clinical settings over the years. One 1990 study involved a group of 12 subjects who were given Pyritinol over a short period of time. Those subjects demonstrated an improvement in reaction time tests, although not on memory tests.

Other studies have indicated that Pyritinol could be used as a hangover cure, arthritis treatment, and mood enhancer.

How Does Pyritinol Work?

Pyritinol is one of the most unique cholinergics in its class. Just like with all other cholinergics, Pyritinol improves your memory retention and learning capabilities by raising acetylcholine levels in the brain.

However, this is where Pyritinol becomes more unique: after crossing the blood-brain barrier, Pyritinol targets the central nervous system, which ultimately raises dopamine levels and improves glucose utilization in the brain. Dopamine is the body’s “feel good” neurotransmitter, and raising dopamine levels can vastly improve your mood.

Why does this occur?

Well, Pyritinol is a precursor for dopamine. When we take Pyritinol, it raises dopamine levels and gives is a feeling of pleasure. The effect is similar to anti-depression medication. Ultimately, higher dopamine levels allow users to feel more motivated while also focusing more intently.

There’s one final mechanism of Pyritinol that needs to be discussed: its neuroprotectivity. Remember up above when I said Pyritinol could be used as a cure for hangovers? That’s because it increases neuroprotection in your brain, reducing the degradation of neurotransmitters and brain cells. So when you drink a lot of alcohol, your brain doesn’t take quite the same beating as it would if you didn’t take Pyritinol. Some people take Vitamin B6 as a cure for hangovers, and Pyritinol offers similar hangover-fighting benefits.

Benefits of Pyritinol

Pyritinol has a wide range of powerful benefits and is considered to be one of the most powerful cholinergics on the market today. Here’s what you need to know about Pyritinol’s benefits:

Improved Memory: Like all cholinergics, Pyritinol boosts your brain’s ability to make new memories and store those memories for later recall. However, compared to other cholinergics, Pyritinol isn’t quite as powerful when it comes to memory recall. So if this is the benefit you’re looking forward to the most, I’d recommend another cholinergic supplement like Alpha GPC or Citicoline.

Increased Neuroprotection: Pyritinol acts as an antioxidant while also increasing neuroprotectivity. That means there are fewer harmful free radicals within the brain. It also means your brain cells and neurotransmitters can withstand damage more easily. That’s why some people take Pyritinol as a hangover cure or preventative measure.

Reduced Anxiety And Stress: Pyritinol, or more specifically, Vitamin B6, is a precursor for dopamine. Dopamine is our body’s “feel good” hormone. Our bodies naturally produce dopamine when we eat good food or have sex. Pyritinol can reduce anxiety and stress while improving mood.

Better Mental Energy: Pyritinol optimizes your brain’s glucose metabolism. After crossing the blood-brain barrier, Pyritinol enhances glucose metabolism, which means your brain can more easily access the “fuel” (oxygen and nutrients) it needs from the bloodstream. This can dramatically improve mental energy.

Better Focus And Concentration: The same process that gives you better mental energy can also boost your focus and concentration. In many cases, our brain starts to “wander” because it can’t access the oxygen and nutrients it needs to focus on a task. Pyritinol enhances your blood’s ability to give your brain the fuel it needs, improving focus and concentration.

Ultimately, if you look up the benefits for “Vitamin B6”, you’ll find they are very similar to Pyritinol benefits. Pyritinol is simply two Vitamin B6 molecules joined together by a chemical bond, which enhances the benefits of Vitamin B6 while also increasing its bioavailability.

How to Use Pyritinol

Pyritinol is typically taken as a capsule or tablet, although you may be able to find certain Pyritinol powders online. In any case, the recommended daily dose of Pyritinol is 400mg to 600mg daily split into two doses. For example, some might take 300mg with breakfast and another 300mg with lunch to maximize cognitive function during average working hours.

If you’re using Pyritinol for the first time, I recommend starting with two 100mg doses per day. This way, your brain and body can grow accustomed to the effects. More experienced users take as much as 1,600mg per day, split into two separate doses.

Some people report feeling more powerful effects when taking Pyritinol with meals, which could possibly aid digestion and absorption. However, you can take Pyritinol both with or without a meal.

I recommend cycling on and off Pyritinol. Just like with many nootropics, you can develop a tolerance to Pyritinol when taking it for extended periods of time. Some people cycle doses throughout the week, taking small doses on Monday, larger doses on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and a small dose on Friday. Others cycle on and off weeks at a time. Taking Pyritinol for one week and cycling off it for two weeks can drastically reduce your tolerance.

Pyritinol Side Effects

Side effects of Pyritinol are rare, but they do occur. As mentioned above, Pyritinol is a very popular pharmaceutical product in Europe. Thus, it has a long, well-documented history of use and its side effects have been meticulously reported over the years.

Some users report feeling the following side effects while taking Pyritinol: fatigue, nausea, headaches, rashes, diarrhea, insomnia, and irritability. Some of these side effects have been associated with allergic reactions within the compound.

If you are worried about these side effects or if you are currently experiencing these side effects, talk to a healthcare professional. Before taking Pyritinol – or any nootropic supplement – you should talk to your doctor.

There is only one serious side effect to report from Pyritinol: one single report involved a patient developing pancreatitis after taking 600mg daily doses over a 3 month period. This is a very rare side effect, but it does show that cycling is a good idea. Taken over an extended period of time with consistent doses, there have also been some reports of acute hepatitis. Once again, these side effects are rare, but they do illustrate the importance of cycling and limiting your dosages.

Buying Pyritinol Supplements Online

When buying Pyritinol online or in drugstores, you’ll typically encounter one of three different brand names. Pyritinol is currently only manufactured by two companies around the world. Popular brands include Ence, Encephabol, and Renervol. The first two are manufactured by Merck, while the last is manufactured by K. C. Laboratories.

Buying Pyritinol online is easier than ever before. Online nootropic retailers are convenient, discrete, and competitively-priced. Pyritinol can be purchased over the counter throughout most countries in Europe (although it must be ordered online in the United Kingdom). It’s also available over the counter in the United States and is typically legal throughout most of the world. You do not need a prescription to buy Pyritinol online or in-store.