Pyritinol, derived from vitamin B6, is a semi-natural drug used to aid cognitive and memory function. Widely used in Europe, it is available as a dietary supplement in the US and other countries. Its mechanism of action is not fully understood, but it is believed to increase glucose delivery to the brain, resulting in increased energy and faster brain function. Clinical trials have shown increased reaction time, but no improvement in memory function.
Pyritinol is a water soluble semi-natural drug that is derived from vitamin B6. It is also known as pyrithioxine or pyridoxine disulfide. Pyritinol was created in 1961 by Merck Laboratories, and is the result of joining two vitamin B6 compounds in their sulfur molecules. Their joining in this way is known as a disulfide bridge.
This drug has been the most widely used in Europe, where several patented versions have been developed. In the early 1970s, pyritinol was sold as an over-the-counter (OTC) drug in many European nations. It was marketed as an aid for people with cognitive or memory function problems, and was also used to treat children with learning disorders.
There are several countries, including Great Britain, where pyritinol has not been licensed for use, but the drug is widely available on the Internet. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has no official position on pyritinol, and the drug is relatively unknown in the rest of North America. Clinical trials conducted in the early 1990s showed that participants taking pyritinol had increased reaction time, but no improvement in memory function.
In the United States, the most common exposure to this drug has been as a dietary supplement, rather than an over-the-counter drug. Pyritinol supplements belong to a class of compounds known as nootropics, a term coined by a Romanian physician in 1964. Nootropic compounds are said to increase mental functions, including cognition and memory. They are also known as smart drugs or memory enhancers. The term nootropic is a mix of two Greek words, and literally means mind-blowing.
The mechanism of action by which nootropic compounds operate is not fully understood, and the efficacy of such drugs has not been well documented. There are various schools of thought regarding how these compounds supposedly increase mental functioning, including theories that they increase the brain’s oxygen supply or that they change the availability of certain neurochemicals. Cognition, memory, and intelligence are not easy to quantify, which makes the job of empirically testing nootropic compounds difficult.
One of the main purported benefits that pyritinol offers is an increased ability to deliver glucose to the brain. Unlike all other parts of the body, the brain can only function using glucose and cannot rely on fat for energy. The brain can’t store glucose either, so it must have a continuous supply. According to a 1980 study, patients with brain glucose uptake levels at 50% of normal saw a significant increase when pyritinol was used. In a healthy individual, this increased glucose uptake would theoretically translate into increased energy and faster brain function.
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