Comparison
Noopept vs TB-500
Side-by-side of Noopept and TB-500. Every row below is pulled from the compound schema and will update as our data grows. For deeper reads, follow through to each compound page.
Noopept
Noopept cognitive enhancer profile: 10 to 30 mg dosage, dipeptide nootropic mechanism, memory effects, and how it compares to piracetam.
TB-500
TB-500 peptide, a 17-aa thymosin beta-4 fragment. Preclinical tendon and wound healing via actin sequestration. Typical dosage 2 to 5 mg weekly. No human RCTs.
Effects at a glance
Noopept
- •Russian dipeptide nootropic developed in the 1990s, registered in Russia 2002 for cognitive impairment
- •Roughly 1,000-fold higher per-mg potency than piracetam; therapeutic dose 10 to 30 mg/day
- •Active metabolite cycloprolylglycine modulates AMPA receptors and increases NGF and BDNF in rodent hippocampus
- •Russian RCTs in stroke recovery and vascular cognitive impairment show modest improvements over 4 to 8 weeks
- •Western evidence base is essentially absent; healthy-adult enhancement trials have not been published
- •Unscheduled in the US but not approved for human consumption; UK is prescription-only since 2014
TB-500
- •17-amino-acid fragment of endogenous Thymosin Beta-4, an actin-sequestering peptide
- •Preclinical models show accelerated tendon, ligament, and dermal wound healing
- •Equine veterinary use for soft-tissue injury is the most documented real-world application
- •Anecdotal human protocols use 2 to 5 mg twice weekly subcutaneously for 4 to 6 weeks
- •WADA banned under S2 (peptide hormones, growth factors) since 2018
- •No completed phase II or III human RCTs as of 2026; long-term safety unestablished
Side-by-side
| Attribute | Noopept | TB-500 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | nootropic | peptide |
| Also known as | GVS-111, N-phenylacetyl-L-prolylglycine ethyl ester, Omberacetam | Thymosin Beta-4 fragment, TB4-Frag, Thymosin Beta 4 |
| Half-life (hr) ↗ | 0.7 | 2 |
| Typical dose (mg) ↗ | 20 | 2.5 |
| Dosing frequency | 2 to 3 times daily, last dose before mid-afternoon | 2x weekly (anecdotal protocols) |
| Routes | oral, sublingual | subcutaneous, intramuscular |
| Onset (hr) | 0.5 | - |
| Peak (hr) | 1 | - |
| Molecular weight | 318.37 | 4963.4 |
| Molecular formula | C17H22N2O4 | C212H350N56O78S |
| Mechanism | Hydrolyzed to active metabolite cycloprolylglycine; AMPA receptor modulation, BDNF and NGF upregulation, antioxidant and antiexcitotoxic effects. | Sequesters G-actin monomers, modulates cell migration and angiogenesis, and upregulates VEGF and myosin transcription. Promotes endothelial differentiation and stem-cell migration to injury sites in preclinical models. |
| Legal status | Approved in Russia and CIS states; prescription-only in UK; unscheduled and unapproved in US, EU varies | Not FDA approved; research-use-only grey market; banned by WADA |
| WADA status | unknown | banned |
| DEA / Rx | Not scheduled in the US | Not FDA approved; not scheduled; research-chemical status |
| Pregnancy | Not recommended | Insufficient data |
| CAS | 157115-85-0 | 885340-08-9 |
| PubChem CID | 183503 | 62707662 |
| Wikidata | Q4321022 | Q7799921 |
Safety profile
Noopept
Common side effects
- headache
- irritability
- sleep disturbance with late-day dosing
- occasional blood pressure elevation
Contraindications
- pregnancy
- lactation
- pediatric use
- severe hepatic impairment
- severe renal impairment
Interactions
- memantine and other glutamatergic agents: theoretical AMPA-pathway interaction(minor)
- antidepressants: theoretical effect via BDNF axis, undocumented(minor)
- antihypertensives: occasional blood pressure elevation may require monitoring(minor)
TB-500
Common side effects
- injection-site irritation
- fatigue (anecdotal)
- lethargy in early dosing (anecdotal)
Contraindications
- pregnancy
- active malignancy (theoretical angiogenic concern)
- no established human safety profile
Interactions
- BPC-157: Frequently co-administered in anecdotal healing protocols; no controlled interaction data(minor)
Which Should You Take?
Noopept comes out ahead for most readers on the criteria we weight: 3 catalogued goals, controlled substance, oral dosing, with a Tier-B outcome catalogued. TB-500 is the right call when one of the conditionals below applies.
- → If your priority is focus or working memory, pick Noopept.
- → If your priority is memory, pick Noopept.
- → If your priority is post-training recovery, pick TB-500.
- → If your priority is tendon repair, pick TB-500.
Edge case: If you cannot self-administer injections, Noopept is the only oral option in this pair.
Default choice: Noopept. Wider use case, and broader goal coverage. Reach for TB-500 only if your priority sits squarely in the goals it owns above.
This verdict is generated from each compound's schema (goals, legal status, evidence outcomes, dosing route). It updates automatically as our compound data evolves; the deeper read sits on each individual compound page.
Common questions
What is the difference between Noopept and TB-500?
Noopept and TB-500 differ in category (nootropic vs peptide), mechanism, and typical dosing. See the side-by-side table for full details.
Which has a longer half-life, Noopept or TB-500?
Noopept half-life is 0.7 hours; TB-500 half-life is 2 hours.
Can you stack Noopept with TB-500?
Stack compatibility depends on mechanism overlap, legal status, and individual response. Check each compound page for specific interactions and contraindications before combining.
Go deeper