Cerepro: analogues and substitutes for the drug

02.02.2019
Cerepro is positioned by the manufacturer as an effective nootropic that improves cognitive function and restores brain activity after injuries and pathologies. But this is not a cheap drug, so many people wonder if Cerepro has analogues?

Below we will look at the active substance Cerepro - choline alfoscerate, identify its mechanisms and spectrum of influence on the central nervous system and brain function. Then we will consider biologically active choline supplements, which are no less effective in their nootropic properties than Cerepro, but cheaper.

pharmachologic effect

Manufacturer: Veropharm, Russia
Release form: capsules, solution for IM or IV administration

Active ingredient: choline alfoscerate

Cerepro is a central anticholinergic stimulant. It has a positive effect on blood flow in the affected area of ​​the brain, enhances metabolic processes in the central nervous system, and also activates the reticular formation. The drug normalizes the spatiotemporal characteristics of brain activity. After completing a course of therapy, a patient with vascular pathologies in this area experiences stabilization of behavioral and cognitive reactions.

Cerepro does not have a negative effect on the reproductive cycle, which is important for women, and does not have a teratogenic effect. The product is not a mutagen. It has a high percentage of absorption. Excreted by the lungs, kidneys, and intestines.

Application of Cerepro, mechanisms of action of choline alfoscerate on the human central nervous system

Regular intake of choline alfoscerate increases the accumulation of inositol phosphate in nerve tissues, while the main antagonist of muscarinic-type cholinergic receptors, atropine, does not block the process. The reaction is due to stimulation of phospholipid synthesis5.

Studies have shown that choline alfoscerate improves calcium release in the hippocampus and is involved in the formation of inositol phosphate (due to its effect on the corresponding receptors). These processes and reactions, which are not characteristic of choline, are also presumably associated with effects on phospholipid metabolism.

A number of experiments have revealed that choline alfoscerate increases the concentration of dopamine in the frontal cortex and cerebellum, which was not observed when taking choline in other forms6. It is likely that the release of dopamine is due to the fact that choline alphoscerate interacts with cell membranes. The net effect is an increase in the number of dopamine transporters.

In these same areas - the frontal cortex and cerebellum - when taking choline alfoscerate, the concentration of serotonin increases. The level of acetylcholine itself also increases, but it is unknown whether this effect affects the entire brain or just certain areas.

The target effects were studied in brains with artificial amnesia modeled using scopolamine, a cholinergic toxin. Taking choline alfoscerate completely suppressed the negative effects of scopolamine and eliminated amnesia7, and its effectiveness exceeded that of aniracetam and idebenone, a synthetic analogue of coenzyme Q10. Potentially, choline alfoscerate may protect the brain from cholinergic toxins8.

Presumably, choline alfoscerate may have a neuroprotective effect, like any substances and preparations containing choline in one form or another. This is due, among other things, to the activation of nicotinic cholinergic receptors, which suppress the neurotoxicity of other substances.

Indications for use of Cerepro

Prescribed to patients with the following disorders and pathologies:

1. Traumatic brain injury (acute phase, recovery period).
2. Ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke.
3. Psychoorganic syndrome, which is diagnosed in patients as a result of degenerative and involutional changes in the brain.
4. Circulatory failure in the brain in the chronic stage.
5. Cognitive type disorders.
6. Pseudomelancholia in patients of the elderly age group.

Helpful information! Before starting the course, you must consult with your doctor. Do not ignore existing restrictions and precautions. Self-prescription and use can lead to irreversible consequences.

Cerepro - instructions for use

According to the instructions for use, the dosage of Cerepro and the number of doses are adjusted by a specialist depending on the diagnosis. To achieve stabilization and improvement of the condition, it is necessary to adhere to all recommendations and prescriptions of the doctor.

If the patient has an acute condition, then it is necessary to administer the drug intravenously or intramuscularly (1 g per day). In all other cases, the patient is allowed to take 400 mg tablets no more than three times a day. The duration of the course is from three months to six months.

How to take Cerepro: before or after meals

Cerepro is recommended to be taken 30-45 minutes before meals. If it was not possible to take the tablet before meals, you are allowed to do so after 60–90 minutes. During the course, it is not necessary to additionally prescribe to the patient medications that protect the mucous surface of the gastrointestinal tract.

Effect on the heart, hormonal levels, muscle tone

During a clinical study, a group of patients with transient ischemic attack or ischemic stroke received choline alfoscerate in a therapeutic dosage intramuscularly, then orally. From 19 to 21% of subjects showed a significant improvement in their general condition.

Healthy subjects in another group took choline alphoscerate before strength training. 45 minutes after administration, they performed a series of physical exercises. When bench pressing a barbell, an increase in strength indicators by 14% was noted.

A study of the effect of choline alfoscerate on the synthesis of somatotropin showed that the highest levels of growth hormone were recorded an hour after taking the drug. Within two hours, the concentration of the hormone in the blood returned to normal.

Analogues of Cerepro

The pharmacy offers a range of Cerepro substitutes, both domestic and foreign. Analogs differ from each other in the form of release, the company, and most importantly, the cost. The choice of medications from this group should be made exclusively by a doctor, since self-therapy can lead to destabilization of the condition.

Prices for analogues of the drug Cerepro

The price is influenced by factors such as release form, packaging, manufacturer, and dosage of the active ingredient.

Cerepro or Gliatilin – which is better and more effective?

Manufacturer: SI ES SI LTD, Italy
Release form: capsules, injection solution

Active ingredient: choline alfoscerate

Gliatilin is an analogue of foreign-made Cerepro injections. A prescription drug that has a positive effect on the transmission of nerve impulses, improves blood flow, and enhances metabolic processes in the brain. It also helps restore consciousness after injury to this area. Used as a preventive and corrective agent. Quickly and almost completely absorbed. The benefit accumulates in the brain, lungs and liver.

This analogue of Cerepro is prescribed to patients with the following disorders:

• TBI in the acute period with damage to the table part;
• chronic cerebrovascular insufficiency;
• dementia syndrome;
• cerebral infarction;
• pseudomelancholia in elderly patients.

Reviews from doctors about the presented medications are positive, since they are effective for these disorders and do not differ in the active ingredient or pharmacology.

Comparison of safety of Cerepr and Cereton

The safety of a drug includes many factors.

Moreover, in Cerepra it is quite similar to Cereton. It is important where the drug is metabolized: drugs are excreted from the body either unchanged or in the form of products of their biochemical transformations. Metabolism occurs spontaneously, but most often involves major organs such as the liver, kidneys, lungs, skin, brain and others. When assessing metabolism in Cerepra, as well as in Cereton, we look at which organ is the metabolizing organ and how critical the effect on it is.

The risk-benefit ratio is when the prescription of a drug is undesirable, but justified under certain conditions and circumstances, with the obligatory observance of caution in use. At the same time, Cerepra does not have any risks when used, just like Cereton.

Also, when calculating safety, it is taken into account whether only allergic reactions occur or possible dysfunction of the main organs. In other matters, as well as the reversibility of the consequences of using Cerepr and Cereton.

Cerepro or Ceraxon - which is better?

Manufacturer: TAKEDA PHARMACEUTICALS, Spain
Release form: solution for oral administration and injection

Active ingredient: citicoline

Ceraxon is a foreign analogue that is cheaper than Cerepro. A prescription nootropic drug that restores damaged brain cells. If the patient is diagnosed with an acute stage, then the active component reduces the number of affected tissues in the brain and helps improve cholinergic transmission.

It is also worth noting that the drug reduces the recovery period and the severity of neurological symptoms. The drug is used to treat cognitive disorders. It is effective in the treatment of sensory and motor neurological disorders of various etiologies.

Most often, the Cerepro analog Ceraxon is prescribed to patients with ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, traumatic brain injury, cognitive and behavioral disorders, as well as degenerative and vascular pathologies of the brain.

Reviews from doctors are positive, as they help to cope with these disorders and return the patient to normal life.

Cerepro or Cereton - which is better and more effective, what is the difference

Manufacturer: SOTEX, Russia
Release form: capsules, injection solution

Active ingredient: choline alfoscerate

Cereton is an analogue of Cerepro in 400 mg capsules. This is a prescription nootropic substitute that is a centrally acting cholinomimetic. The product improves blood circulation, enhances metabolic processes in the central nervous system, and also activates the reticular formation.

Cereton is prescribed for TBI in the acute and recovery period, for hemorrhagic stroke, cognitive disorders, psychoorganic syndrome, dementia, encephalopathy, pseudomelancholia in elderly patients. The product is no different and has the same effectiveness for these disorders.

GABAergic neurotransmission, influence on cognitive activity

Choline alfoscerate interacts with the noradrenergic system, stimulating the release of GABA - gamma-aminobutyric acid, which is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter of the central nervous system9. GABA release in some studies reached 130% of baseline values ​​within 150 minutes after administration of choline alfoscerate. Presumably, the release of GABA occurs through alpha-1 adrenergic receptors.

In one study, choline alfoscerate taken along with caffeine increased reaction time and attention in patients under acute stress. The substance stimulates memory and cognitive activity through the activation of protein kinase C, which is responsible for the formation of memory, including long-term memory10. 1 hour after oral administration of choline alfoscerate, stimulation of protein kinase C translocation reaches peak values ​​and levels off after 5 hours.

Many studies of choline alfoscerate as a cognitive stimulant involve patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Since this pathology is mediated by an increase in the rate of phospholipid degradation, its development increases the need for choline11. This process is called autocannibalism - when the body receives acetylcholine from phospholipids containing choline. Damage to cell membranes is also believed to occur.

Choline alfoscerate can repair damaged membranes. In experiments where one group of patients took choline alfoscerate and the other a placebo, the first group experienced improvements in behavioral, verbal symptoms and memory after 90 days of use. With a degenerative nature of the pathology, the overall improvement was 10-26%, with a vascular nature - 8-30%12.

Cerepro or Cerebrolysin - which is better, what is the difference

Manufacturer: EVER NEURO, Austria
Release form: injection solution

Active ingredient: Cerebrolysin concentrate

Cerebrolysin is an imported analogue of Cerepro in ampoules, a prescription nootropic drug. It has a complex composition that does not allow pharmacokinetic analysis. Prescribed to adults for the following disorders:

• Alzheimer's disease;
• dementia syndrome;
• cerebrovascular insufficiency;
• cerebral infarction;
• endogenous depression;
• damage to the spinal cord and brain.

The analogue is also recommended for children with developmental delays, hyperactivity, and attention deficit.

Cerepro or Mexidol - which is better?

Manufacturer: VECTORFARMA, Russia
Release form: tablets, injection solution

Active ingredient: ethylmethylhydroxypyridine succinate

Mexidol is a prescription, nootropic, antioxidant drug that differs in pharmacology. The product has antihypoxic, stress-protective, anticonvulsant, and antioxidant properties. Russian tablets can increase the patient’s body’s resistance to negative factors. If you don’t know what you can replace Cerepro in tablets with, then use Mexidol.

This cheap analogue of the drug Cerepro increases the content of dopamine in the brain, and also improves metabolic processes and blood flow, and reduces platelet production. The product has hypolipidemic and antitoxic properties. Has an extended list of indications:

• acute disturbances of cerebral blood flow;
• Mild TBI, elimination of the consequences of injury;
• encephalopathy of various origins;
• VSD;
• cognitive disorders of atherosclerotic origin;
• IHD;
• withdrawal syndrome in patients dependent on alcoholic beverages;
• acute intoxication with antipsychotic drugs;
• asthenic disorders;
• the presence of constant stress factors.

Comparison of habituation in Cerepra and Cereton

Like safety, addiction also involves many factors that must be considered when evaluating a drug.

So, the totality of the values ​​of such parameters as “o syndrome” in Cerepra is quite similar to the similar values ​​in Cereton. Withdrawal syndrome is a pathological condition that occurs after the cessation of intake of addictive or dependent substances into the body. And resistance is understood as initial immunity to a drug; in this it differs from addiction, when immunity to a drug develops over a certain period of time. The presence of resistance can only be stated if an attempt has been made to increase the dose of the drug to the maximum possible. At the same time, in Cerepra the meaning of the “syndrome” is quite small, however, the same as in Cereton.