"Cerebrolysin" is used to treat neurological and psychiatric pathologies. The drug has proven itself from the best side and is used today even for the treatment of children. This tool can be used only by injection, that is, in the form of injections. From this article you can familiarize yourself with the instructions for use of Cerebrolysin, analogues, reviews about them and doctors' recommendations on how to use the drug.
Product release form
Instructions for use with "Cerebrolysin" reports that the drug is not produced in tablets and capsules. The only form of release is ampoules for injection. Injections can be given either intramuscularly (into the gluteus maximus muscle or thigh) or intravenously.
In ampoules - 5% solution of a peptide preparation obtained from the pig brain, supplemented with auxiliary substances - water for injection and caustic soda.
Active ingredient and pharmacokinetics
The deproteinized hydrolyzate of the brain of pigs (which is the main active ingredient of the Cerebrolysin preparation in the instructions for use) stimulates the processes of cell differentiation, improves the functional state of neurons, helping to prevent their destruction and, if possible, restore them. The process of regeneration of neurons is not always possible - it all depends on the degree of pathology and individual characteristics of the patient).
The effect of the drug was tested on pigs, and the results proved a direct effect on neuronal and synaptic plasticity, which in turn helps to improve higher nervous activity and cognitive abilities.
Indications for use
Instructions for use with "Cerebrolysin" reports that the drug is effective as an independent or auxiliary agent in the following diseases and conditions:
- delayed psycho-speech development in children;
- cerebral palsy;
- dementia of various etiologies;
- encephalopathies of various forms and causes;
- chronic alcoholism and drug addiction;
- restoration of brain functions after strokes and traumatic brain injuries;
- degenerative diseases of the nervous system.
Side effects and contraindications
Instructions for use with "Cerebrolysin" reports that the drug has the following contraindications:
- serious mental disorders;
- the period of delirium and acute psychotic conditions in chronic alcoholism;
- liver failure;
- epilepsy;
- individual intolerance to the components.
Possible side effects mainly arise from the nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract. Instructions for use for Cerebrolysin injections and patient reviews report the possible occurrence of the following side effects:
- headache, migraine;
- dizziness;
- surges of energy, motor anxiety;
- panic attacks (usually occur only in those patients who have been observed before);
- depressive states, anxiety, bad mood, painful suspiciousness (with prolonged use - longer than a month of daily injections);
- increased anxiety and a state of near panic.
Reviews on the use of "Cerebrolysin" in children and adolescents
In neurology, the practice of using the drug in children and adolescents is widespread. Most often, it is prescribed in short courses lasting ten days, one ampoule per day. The reasons are a delay in the development of speech and a general underdevelopment of speech. Instructions for use for intramuscular injections "Cerebrolysin" reports that the drug is able to affect those parts of the brain that are responsible for processing auditory and visual information.
Reviews of the drug confirm that in some cases it was the course of injections that became the catalyst for improving speech in the child. At the same time, there are many dissatisfied reviews: mothers emphasize that their children underwent several courses of Cerebrolysin injections and this fact in no way affected the improvement of speech quality and understanding.
Instructions for use with "Cerebrolysin" reports that the drug can be used to treat stuttering in children and adolescents. Reviews of this therapy are negative: mothers say that the injections did not help correct the situation with the speech in their children.
Reviews on the use of "Cerebrolysin" in adults
Tens of thousands of men and women in our country receive therapy with this drug after suffering strokes, traumatic brain injuries, concussions. Many reviews, both positive and negative.
Many patients are unhappy with the relatively high cost of the drug (eight hundred rubles for ten ampoules, which are enough for five days of use) and low effect. Neurologists explain this point by the fact that peptide preparations (of which Cerebrolysin is) can accumulate action for months, and only then will the effect be noticeable. Patients and their relatives are unhappy with such a long period of action and expect the effect of the "here and now" therapy.
It is worthwhile to understand that the process of treating such complex body systems as the blood circulation of the brain, the autonomic system and the central nervous system can drag on for many years. And even after many years of therapy, there is no guarantee that a person will become the same.
Medical advice on how to use
Neurologists psychiatrists emphasize that there are some simple rules that will help strengthen the therapeutic effect of the drug:
- for the duration of therapy, refuse to drink alcohol completely;
- try to sleep at least eight to nine hours a day;
- inject the dosage of the drug prescribed by the attending physician;
- eliminate the possibility of stress, psychological and physical overwork;
- fully eat and regularly take a multivitamin complex.
These are simple rules, but they will help to create a favorable background for the recovery of the psyche and nervous system of the patient.
Drug Interactions with Other Drugs
Instructions for use with "Cerebrolysin" intramuscularly reports the following nuances of using the drug in parallel with other medicines:
- incompatible with lipid-containing drugs;
- prohibited with certain antidepressants (may provoke serotonin syndrome) ;
- "Cerebrolysin" cannot be used with drugs that can change its pH;
- some hormonal drugs may inhibit cell susceptibility to Cerebrolysin.
In laboratory studies, no patterns were found in the use of Cerebrolysin for concentration and reaction rate.
Instructions for use and reviews of "Cerebrolysin" report that the ability to concentrate during use of the drug not only does not decrease, but even increases. This is due to the improvement of neural connections and the acceleration of cognitive processes.
The development of dependence on "Cerebrolysin"
This drug belongs to the group of nootropics. Pharmacist studies have shown that drugs of this class do not cause psychological or physical dependence.
Nevertheless, the people still consider nootropics to be psychostimulants (which is wrong), the effect of which is comparable to the narcotic. Such an opinion is ignorant and devoid of soil.
Instructions for use for injections "Cerebrolysin" emphasizes that the drug does not cause any of the possible types of dependence. The deproteinized hydrolyzate of the brain of pigs, which is the main active ingredient of the Cerebrolysin preparation, provides invaluable assistance to the body in the restoration of brain cells.
List of analogues of "Cerebrolysin"
It is worth noting that at the moment there is no drug on the market with the same active substance as that of Cerebrolysin. But there are many nootropics that have a similar therapeutic effect:
- Cortexin, an injectable nootropic, is a peptide, like Cerebrolysin. It can be used to treat children.
- Cerebrum is another nootropic used for the treatment of pathologies of the nervous system in both adults and young patients.
- "Cerebrolysate" is an injectable preparation, the main active ingredient of which is the hydrolyzate of the brain of cattle.
- "Ceregin" is another drug with a nootropic effect, made in the form of injections and tablets. It is used, as a rule, for the treatment of neurological problems in the elderly.
- "Semax" is a new generation peptide nootropic. It is convenient in that it is available in the form of a nasal spray and does not require the patient to be able to inject.