Cerebrolysin — the cost is insane. Is it worth it?
28 posts
Cerebrolysin is a porcine-brain-derived neuropeptide preparation used in Europe for stroke, TBI, and dementia. In those indications the evidence is... okay. Not great, not nothing. Effect sizes are modest.
The community uses it for nootropic purposes at IM doses for 10-20 day cycles. A single cycle costs hundreds of dollars.
Anyone run full cycles and think it was worth the money compared to, say, running semax on/off for six months for the same cost?
6 Replies
20 posts
Did one 20-day cycle. Mild subjective lift during, nothing persistent after. For the cost I'd rather have six months of semax intermittent.
68 posts
The clinical use case is post-stroke/TBI. For someone with actual neural injury, the risk-reward is different. For a healthy brain chasing nootropic effects, it's probably overkill and under-powered for what it costs.
- Epithalon · 10 mg · 10d on / 80d off · sub-Q
- MOTS-c · 5 mg · 2x/wk · sub-Q
- 5-Amino-1MQ · 150 mg · daily · oral
25 posts
Agree with noots_noop. The cycle feels meaningful in the moment, washes out fast after. Not sustainable economically and the sustained benefit hasn't shown up for me.
39 posts
Yeah I ran it back in like 2018 when it was cheaper and even then I wasnt impressed. The peptide community hypes it up because it sounds exotic and costs money, which somehow equals efficacy in peoples heads. Semax or even just consistent exercise and sleep will outperform a 20 day cerebrolysin cycle for like 1/10th the cost. Unless you're actually recovering from something specific, save your money.
11 posts
nah everyone here is right. i did two cycles couple years back and honestly it felt like placebo with a premium attached. the money would've been way better spent on literally anything else, semax included. the hype around cerebrolysin is pure marketing, people see the price tag and assume it must work because it costs that much. unless you're actually rehabbing from a stroke or serious head injury, this is just expensive desperation.