Cerebrolysin quick reference
What is Cerebrolysin?
Prescription mix of small peptides and amino acids from pig brain.
Given by drip or injection in hospitals; used in Austria, Russia, China and more.
Not registered with the US FDA.
How Cerebrolysin works
An enzyme-digested pig-brain mixture, not a single defined drug.
Lab work suggests nerve-protecting effects; active parts are not pinned down.
Trials ask if recovery improves; results differ by condition.
What Cerebrolysin is studied for
1,070 patients: no gain on the main 90-day score.
Cochrane 2023, 7 trials: no clear death benefit; more non-fatal serious events.
6 pooled trials, 30 mL daily: better global change at 4 weeks.
185 patients pooled: small-to-medium gain in outcome scores at days 30 and 90.
Cerebrolysin dosing protocol
| Condition (trial) | Amount and length |
|---|---|
| Acute stroke (CASTA, 1,070 patients) | 30 mL a day by IV drip, 10 days, started within 12 hours |
| Stroke with clot-busting drug (NCT00840671) | 30 mL a day by IV drip, 10 days |
| Mild to moderate Alzheimer's (6 trials pooled) | 30 mL a day; results checked at 4 weeks and 6 months |
| Moderate to severe brain injury (CAPTAIN) | 50 mL a day for 10 days, then 10 mL a day for 10 days, twice more |
| Maker handbook, stroke / brain injury | 20 to 50 mL a day, 10 to 21 days (stroke) or 7 to 30 days (brain injury) |
| Maker handbook, dementia | 10 to 30 mL a day, 5 days a week for 4 weeks, 2 to 4 cycles a year |
From trial records NCT00868283 and NCT00840671, the published abstracts, and the maker's 2023 Treatment Handbook (label-type doses, routes, contraindications). Hospital use only.
Label and trial amounts come from the sources below. Community amounts are what people report; they have not been tested.
Mixing
Ready-made liquid, never mixed. Single use. Store below 25 °C; do not freeze.
What the research found
CASTA (Asia, 1,070 stroke patients, 30 mL for 10 days vs placebo, followed 90 days) and a pooled review of stroke trials:
Heiss WD et al., Stroke 2012 (PMID 22282884); Ziganshina LE et al., Cochrane 2023 (PMID 37818733), which notes the maker supported three stroke trials; Gauthier S et al., Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord 2015 (PMID 25832905); Vester JC et al., Neurol Sci 2021 (PMID 33620612).
Cerebrolysin community experience
What users report. Not tested in trials.
Positive reports
- Real trials Randomized trials exist in stroke, brain injury and dementia.
- Brain injury signal Pooled brain-injury trials report small-to-medium gains.
- Long clinical use Prescribed for years where it is licensed.
Negative & mixed
- Stroke mixed The big stroke trial missed its goal; Cochrane shows no death benefit.
- Serious events Non-fatal serious events were more common in stroke trials.
- Healthy adults Disease trials do not show a thinking boost in healthy people.
Cerebrolysin stacking
Tested in a stroke trial (NCT00840671), given separately.
Sometimes paired by users. No combination trial.
Anecdotal thinking-and-stress pairing. No trial.
Cerebrolysin side effects & safety
Common
- Stimulating; may cause excitability, so mornings are advised (maker).
- Fast injection can raise heart rate and blood pressure (maker).
- Dizziness, headache or sweating are reported.
- Injection-site reactions are reported.
Less common
- Fever, rarely, especially after stroke (maker).
- Severe allergic reaction is possible.
- Non-fatal serious events more common in stroke trials (Cochrane, RR 2.39).
Precautions
- Do not use with allergy, epilepsy or severe kidney failure (maker).
- Antidepressants and MAO inhibitors: effects can add up; blood pressure may rise.
- Never mix with other drugs in the same infusion.
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding: not adequately studied.
- Made from pig brain.
Our verdict on Cerebrolysin
Best-studied product here, with real trials. Results vary by condition; stroke trials show more non-fatal serious events.
Cerebrolysin FAQ
Is Cerebrolysin FDA-approved?
No. It is a prescription drug in other countries, such as Austria.
How is Cerebrolysin given?
By slow IV drip, or IM up to 5 mL per injection.
Does Cerebrolysin help stroke?
The CASTA trial missed its main goal. Cochrane found no death benefit.
Is there a home protocol?
No. It is a hospital drug with condition-set doses.
Sources
- ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00868283 (CASTA) and NCT00840671
- Heiss WD et al. Stroke 2012;43:630-6, PMID 22282884
- Ziganshina LE et al. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2023, CD007026.pub7, PMID 37818733
- Gauthier S et al. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord 2015, PMID 25832905
- Vester JC et al. Neurol Sci 2021 (CAPTAIN), PMID 33620612
- Manufacturer page, cerebrolysin.com (EVER Neuro Pharma): US FDA status, contraindications
- Cerebrolysin Treatment Handbook 2023, EVER Neuro Pharma (dosage regimen, routes, contraindications)
- ClinicalTrials.gov API v2: NCT00868283 arms (30 mL IV daily x10 days vs saline)
- Vester JC et al. CAPTAIN prospective meta-analysis, 185 patients. Neurol Sci 2021, PMID 33620612
- Community reports summarised from public peptide-community notes (peptideprotocols.app page); user reports, not research