Is Cerebrolysin safe?
Pooled data: 2.5x more serious non-fatal events
In the pooled stroke trials, as many people had any adverse event on placebo as on the drug (308 of 667 versus 307 of 668). But non-fatal serious adverse events were about 2.5 times more frequent with Cerebrolysin. The CAPTAIN trials reported similar tolerability. Reported effects include agitation, dizziness, headache and pain at the injection site. 32
The unknowns come with any undefined animal-tissue extract. Batches may differ from one another. Repeated courses may trigger immune reactions. Vials bought outside a regulated pharmacy have unclear origins. None of the cited trials address these. 3
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Citations
- 2021, Neurol Sci: Cerebrolysin for stroke, neurodegeneration and TBI, review pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- 2021, Neurol Sci: prospective meta-analysis of the CAPTAIN trials in TBI pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Ziganshina 2017, Cochrane: Cerebrolysin for acute ischaemic stroke pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Cochrane CD007026, latest update: Cerebrolysin for acute ischaemic stroke doi.org
- Cochrane CD008900: Cerebrolysin for vascular dementia doi.org
- Muresanu 2016, Stroke: Cerebrolysin and recovery after stroke (CARS) pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- 2014, Kaohsiung J Med Sci: neuroprotective properties of Cerebrolysin doi.org
- 2006, Acta Neuropathol: anti-apoptotic effects of Cerebrolysin in experimental models doi.org
- Springer chapter: Cerebrolysin and excitotoxic neuronal damage doi.org
Reference information only, not medical advice. Drawn from the Cerebrolysin article, fact-checked against the cited sources. No dosing anywhere on this site.