Ceraxon or Cerebrolysin - what is the difference and what is better

Comparison of the effectiveness of Ceraxon and Cerebrolysin

Ceraxon is more effective than Cerebrolysin - this means that the ability of the drug substance to provide the maximum possible effect is different.
For example, if the therapeutic effect of Ceraxon is more pronounced, then it is impossible to achieve this effect with Cerebrolysin, even in large doses.

Also, the speed of therapy is an indicator of the speed of therapeutic action; Ceraxon and Cerebrolysin are also different, as is bioavailability - the amount of a drug substance reaching the site of its action in the body. The higher the bioavailability, the less it will be lost during absorption and use by the body.

general characteristics

The medicine belongs to the group of antioxidants. It has membrane protective, antihypoxic and nootropic properties. On the international pharmacological market (INN) the drug is known as NEUROX.

Release form, cost

Neurox is produced in the form of a colorless or pale yellow solution. Neurox is not produced in tablets, capsules or any other forms. It is injected into the gluteal muscle or vein. The solution is placed in ampoules. Their volume is 2 or 5 ml. The quantity of their contents in the package is 5, 10 or 50 pcs. The cost of the drug depends on the region of sale (Table 1). To purchase Neurox, you need to provide your pharmacist with a doctor's prescription.

Table 1 – Average cost of Neurox in Russian regions

The ampoules must be stored out of the reach of children and sunlight. The optimal temperature for its storage is 25 °C.

Composition, principle of operation

Each ampoule of solution contains 100, 250, 500 or 1000 mg of ethylmethylhydroxypyridine succinate (active ingredient). Other components of the drug:

Once in the body, Neurox acts in several directions at once:

• normalizes cell functions;
• stimulates the production of dopamine in the brain;
• increases the resistance of organs to hypoxia, ischemia in case of poisoning with ethanol, medications, and insufficient cerebral circulation;
• improves metabolism, blood and oxygen flow to brain tissue;
• suppresses fear and relieves anxiety, promotes relaxation;
• strengthens blood cell membranes;
• lowers total cholesterol in the blood;

• 
  restores heart function after a heart attack and its ability to contract;

• relieves symptoms of left ventricular dysfunction;
• relieves cramps and prevents their occurrence;
• reduces the number of attacks of arrhythmias, the frequency of conduction disorders in the heart muscle;
• normalizes metabolic processes in the tissues of the heart, improves blood circulation in the coronary vessels, prevents the destruction of cardiomyocytes and preserves their functions, reduces the focus of necrosis in coronary artery disease;
• increases the production of ATP, creatine phosphate;
• reduces the likelihood of hemolysis, and also reduces endogenous intoxication, enzymatic toxemia, which are characteristic of acute pancreatitis;
• increases the effectiveness of treatment carried out after a heart attack and resistance to stressful situations.

The drug Neurox has many positive properties. But it is prohibited to use it without consulting a doctor. Only a specialist can choose the correct dosage of medication and determine the course of treatment.

The concentration of the drug in the blood is highest 20-40 minutes after its administration. Its effect lasts up to 4 hours. The active substance Neurox quickly penetrates tissues and organs. Its main metabolism occurs in the liver. Metabolic products are eliminated from the body naturally - along with urine.

Comparison of the safety of Ceraxon and Cerebrolysin

The safety of a drug includes many factors.

At the same time, in Ceraxon it is quite similar to Cerebrolysin. 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 the metabolism of Ceraxon, as well as Cerebrolysin, 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, Ceraxon does not have any risks when used, just like Cerebrolysin.

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 Ceraxon and Cerebrolysin.

Description of the drug

Cerakson is a medicine produced by Pharm (Spain) and belongs to the group of drugs that affect brain metabolism. Ceraxon is sold in 2 forms - oral solution and injection solution. The first is presented in glass bottles, closed with plastic caps, 30 ml each. Price - 600 rubles. The second product is sold at a price of 1,200 rubles for 5 ampoules.

The active substance of Ceraxon is citicoline, in solution - 100 mg, in ampoules - 1000 mg.

The solution for intramuscular and intravenous injections also contains water for injection. The product, which is drunk internally, is also based on a number of auxiliary components - strawberry flavor, sodium citrate and saccharin, citric acid and others.

Ceraxon is a nootropic drug. Citicoline is part of cell membranes, because phospholipids are formed on its basis. The substance restores damaged cell membranes, prevents the formation of radicals, and prevents cell death. In acute hypoxia and ischemia, the volume of affected tissue decreases; in case of head injury, the strength of neurological symptoms decreases. The drug also optimizes memory and attentiveness.

Sodium thiosulfate is a remedy that allows for high-quality detoxification of the body in case of various poisonings. The active substances of the drug contribute to the launch of natural protective mechanisms and stimulate restorative qualities. Read more in the article: “sodium thiosulfate - indications for use.”

Comparison of addiction between Ceraxon and Cerebrolysin

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 Cerakson is quite similar to the similar values ​​in Cerebrolysin. 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 Cerakson the values ​​of the “syndrome” are quite small, however, the same as in Cerebrolysin.

Comparison of side effects of Ceraxon and Cerebrolysin

Side effects or adverse events are any adverse medical event that occurs in a subject after administration of a drug.

Ceraxon's side effects are almost the same as Cerebrolysin's. They both have few side effects. This implies that the frequency of their occurrence is low, that is, the indicator of how many cases of an undesirable effect of treatment are possible and registered is low. The undesirable effect on the body, the strength of influence and the toxic effect of Ceraxon are similar to Cerebrolysin: how quickly the body recovers after taking it and whether it recovers at all.

International Neurological Journal 6 (28) 2009

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a pressing and complex problem of our time, affecting both medical, pedagogical, psychological, and social aspects. Currently, there is an increase in cases of ADHD: according to the literature, this syndrome occurs in 5–10% of children in the population, and is 4–5 times more common in males [1–3, 14, 16].

ADHD is characterized by a triad of symptom groups: hyperactivity, attention deficit, and impulsivity. By adolescence, in most children, increased motor activity stops, but impulsivity and attention deficit persist in 70% of patients, moving into adulthood [6, 7, 11, 16]. ADHD is the most common cause of difficulties in a child’s learning in preschool and school age, the cause of behavioral and socialization disorders [1, 2, 6, 13].

Despite the use of nootropic, psychostimulant drugs, sufficient therapeutic effectiveness has not yet been achieved; many years of experience in pediatric neurology shows that improvement in ADHD is 44% as a result of treatment with phenibut, piracetam - 50%, Semax - 53%, Cerebrolysin - 60%. [10].

In recent years, reports have appeared about the prospects of using the drug Ceraxon. Ceraxon is a cell membrane stabilizer with a neuroprotective effect. The effectiveness of the use of Ceraxon in premature newborns with hypoxic-ischemic brain lesions has been established, in the treatment and rehabilitation of children of the first year of life with organic lesions of the central nervous system, and positive dynamics have also been shown in traumatic brain lesions in children 5–15 years old [4, 5, 8, 9, 12 , 15].

In this regard, the purpose of the work is to analyze the effectiveness of including the drug Ceraxon in the complex of therapy for children with ADHD.

Material and methods

42 children with ADHD aged from 3 to 14 years were observed. Of these, 29 (69.05%) were boys, 13 (30.95%) were girls. The diagnosis was made in accordance with WHO diagnostic criteria.

Analysis of the effectiveness of therapy was carried out based on the dynamics of general clinical, neurological data, electroencephalography indicators and psychological tests.

Clinical methods included a classic neurological examination, laboratory methods - general blood test, urine test, determination of blood glucose concentration, liver tests. An electroencephalographic study was carried out using a DX6000 device.

To study the degree of attention disorders, hyperactivity and impulsivity, the SNAPIV scale was used [11]. The corresponding reference values ​​are 1.11 ± 0.35; 0.93 ± 0.33; 0.89 ± 0.31. The observed children with ADHD were divided into 2 groups. The complex of therapy for the main group (26 children) included the drug Ceraxon. Ceraxon was prescribed per os at an age-specific dose in accordance with the instructions, 2 times a day (morning and afternoon) for 3 months.

The neuroprotective effect of Ceraxon is to reduce the activity of phospholipase A2, reduce the release of arachidonic acid, preserve components of mitochondrial membranes, restore damaged neuronal membranes, increase glutathione content, reduce the formation of free radicals, and restore the activity of Na+/K+ pumps.

Ceraxon has an effect at the level of neurotransmitters: it increases the synthesis of acetylcholine and dopamine, reduces the synaptic absorption of dopamine, and increases the content of norepinephrine [4, 8, 9, 12, 15].

In the comparison group (16 children), patients received other nootropic drugs. The groups are representative by gender and age.

Statistical processing of the obtained results was carried out using parametric and non-parametric methods using the STATISTICA 5 program; p < 0.05 was considered an indicator of reliability.

Research results

When studying the life history of children with ADHD, the presence of this syndrome was established in 11 (26.19%) parents. 38 (90.48%) mothers had a burdened obstetric history (threat of miscarriage, anemia, gestosis, nephropathy, acute respiratory infections). Complicated labor occurred in 35 (83.33%) mothers (rapid labor, weakness of labor, birth by cesarean section, tight umbilical cord entanglement).

The neurological history of the examined patients was characterized by the presence of tics in 6 (14.28%) patients, enuresis in 4 (9.52%), and an antisocial type of behavior developed in three (7.14%) 14-year-old boys: vagrancy, a tendency to commit crimes. 12 (28.57%) had conflicting relationships with their parents.

Based on the assessment of the dynamics of clinical and instrumental indicators, positive changes were established after 1 month in 9.52% of patients, after 2 months - in 28.57%, and after 3 months of therapy, positive changes were revealed in the majority of patients in both groups, but with greater effectiveness when included in the complex of therapy of the nootropic drug Ceraxon.

It is characteristic that statistically significantly greater effectiveness after the course of treatment was observed in relation to symptoms of attention deficit in patients of the main group (Fig. 1), while the rate of relative risk reduction (RR) was 58.0% (p < 0.05).

At the same time, an improvement in the electroencephalographic picture was found in 24 (92.31%) children of the main group (Fig. 2). Initially, bioelectrical activity in children with ADHD was characterized by dysrhythmia, slowing of bioelectrical activity, decreased spectral power of alpha and beta rhythms, increased index and power of theta and beta activity (ratio of theta and beta rhythms - 6.48 ± 1.05) in the anterior parts of the cerebral cortex. After a course of treatment with the inclusion of Cerakson, an improvement in the organization of electrogenesis, a decrease in irritation, a decrease in high-amplitude activity, as well as an increase in the power of the alpha rhythm in the occipital region, a decrease in the ratio of theta and beta rhythms in the frontal leads to 5.20 ± 0.96 are observed compared to the norm in children of this age group 3.28 ± 0.21 (p > 0.05).

Positive changes in the EEG under the influence of Cerakson were also noted in other works [9].

It is important to emphasize that no undesirable side effects were observed when using Ceraxon in our studies.

The dynamics of symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity according to the SOR indicator in children of the main group and the comparison group did not differ significantly, equaling 19.0 and 9.0%, respectively (p > 0.05).

conclusions

Thus, when Ceraxon was used in complex therapy of children with ADHD, positive clinical dynamics were obtained, statistically significant in relation to symptoms of attention deficit, which may be associated with an increase in the bioelectrical activity of the brain (based on the dynamics of EEG indicators).

No side effects were observed when using Ceraxon.