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Citicoline is a nootropic supplement that has highly positive implications for cognitive ability.
It is a source of Choline and is one of the most effective Acetylcholine supplements that you can get today for enhanced learning, memory, reasoning, and concentration.
It is also considered to be very safe, having been subjected to some fairly extensive research and analysis since the 1970s.
Clinical trials have demonstrated that Citicoline is very well-tolerated with a low level of toxicity. It in fact offers a number of neuroprotective benefits and can boost brain health in the long term.
Citicoline side effects tend to be very mild and are usually only observed in situations where the recommended dosage is exceeded.
In order to conduct a thorough analysis of the risk of Citicoline side effects, we shall take a look at how this supplement works, the proper way to use it and some of the intended and unintended effects.
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Citicoline Review
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Citicoline (also known as CDP Choline) was original developed in Japan for treating stroke victims and other types of head trauma.
It is actually a brain chemical that the body can naturally produce in low levels.
However, supplementing with additional Citicoline is usually necessary for greater neuroprotective benefit and to achieve nootropic effects.
It is currently used as a treatment not only for certain types of strokes but also for cognitive disorders that can potentially be improved by enhanced cerebral circulation.
This includes conditions such as ADHD, dementia, age-related memory loss, concussion trauma, and potentially even Alzheimer’s disease.
As far as cognitive benefits, the supplement has been shown to be quite effective for improving memory and enhancing learning capacity. Citicoline is a precursor to Acetylcholine which is one of the most important neurotransmitters for various thought processes and synaptic plasticity.
While most of the Acetylcholine in your brain is produced from choline derived from foods that you eat, the average person does not get enough of this necessary nutrient.
By taking Citicoline on a daily basis, you can ensure that your brain has sufficient choline to produce adequate Acetylcholine levels to carry out the many millions of interactions between neurons every day.
Citicoline may also improve the speed of memory recall in a number of users and support the process of memory consolidation where short-term memories are recruited for long-term storage. It may further help to improve attention span and increase the ability of healthy users to focus and concentrate.
Research on Citicoline is very promising, however more research still needs to be done. At this time, Citicoline is available as a health supplement only, and the FDA has not approved Citicoline as a drug to prevent or treat any conditions.
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Citicoline Side Effects
As mentioned above, Citicoline is generally regarded by experts as very well-tolerated and safe, especially for short term use of 90 days or less. Citicoline has been rated by the Natural Medicines database as Possibly Safe when used orally and appropriately, short term.
As far as toxicity levels and interactions are concerned, there are no known risks beyond the potential for mild indigestion.
The one warning given out is that pregnant and breast feeding mothers should avoid taking this supplement, simply because there is not enough information at this point to determine its safety in theses groups.
The vast majority of normal, healthy, adult users can expect to not experience any Citicoline side effects at all.
However, there have been some instances of the following:
- headache
- insomnia or other sleeping difficulty
- diarrhea or other GI tract issues
- low or high blood pressure
- nausea
- blurred vision
- chest pain
Most of these side effects are only seen in those who have been taking excessively high doses of the supplement. Normally, the remedy is to either reduce the dosage or to discontinue use for a period of time.
At the moment, long term effects are unknown but most researchers theorize that Citicoline actually improves brain health and diminishes signs of aging.
This supplement may be able to reverse cell damage to our neurons and in some cases may promote the formation of new neurons and synapses or connections between neurons.
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How to Use Citicoline
As with any Nootropic supplement, care should be exercised when taking Citicoline to ensure that you are not taking too much. Proper dosage depends on many different factors, and it is recommended that you speak with your doctor before beginning any new supplements.
The following dosage recommendations are general guidelines only, and your dosage may be different. The recommended dosage level is between 250 and 500 mg per day of Citicoline powder.
In fact, you might even want to start out taking less until you are sure how it will affect your system. You can then increase your dosage after about a week of symptom-free use.
It is also unclear whether or not tolerance can be built for this supplement. Just to be on the safe side, it is recommended to develop a cycle.
This just means that you will take Citicoline for a short period of time, and then not use it for a while. A typical Citicoline cycle is two weeks on and then one week off.
This will also help to avoid the onset of tolerance and maintain its effectiveness. You may also want to use Citicoline in a nootropic stack with other supplements like Acetyl-L-Carnitine or Piracetam that can actually increase its positive benefits.
When examining the side effects of Citicoline and comparing them to the benefits, it is clear that this is a very safe supplement to use. Not only that, the possibility of significant cognitive benefit along with neuroprotective properties makes Citicoline an easy choice for anyone interested in boosting their brainpower.
If you want more information before you decide to buy Citicoline online, you might want to check out some user reviews of Citicoline side effects to see some of the experiences that other people have had with this supplement.
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- Overgaard K. The effects of citicoline on acute ischemic stroke: a review. J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis. 2014
- Bagdas D, Yucel-Ozboluk H, Orhan F, Kanat O, Isbil-Buyukcoskun N, Gurun MS. Role of central arginine vasopressin receptors in the analgesic effect of CDP-choline on acute and neuropathic pain. Neuroreport. 2013
- Ulus IH, Watkins CJ, Cansev M, Wurtman RJ. Cytidine and uridine increase striatal CDP-choline levels without decreasing acetylcholine synthesis or release. Cell Mol Neurobiol. 2006
- Clark WM, Williams BJ, Selzer KA, Zweifler RM, Sabounjian LA, Gammans RE. A randomized efficacy trial of citicoline in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Stroke. 1999
- Turkkan A, Alkan T, Goren B, Kocaeli H, Akar E, Korfali E. Citicoline and postconditioning provides neuroprotection in a rat model of ischemic spinal cord injury. Acta Neurochir (Wien). 2010
- Uslu G, Savci V, Buyukuysal LR, Goktalay G. CDP-choline attenuates scopolamine induced disruption of prepulse inhibition in rats: involvement of central nicotinic mechanism. Neurosci Lett. 2014
- Kaplan T, Kafa IM, Cansev M, Bekar A, Karli N, Taskapilioglu MO, Kanar F. Investigation of the dose-dependency of citicoline effects on nerve regeneration and functional recovery in a rat model of sciatic nerve injury. Turk Neurosurg. 2014
Article last updated on: March 13th, 2018 by Nootriment
7 Comments
I have a mild headache and nausea that starts about 6-8 hours after I take 250-500 mg of CDP Choline, it seems like a crush after a period of more intense brain activity. Do you know if there is a way to reduce it? I never tried Alpha GPC Choline, do you think I would have the same problems with AGC? Thank you.
Hi Oleg,
Headaches tend to be a very individualized response and it’s difficult to predict exactly why they occur in such cases. If you regularly experience this side effect when using Citicoline, it may be that Alpha GPC will perform better for you. There are some individuals who don’t get headaches with one, but do with the other and vice versa.
In some instances, taking a second dosage of citicoline around 4 hours after the first one will prevent headaches, especially if you are using Racetams or certain other nootropics that increase choline uptake into the neurons.
Secara periodik saya memeriksakan mata anak saya yg berusia 4 tahun ke dokter mata utk memantau apakah perkembangan mata anak saya baik.
Ketika kunjungan terakhir 3 bln lalu didapati kemajuan mata anak saya masih dibawah level yg diharapkan…
Oleh karena dpkter mata anak saya menganjurkan anak saya minum supplement RG-Choline yg mengandung 500 mg Cilicholine dg dosis 1x 2.5 mL
Menurut dokter bbrp pasien anak2 menunjukkan kemajuan perkembangan mata yg baik setelah 3 sd 6 bulan mengkonsumsinya.
Pertanyaan saya apakah pemberian supplement ini sdh tepat dan apakah ada efek samping nya dikemudian hari….?
Nb: hingga skrg sdh 3 bln mengkonsumsinya dan tidak ada keluhan.
Terima kasih
I take it permanently for about 6 months already. I had a side effect of neck stiff few months, then it’s gone away. Now I am ok with them, continue to take them for Ischemia of brain.
I have been taking Citicoline for at least a week now, and, it may be too early to tell but I notice a change and, it is nice because I can focus for longer than an hour, and, I can relax, and, stay present to what I am doing, whether I am on the computer, or if I am cooking a homemade meal and, I can focus for longer than an hour. John Presti
how about a person was accidentally take a citicoline,,, she already taken 4 pcs of it… what will be the effect of it
I use Citoline 500mg from last four days and I have headache when I take it.