It was developed in Europe as a drug but sold in the United States as a dietary supplement to improve brain function. Vinpocetine was shown to increase blood flow to the brain and has been studied as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease and for disorders of the nervous and circulatory systems.
What does vinpocetine do for the brain?
Vinpocetine is used to enhance memory and increase brain metabolism. It has also been used for ischemia and reperfusion injury, and is considered a neuroprotective agent. However, there are few robust clinical studies to support the use of vinpocetine in stroke, dementia, or other diseases of the CNS.
How long can I take vinpocetine?
Dosing. The following doses have been studied in scientific research: BY MOUTH: Diseases, such as Alzheimer disease, that interfere with thinking (dementia): 5-10 mg of vinpocetine three times daily for up to 4 months.
Is vinpocetine good for tinnitus?
Periwinke’s active constitent vinpocetine has been associated with beneficial effects on hearing loss due to aging (presbyacusis), tinnitus, and ethyl-apovincaminate (a vinca alkaloid) may reduce ringing in the ears (tinnitus).
Can vinpocetine cause insomnia?
Side effects of vinpocetine may include indigestion, nausea, dizziness, anxiety, facial flushing, insomnia, headache, drowsiness, slower blood clotting, and a temporary drop in blood pressure, according to WebMD. Rigorous, long-term safety research in humans is lacking.
Is vinpocetine legal?
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has made a tentative ruling that vinpocetine, a synthetic compound derived from vincamine, does not meet the requirements of a dietary ingredient and therefore cannot be legally used in dietary supplements.
Why is vinpocetine illegal?
Vinpocetine is banned from Australia, New Zealand, and Canada due to potential harmful nootropic characteristics as a cognitive enhancing supplement [1–3].
Why is vinpocetine banned Canada?
Does vinpocetine increase dopamine?
In previous studies in striatum-isolated nerve endings (synaptosomes), we found that vinpocetine decreased dopamine (DA) at expense of its main metabolite 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), and that 3-NPA increased DA, reactive oxygen species (ROS), DA-quinone products formation, and decreased DOPAC.
Is vinpocetine FDA approved?
Vinpocetine is not approved for any therapeutic use in the United States. The FDA has tentatively ruled that vinpocetine, due to its synthetic nature and proposed therapeutic uses, is ineligible to be marketed as dietary supplement under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
What are the side effects of vinpocetine?
When taken by mouth: Vinpocetine is POSSIBLY SAFE for most people when taken by mouth appropriately, short-term. Vinpocetine can cause some side effects including stomach pain, nausea, sleep disturbances, headache, dizziness, nervousness, and flushing of the face.
Are there any dangers in vinpocetine medication?
Vinpocetine has raised concerns in recent years following reports that the drug may cause immune suppression. One such case resulted in agranulocytosis, a potentially dangerous drop in white blood cells that leaves you at high risk of serious infections.
What is vinpocetine supplements?
Vinpocetine. Vinpocetine is a compound from the Periwinkle plant that is used as a cognitive protective and anti-aging agent. One of the more common of the nootropics, Vinpocetine may enhance blood flow and is touted to increase memory; this latter claim has not been investigated.
