Neuromedin (Citicoline) 15 mg/ml, 10 ampoules: profile, composition and research

Reference page for Neuromedin (Citicoline) 15 mg/ml, 10 ampoules. Active substance: Цитиколин (цитидин дифосфат холина) / Citicoline (cytidine diphosphate choline).

Key facts

What citicoline is

Citicoline is a compound that the body uses to build cell membranes and to support the working of the nervous system. As a medicine it is supplied as a solution for injection and used in neurological practice.

Chemically it is cytidine diphosphate choline: the molecule carries cytidine, ribose, pyrophosphate and choline. From these parts the cell then assembles membrane phospholipids and the mediator acetylcholine.

The product comes in ampoules at a concentration of 15 mg/ml, ten to a pack. The solution is given into a muscle or into a vein, so it is prepared under sterile conditions.

How citicoline works

Membrane repair

The substance supplies material for the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine, the main building block of neuronal membranes. This helps the cell keep its envelope intact when it has been damaged.

Support for mediators

Choline is used to make acetylcholine, which is needed for memory and attention. This links citicoline to the working of the brain's cholinergic system.

Effect on glutamate

In experiments citicoline limited the release of glutamate and the influx of calcium into the cell, easing the mechanism known as excitotoxicity.

Approved uses

The manufacturer lists conditions linked to damage of nervous tissue: ischaemic stroke, traumatic brain injury, the aftermath of neuroinfections and memory problems against a background of vascular change.

Citicoline is also used in ophthalmology, in damage to the optic nerve and as part of combined treatment for glaucoma. In these settings it is regarded as a supportive measure.

Registration status differs from country to country, so the list of indications may not be the same everywhere. The prescription and the route of administration belong to a physician, not to a reference page.

What the research shows

Evidence on citicoline in stroke remains contradictory. A 2020 Cochrane systematic review found no clear improvement in outcomes compared with placebo.

An earlier meta-analysis and some individual studies reported positive changes, so the question is still open. Differences between results are linked to patient selection and to the timing of administration.

In ophthalmology small studies describe a slower loss of vision in glaucoma. That evidence is treated as preliminary, and it is no substitute for the treatment a doctor has prescribed.

Published research

Primary sources, verified against PubMed:

• Citicoline for treating people with acute ischemic stroke, PubMed 32860632 (The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, 2020).
• Citicoline for Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Systematic Review and Formal Meta-analysis of Randomized, Double-Blind, and Placebo-Controlled Trials, PubMed 27234918 (Journal of stroke and cerebrovascular diseases : the official journal of National Stroke Association, 2016).
• Citicoline in acute ischemic stroke: A randomized controlled trial, PubMed 35639720 (PloS one, 2022).

Listed for reference. Publication of a study is not a claim about this particular product.

Precautions

• This is a prescription medicine. Prescribing, dosing and monitoring belong to a physician.
• Solutions for injection are given by healthcare professionals. Self-injection is not acceptable.
• Headache, dizziness, nausea and a fall in blood pressure are possible. Marked symptoms should be reported to a doctor.
• In the acute period of a brain haemorrhage the medicine is not given until the bleeding has stopped.
• Use during pregnancy or breastfeeding is discussed with a doctor individually.
• Tell your doctor about every other medicine you take: interactions are possible.

Frequently asked