Nicergoline – For Clear, Perceptive thinking.

Nicergoline (sold under the brand name Sermion) belongs to a family of drugs known as ergot derivatives. Ergot is the common name given to a fungus from the Claviceps genus that’s parasitic on certain types of grains and grasses.

Nicergoline is also what is known as a nootropic drug. Nootropic drugs are more commonly referred to as "smart drugs", "smart nutrients", "cognitive enhancers" or "brain enhancers". They are a class of drugs that are used to improve impaired cognitive functions – that is to say they help to improve impaired brain functions and capacities.

Far from being a newcomer to the medicine counter, nicergoline has been in use for more than three decades and can be found on sale in more than fifty countries. So why has nicergoline stood the test of time?

When it was first introduced to the market, nicergoline was essentially regarded as being a vasoactive drug i.e. a drug that exerted an effect on blood vessels. It was mainly prescribed for disorders to do with the blood supply to the brain. However, over time further research into its benefits and effectiveness was undertaken, and its use evolved. Findings from various research studies indicated that nicergoline had a far more complex pharmacological profile than had first been understood. This ongoing research into the drug has now resulted in nicergoline being considered for the treatment of other forms of dementia including Alzheimer’s Disease. Cognition and behaviour may also be affected by nicergoline.

How does Nicergoline work?

The effect of nicergoline is to stimulate what is known as an alpha-adrenolytic action. At a cerebral level, this alpha-adrenolytic action activates the brain's metabolism. Arterial flow and the use of glucose and oxygen are improved and vascular resistance is lowered. By doing all of this nicergoline improves mental agility. Mental clarity, perception and concentration are all enhanced. In hospitals it has proved to be particularly effective in regulating and improving brain disorders caused by metabolic-vascular insufficiencies.

Although chemically similar to hydergine, the effects of nicergoline are very different. Whereas hydergine improves oxygen stability and increases mental ability thereby extending a person’s useful mental workload, nicergoline boosts clear thought, vigilance and perception.

Nicergoline also lowers vascular resistance in the lungs and leads to an increase in the blood flow in the limbs.

But not only does nicergoline have an effect on the blood vessels, it also known to act upon the blood itself by inhibiting blood clots. Platelets are irregularly-shaped, colourless bodies found in blood. Together with red cells and plasma, they form a major proportion of human blood. Their sticky surface lets them, along with other substances, form clots to stop bleeding. Platelet aggregation refers to this clumping together of platelets in the blood. It is part of the sequence of events that leads to the formation of a thrombus (blood clot).

Animal experiments have also shown that nicergoline acts to increase nerve growth in the aged brain.

Nicergoline and the treatment of various conditions

Given its capacity to affect both blood vessels and the blood itself, with particular reference to blood supplies in the brain, nicergoline is indicated for use in relation to the following conditions:

• Acute and chronic cerebral metabolic-vascular disorders - the hardening of the walls of the blood vessels in the brain, thrombosis (blood clot in a cerebral blood vessel), obstructions of a blood vessel in the brain and occasional blood supply difficulties to the brain
• Diseases of the arteries affecting the limbs, Raynaud’s Disease and other syndromes caused by altered peripheral irrigation
• Migraines that have a vascular origin
• Platelets that are too ‘sticky’/ arterial tension
• Corio-retinal vascular disorders - damage to the retina of the eye usually caused by a blood supply problem, macular degeneration (a particularly common age related eye condition) and a hardening of the walls of the blood vessels in the retina
• Problems of a vascular nature such as dizziness, auditory hallucinations and hearing impairment associated with a deficiency in the conductive hearing organs

Dosage

Dosage depends on the condition being treated. For the treatment of senile dementia, the daily dose maybe as high as 30mg to 60mg. For the treatment of, and protection from, age related macular degeneration (sometimes referred to as ARMD) and the blood disorders referred to above, a dosage of 5mg once, twice or three times daily is usually indicated.

You should consult with your physician to obtain the correct dosage for your condition.

As with all nootropic drugs, it is advisable to take occasional breaks from the medication. It is recommended that your treatment regime should allow for a break of either 1 week per month or 2 days per week.

Side Effects

Clinical trials have shown that when used properly, with adequate breaks, nicergoline is a safe drug to use.

However, as with all medicines, there is a potential for side effects to occur. Medicines affect people differently and just because a side effect is mentioned here it does not mean that you will suffer from it. Any side effects that are caused by nicergoline are usually limited to nausea, hot flushes, mild gastric upset, hypotension and dizziness. At high dosages potential side effects may include bradycardia (low resting heart rate), increased appetite, agitation, diarrhoea and perspiration. There has been a single case of acute interstitial nephritis (a kidney condition).

Any side effects experienced when taking nicergoline are usually an indication of over-dosage or over-stimulation through synergistic combinations. If you are taking nicergoline as well as other nootropic drugs, you should always reduce the individual doses for each of the drugs initially and then only increase to larger doses over a period of several days. As mentioned above, your treatment regime should factor in regular breaks from taking the medication.

Nicergoline may also have an effect on blood pressure if you suffer from hypertension. If you do suffer from hypertension, taking a therapeutic dosage of nicergoline may lead to a gradual lowering of arterial tension. If you do not suffer from hypertension, therapeutic dosages of nicergoline should not have any effect on arterial tension.

Warnings
You should consult with your physician before taking nicergoline if you suffer from acute bleeding, myocardial infarctions (heart conditions), hypertension or bradycardia. You should also adopt the same procedure if you are using alpha or beta receptor agonists. Nicergoline should not be used during pregnancy unless it is deemed absolutely necessary to do so.

What our customers say...

We are very pleased that IAS is stocking Nicergoline now, here in Japan it is one of the most popular of the smart-drugs.
Y.K., Japan.