GPC Liquid Glycerophosphocholine by Designs for Health

POSSIBLY EFFECTIVE

• Alzheimer disease. Oral alpha-GPC, taken alone or in combination with donepezil, may be beneficial for improving cognitive function in patients with Alzheimer disease. Details: A meta-analysis of 3 moderate-sized clinical studies in patients with Alzheimer disease shows that taking alpha-GPC 1200 mg daily for up to 6 months improves cognitive function as measured using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) when compared with placebo. Additionally, an analysis of 4 different clinical trials in patients with Alzheimer disease shows that taking alpha-GPC 1200 mg with donepezil 10 mg daily for up to 2 years improves cognitive function as measured using the MMSE and Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale - cognition subscale (ADAS-Cog) and may decrease behavioral symptoms and improve functional abilities when compared with donepezil alone (111731).

INSUFFICIENT RELIABLE EVIDENCE to RATE

• Brain tumor. It is unclear if oral alpha-GPC is beneficial in patients with brain tumors. Details: Observational research in patients being treated for glioblastoma suggests that taking alpha-GPC, around 400 mg 2-3 times daily, for 12 months or longer is associated with a 14-month-increase in overall survival but no improvement in progression-free survival when compared with patients not taking alpha-GPC (111732). The validity of these findings is limited by the retrospective nature of the study.
• Cognitive function. Although there has been interest in using oral alpha-GPC to improve cognitive function in healthy adults, there is insufficient reliable information about the clinical effects of alpha-GPC for this purpose.
• Stroke. It is unclear if intramuscular or oral alpha-GPC is beneficial for preventing stroke or improving post-stroke outcomes. Details: A large, open-label, uncontrolled clinical trial in patients who experienced a stroke or transient ischemic attack within the past 10 days shows that intramuscular administration of alpha-GPC 1200 mg daily for 28 days, followed by 400 mg three times daily by mouth for 6 months, modestly improves cognitive and behavioral function when compared to baseline (12102). The validity of this finding is limited by the lack of a comparator group. While this evidence suggests that alpha-GPC may offer some benefit in patients recovering from stroke, observational research in healthy individuals aged 50 years and older has found that alpha-GPC use is associated with a 43% greater risk of stroke, including a 34% greater risk of ischemic stroke and a 37% greater risk of hemorrhagic stroke, when compared with non-users at 10-years' follow-up. Additionally, alpha-GPC use for 2-6 months, 6-12 months, or greater than 12 months is associated with a greater risk of stroke when compared with alpha-GPC use for less than 2 months, suggesting that the increase in stroke risk may be dependent on the total dose received or duration of exposure (108883).
• Vascular dementia. It is unclear if intramuscular alpha-GPC is beneficial in patients with vascular dementia. Details: A small, open-label study in adults with mild to moderate vascular dementia shows that intramuscular administration of a prescription-only formulation of alpha-GPC (Delecit; not available in the US) 1000 mg daily for 90 days improves cognitive function, behavior, mood, and functionality similarly to cytosine diphosphocholine (CDP) 1 gram daily (12101). It is not clear how these improvements compare with standard care. More evidence is needed to rate alpha-GPC for these uses.

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POSSIBLY SAFE ...when used orally and appropriately. Alpha-GPC has been used with apparent safety at doses of 400 mg three times daily (1200 mg/day) for up to 6 months (12102,12176). ...when used intramuscularly and appropriately. Alpha-GPC has been administered intramuscularly with apparent safety at doses of 1000-1200 mg/day for 28 to 90 days (12100,12102).

PREGNANCY AND LACTATION:
Insufficient reliable information available; avoid using.

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SCOPOLAMINE (Transderm Scop) Interaction Rating = Minor Be watchful with this combination. Severity = Mild •  Occurrence = Possible •  Level of Evidence = B Theoretically, alpha-GPC might decrease the effects of scopolamine.  Details A small clinical study shows that alpha-GPC can partially counteract the attention and memory impairment effects caused by scopolamine given intramuscularly (12103). Whether alpha-GPC can decrease the beneficial anti-motion sickness effects of the scopolamine patch (Transderm Scop) is unclear.

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General ...Orally, alpha-GPC seems to be well tolerated.
Serious Adverse Effects (Rare):
Orally: Stroke.

Dermatologic ...Orally, some patients can experience skin rash (12102). Intramuscularly, alpha-GPC can cause erythema at the injection site (12101).

Gastrointestinal ...Orally, alpha-GPC has been rarely associated with diarrhea, heartburn, nausea, and vomiting (12102).
Intramuscularly, alpha-GPC has been rarely associated with diarrhea, heartburn, nausea, and vomiting (12102).

Neurologic/CNS ...Orally, alpha-GPC has been rarely associated with dizziness, excitation, headache, and insomnia (12102). Alpha-GPC use for at least 2 months has also been associated with an elevated risk of stroke when compared with non-users or those who used alpha-GPC for less than 2 months (108883).
Intramuscularly, alpha-GPC has been rarely associated with confusion, excitation, fainting, headache, and insomnia (12102).

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