NOOTROPICS FOR KIDS – THE USAGE OF NOOTROPIC DRUGS IN RUSSIAN PEDIATRICS

As of today, nootropic drugs have a wide usage in Russian pediatric practice. It may sound strange, but such potent nootropics like Cortexin or Cerebrolysin are used in children below one year of age.

Their field of clinical application is quite extensive. Nootropics used in the treatment of:

• Developmental and speech delay.
• Perinatal encephalopathy.
• Intellectual disabilities, including those with behavioral disorders.
• Epilepsy.
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
• Cerebrovascular disorders.
• Traumatic brain injuries.
• Decreased learnability.

 Some marketed nootropics also have special dosage form for kids. For example, a Hopantenic acid that is sold under Pantogam brand also comes in syrup version for children. Geropharm produces children version of Cortexin, the difference between the standard versions is in dosage (5mg and 10mg, respectively). Tenoten that sometimes used to treat anxiety disorders also has a children version.

An important thing to note here, that none of the drugs listed below is widely used outside post-soviet countries, just like with many other nootropics.

Here are the nootropics that currently used in the Russian pediatrics:

Cortexin is a mixture of peptides, amino acids, and micronutrients extracted from cattle brains. It is mostly used in the complex treatment of developmental disorders, but that’s not the only indication of its usage. Several clinical trials performed on the children with ADHD suggest that Cortexin can be effectively used to alleviate attention deficit symptoms. Also, it is sometimes used in the treatment of epilepsy, and some trials were performed on kids suffering from epilepsy. This is interesting, because Cerebrolysin, which is an analog of Cortexin, is not used in the treatment of epilepsy. In fact, epileptic status is one of its contraindications for use.

Cerebrolysin is an older version of Cortexin, with different chemical composition, containing fewer peptides, more amino acids, and no vitamins. It is used in children’s neurology in the treatment of perinatal encephalopathy, traumatic brain injuries, developmental disorders, ADHD, autism and optic nerve atrophy. Cerebrolysin can’t be used in children with Status epilepticus since epilepsy is one of the contraindications for its use.

Pantogam is a brand name for Hopantenic acid. The pharmacological action of Pantogam results from the presence of GABA in its structure. The drug has nootropic and anticonvulsant properties, increase the resistance of brain to hypoxia and stimulate neuronal anabolism. Pantogam is a mild sedative with slight stimulating effects. It is used in the treatment of children with adjustment disorders, enuresis, epilepsy, traumatic brain injuries and perinatal encephalopathy. The kid’s version comes in a syrup form.

Tenoten for children is a homeopathic anxiolytic, used to treat anxiety disorders. But, since Tenoten is homeopathic medication, its efficacy is questioned.