Jarrow Formulas Citicoline CDP Choline 250 MG, CDP Choline Supplement Supports Brain Health, Performance and Memory, 120 Capsules, Up to a 120 Day Supply

It's mild, but it did help with mental energy and focus FOR ME. It was a pretty clear but subtle benefit. I'm not a medical professional, but i was looking for something to help me a bit as i've gotten older, and generally look for things that appear reasonably safe you know like Coffee.I doubt this would do much for a person in peak health with a great diet and without any issues. I do think though if you are starting to notice things "slow down a bit", and your doing everything else right like exercising, sleeping enough and eating well this can help just a bit depending on what the issue is. I would absolutely prioritize exercise and sleep especially if your aging before that. I use to work out a lot when i was younger, that slowed down with family and my wife and picked that up again and honestly sleep and exercise are very related and make the biggest difference, but even on top of that this helps. I doubt it would be effective though w/o sleep or exercise. At least for me i'm entirely useless w/o sleep. I'm calling this out because my review is based on doing several things that already helped me before i took this. I also have a pretty clean diet.My experience with it is i take about 1-2 pill and it last 6-8 hours, and especially for a few hours after I think better, and have a bit more purpose. I take it a few time a week, not daily. I'm looking at it like fish oil almost. I've not noticed any sort of "addiction" or issues if i stop taking it for prolonged periods, and i don't think it's becomes all that less effective either over time. I put this in a bucket of probably if i ate more eggs or something it may do the same thing. I 'm not a huge meat eater. I eat some chicken, and that's likely a good part of my experience why this and by the way (creatine also mildly helps). I think saying this will help person X-Y depends on a lot of things. I'd say i noticed the effects with in 60 minutes which is pretty rare for me, so clearly it must have been a deficiency or related to some specific issues with me. It's not a stimulant it's very hard to describe i just seem to work mildly better. I'd ask my dr about it but i know they always say don't take anything just do it w/ diet etc etc. That's a bit too theoretical for me sometimes.I'd say maybe give it a shot, if it doesn't work with in a day or two i kind of doubt you 've got an issue. i'd have to imagine you'd need to eat quite a lot of this stuff (below) and the other issue is likely some people aren't so great at making this. It's kind of similar to DHA too in that way.The stuff i take is creatine, this, and fish oil in moderation. it's like 5% benefit exercise and sleep and diet is like 95% but frankly 5% is a lot, just don't forget about the rest (pun intended).----here are dietary alternatives --Citicoline (CDP Choline) is not found in large amounts in food sources, but it can be obtained through dietary supplementation. Some food sources that contain small amounts of choline, a nutrient that is the building block of Citicoline, include:Eggs: One egg yolk contains about 147 mg of cholineMeat and poultry: Chicken and beef liver are particularly high in cholineSeafood: Salmon, cod, and shrimp are good sources of cholineDairy products: Milk, yogurt, and cheese contain small amounts of cholineCruciferous vegetables: Broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts contain small amounts of choline

I've been dealing with cortisol insufficiency for some time. Energy, drive and focus ebb and flow. After doing quite a bit of research on dopamine and cortisol relationship I realized this might help me recover more quickly. After the first 250mg dose (45 minutes) I actually felt like getting up and doing something. I haven't tested yet but I suspect that I have a defect in an enzyme that plays a role in dopamine production and/or dopamine receptors are genetically under responsive as they might compare to someone without symptoms of low dopamine activity. Regardless, since cdp choline is found to support increased dopamine metabolism and (maybe more importantly) also supports increased dopamine receptor sensitivity, I had to give it a try. It has definitely helped me take more stressful days in stride, be far more productive, helped to better regulate circadian rhythm (I fall asleep like clock work after just a week) and recover from the day. My focus and drive are just so much better. I feel normal again.********fast forward 3 weeks***********After taking 250mg then upping it to 500mg then to 750mg daily (two upon waking mg and one midday) I began to get more done, focus increased further, my sleep cycles were great (asleep by 10, up by 4-5:30am). Everything was perfect and then I started getting these weird headaches that came from nowhere. Along with the headaches was a twinge of nausea also not like sickness nausea or from working out too hard. From past experience this can only be described as a dopaminergic nausea brought on by something neural. After digging a bit I realized that 750mg everyday was outrageous for my needs. I backed off thinking that the supplement was just not right for me after my mornings began to be characterized by doped up, sleepy and driverless. I felt like I took a flexoril the night before (they wreck me).After a few months I reluctantly started taking the product again but this time only 500mg at a time once every THREE days. I did this after learning that this supplement has a halflife (active in your body) of around 72 hours/3days. When I realized that I had just been overdosing it, everything go better.I now stick with 500mg every 3 days (Monday, Thursday, Sunday etc). I'm 190, athletic, and still recovering from sustained trauma mental and physical. Perhaps that helps give a better idea if you're going to use it this way. If you're having weird side effects back off for a bit then realize this is a lingering supplement that probably doesn't need daily dosing for most without serious neurological issues. Before I began dosing it correctly I would've given it maybe 2-3 stars but after working with it and then letting my mom (adrenal insufficiency and recovering from major back surgery) try it, definitely a 5 star product. Easy to misuse and misunderstand but works very well when you get it right.

This product is a real gift if you have brain fog. It really helps if you have issues with word recall (when you have trouble clearly articulating what you are trying to convey / you cannot think of the word you need to get your point across clearly). It is very gentle, no jitters or anything like that. Just clarity of thought and not feeling out of it. This helps me to be more productive for sure because my thoughts come more readily instead of just having to re-read things because for whatever reason I just cannot focus or think straight. I definitely recommend this. I would also recommend researching the benefits online. I do not know if the claim is true, but supposedly this product helps stroke victims recover faster. I can see why it could be true in reference to the word recall I have experienced which is crucial for me since I teach and so am attempting to explain concepts to students on a regular basis.Also, I have bought this for my father for years, and he finds it to be helpful especially with short term memory issues like going upstairs for something and by the time you are there, cannot remember what you went to get. He is in his mid-70's and is concerned about Alzheimer's. Maybe he sees this as a preventative measure for him??? He is also a writer. He says this supplement is crucial for him when he is writing his books which I suppose goes back to the clarity-of-thought aspect I mentioned.