PharmaceuticalNootropicAntioxidantCholinergicDMAE ester

Centrophenoxine

Also known as Meclofenoxate · Lucidril · Centrophenoxine

Written by enwyReviewed 15 Jul 20261 sources0 comments

An older cholinergic/antioxidant drug (a DMAE ester) marketed in some countries for age-related cognitive decline. Human data is mostly old and small; it is popular in anti-ageing nootropic circles.

01 Overview

Centrophenoxine (meclofenoxate) is an ester of DMAE and a chlorophenoxyacetic acid, developed in the 1950s. It has been used clinically in some European and Asian countries for senile dementia and age-related cognitive impairment, and is studied for its reported effect of reducing lipofuscin accumulation in neurons.

Most supporting studies are decades old and modest in size. It is available as a prescription drug in some jurisdictions and sold as a research chemical or supplement elsewhere.

02 Mechanism

Hydrolyses to DMAE, a putative acetylcholine precursor, plus an antioxidant moiety; reported to reduce age-related lipofuscin ('ageing pigment') in brain tissue.

03 Dosing

Tier	Dose	Route	Notes
Common	250–500 mg/day	Oral
Therapeutic	600–1000 mg/day	Oral	Older trials used up to ~2000 mg/day divided.

04 Effects

Effect	Magnitude	Evidence
Cognitive support in elderlyOlder small trials reported benefit in dementia; healthy-user data is lacking.	Modest	Clinical
Antioxidant / anti-lipofuscin actionReduced lipofuscin accumulation in animal studies.		Preclinical

05 Side effects

Effect	Severity	Frequency	Evidence	Countermeasures
Overstimulation and insomniaThe DMAE component can cause restlessness, irritability or insomnia.	Mild	Uncommon	Anecdotal
HeadacheHeadache at higher doses.	Mild	Uncommon	Anecdotal

06 Legal status

Prescription drug

Marketed pharmaceutically as meclofenoxate. · as of Jan 2026

United States

Not FDA-approved

Sold as research chemical/supplement. · as of Jan 2026

07 References

Meclofenoxate (centrophenoxine) in cognitive impairmentClinical geriatric literature

08 Discussion0 comments

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This page is reference information, not medical advice. Doses and protocols are documented as they appear in the clinical literature and in practice — describing them is not a recommendation to use them. Countermeasures listed here are not a substitute for a physician. Legal status varies by jurisdiction and changes.