Neuriva Ultra vs Prevagen: Two Questionable Nootropics?

About Neuriva Ultra and Prevagen

Neuriva Ultra is produced by Schiff Vitamins and is the third iteration of the popular Neuriva brand after Neuriva Original and Neuriva Plus. Much like its predecessors, Neuriva Ultra is supposed to boost your mental alertness, memory, focus, and concentration.

It includes familiar ingredients like Neurofactor®, Phosphatidylserine, and Vitamins B6 & B12, but there’s also the new addition Cognivive™ which is supposed to significantly boost Neuriva Ultra’s effectiveness—more on that soon. Essentially, Neuriva Ultra aims to boost your mental alertness and support various aspects of brain health.

In the other corner we have Prevagen, made by Quincy Bioscience. It’s marketed as a memory improvement and brain health supplement. It became popular for its commercials showing its main ingredient apoaequorin, a protein discovered in jellyfish. This is supposed to be the key ingredient in Prevagen that helps to improve your short-term memory and overall cognitive function.

However, Quincy Bioscience has been sued in the past by the FTC and had other legal complications due to its “false claims“. We’re not off to a good start here; Neuriva’s manufacturer, Schiff Vitamins, definitely takes the lead as far as company trustworthiness goes.

Neuriva Ultra vs Prevagen Ingredients

Neuriva Ultra Formula Overview

1. Vitamin B6 (1.7 mg): Basic nutrient with many small benefits if deficient. It’s already found in common everyday foods like bananas, eggs, milk, and chickpeas.
2. Folate (680 mcg): Folate plays a major role in mood and cognitive health, and assists in RNA and DNA production.¹
3. Vitamin B12 (2.4 mcg): Vitamin B12 assists in red blood cell production and neurological health. Deficiency can lead to fatigue and memory problems.²
4. Cognivive™ (300 mg): This is a caffeine-free extract from the Alpinia galanga plant. It is related to ginger and has some male health benefits.³ More interestingly here, it’s rumored to enhance mental alertness. However, I’ve reviewed many nootropics and I haven’t yet seen one with this ingredient. This is no surprise—there is little to no human research to back up the big claims by Neuriva’s makers.
5. Neurofactor® Coffee Fruit Extract (200 mg): This is one of the most heavily marketed ingredients in all Neuriva versions. Derived from the coffee cherry, Neurofactor is suggested to boost BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor) which supports brain cell connections. The only problem is, the study that Schiff point to used another form of coffee fruit (whole coffee fruit powder), whereas Neuriva Ultra uses a part of the fruit that is extracted. We don’t know what is extracted. It could be water, fiber, nutrients—anything.
6. Phosphatidylserine (100 mg): Phosphatidylserine is an integral part of your brain cell membranes, aiding in neuron communication among other vital functions.⁴ The dosage in Neuriva Ultra is a bit low compared to effective dosages for ADHD, focus, and memory.

Neuriva Ultra looks capable of supporting your memory, mood and focus to a small degree. Many of the best core nootropic ingredients are missing from the formula, though. These include Lion’s Mane Mushroom, Pine Bark Extract, CDP-Choline, and L-Theanine.

Prevagen’s Formula Overview

Prevagen contains only two active ingredients:

1. Apoaequorin: This is a protein found in jellyfish, available in regular strength (10 mg), extra strength (20 mg), and professional strength (40 mg) in Prevagen. It’s claimed to support memory function, especially in elderly folks. Sadly, research that suggests any positive effects is funded by Prevagen’s makers. There are no reputable studies to confirm apoaequorin does anything at all.
2. Vitamin D3 (50 micrograms): This is a basic yet essential nutrient that governs everything from your immune system function to mood and mental well-being.⁵ A great inclusion.

With only two ingredients in a formula, I doubt Prevagen will do much for memory or cognitive function. When coupled with the controversial track record of its manufacturers, Prevagen fares far worse than Neuriva Ultra.

Side Effects

Neuriva Ultra contains nutrients and plant extracts that are generally considered safe, especially at the doses that are in the product. Coupled with the omission of any stimulants (including caffeine), the risk of side effects is minimal.

But, as with any supplement, it’s possible to experience negative reactions from Neuriva Ultra. Although rare, some that are reported include:

• Headaches
• Stomach cramps
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Insomnia
• Anxiety

I need to emphasize that these side effects are not typically seen in scientific research, but rather reported by reviewers and users.

With Prevagen, it’s a similar story. As ineffective as apoaequorin is, you don’t need to worry about negative side effects, especially in the context of short-term use. Vitamin D, at 2,000IU in Prevagen, is also within safe limits and shouldn’t cause problems to most people.

Exceptions are those with kidney stones and cardiovascular problems. If you fall into either group, you will need to check with your M.D. about taking vitamin K2 alongside D3 (vitamin K2 ensures that calcium which vitamin D stimulates goes to your bones instead of kidneys and arteries).

Remember that we don’t offer medical advice here at SiR. If you have a condition, talk to your physician before taking any supplement—Neuriva Ultra and Prevagen included.

How to Use

With Neuriva Ultra, you should take one capsule per day. What’s surprising is that Neuriva Ultra’s manufacturer recommends taking it before bedtime for optimal results.

Prevagen, on the other hand, is one capsule (or one chewable if taking the gummy version) with or without breakfast in the morning.

Recommendations for Different Groups

The groups I tend to feature here include elderly, professionals/CEOs, students, and gamers among others. However, I can’t recommend Neuriva Ultra nor Prevagen for any of these groups because they are far from the most effective brain supplements and poor value.

Customer Reviews

Neuriva Ultra has amassed over 2,000 reviews on Amazon alone since its not so distant launch. With an average score of 4.3/5*. Some people noted increased calmness and confidence in conversations and writing, while others only had headaches from Neuriva.

Prevagen has over 13,000 ratings on Amazon with the same average score as Neuriva Ultra. Judging by these “testimonials” you’d be forgiven for thinking Prevagen is an amazing brain supplement. Based on what I’ve seen with its ingredients, I wouldn’t be surprised if a large chunk of these are paid ads.

Pricing

Neuriva Ultra’s price varies between $57.95 and $79.99 for a bottle containing 30 servings, depending on where you purchase it. CVS tends to be more expensive.

Prevagen’s price also varies depending on the specific product and where you get it. Here are its prices at Walgreens:

• Prevagen Regular Strength Capsules (60 count) cost $74.99.
• Prevagen Regular Strength (30 count) costs $39.99.
• Prevagen Extra Strength Capsules (60 count) cost $109.99.
• Prevagen Regular Strength Chewables Mixed Berry (30 count) cost $39.99.
• Prevagen Extra Strength (30 count) is priced at $59.99.
• Prevagen Professional Formula Capsules (30 count) are $89.99.

Walmart seems to be a bit more wallet-friendly:

• Prevagen Regular Strength 10mg (60 Capsules)costs $69.98.
• Prevagen Regular Strength 10mg (30 Capsules) costs $39.92.
• Prevagen Extra Strength 20mg (60 Capsules) costs $109.90.

Fact-Checking Prevagen vs Neuriva Ultra Claims

Prevagen’s Claims

• Supports healthy brain function, sharper mind, and clearer thinking. Fact-check: this is partially correct. In the case of lack of focus and brain fog due to vitamin D deficiency, supplementation of 2,000IU of vitamin D that is in Prevagen may improve your brain performance to an extent. However, you can achieve the same with a much cheaper standalone vitamin D supplement. The other ingredient in Prevagen – apoaequorin – isn’t shown by a single credible human study to do what they claim it does.
• Improves memory function. Fact-check: this is partially correct. Again, any benefits you may experience from taking Prevagen are solely from vitamin D. The same one you can buy at your local drugstore for a fraction of the price of Prevagen.

Neuriva Ultra’s Claims

Fuels seven indicators of brain health: accuracy, learning, concentration, focus, memory, reasoning and mental alertness. Fact-check: this is correct. Neuriva Ultra indeed fuels these aspects of brain function, the only question is to what extent. Phosphatidylserine is the one ingredient in Neuriva behind most of these benefits, but it doesn’t really do much on its own. It’s more of a multivitamin type of ingredient for your brain. Again, other ingredients in Neuriva Ultra are a letdown and can’t do what Neuriva Ultra is claimed to do.

Cognivive in Neuriva Ultra supports mental alertness from just one serving. Fact-check: this is a misleading claim. There is no solid human evidence that proves that Cognivive can support mental alertness to a noticeable extent. Yes, it may “support” mental alertness, but so does a banana with its nutrients. Does it improve mental alertness, though? I don’t think so!

Conclusion to Neuriva Ultra vs Prevagen

Neuriva Ultra and Prevagen are both heavily marketed supplements that build a lot of expectation with their great copywriting, but their actual effectiveness is all but glamurous.

• Neuriva Ultra only contains Phosphatidylserine and basic B-vitamins to support cognitive function, which is definitely not enough to produce a noticeable shift in your cognitive function. For the price, Neuriva Ultra scores very low.

• And when you thought it can’t get much worse, you see Prevagen. From questionable company track record to having just 2 ingredients one of them being completely unproven and the other a cheap vitamin D, it’s easy to see how some people claim Prevagen is borderline a scam.

A more cost-efficient route is buying a simple vitamin D+phosphatidylserine+B-complex stack. Alternatively, getting a high-quality nootropic stack that includes ingredients that are actually proven to work and are dosed effectively is the way to go if you don’t want to combine your own ingredients.

References

1. Liwinski T, Lang UE. Folate and Its Significance in Depressive Disorders and Suicidality: A Comprehensive Narrative Review. Nutrients. 2023 Sep 4;15(17):3859. doi: 10.3390/nu15173859. PMID: 37686891; PMCID: PMC10490031. ↩︎
2. Serin HM, Arslan EA. Neurological symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency: analysis of pediatric patients. Acta Clin Croat. 2019 Jun;58(2):295-302. doi: 10.20471/acc.2019.58.02.13. PMID: 31819326; PMCID: PMC6884369. ↩︎
3. Akbarzadeh F, Eslamzadeh M, Behravan G, Ebrahimi A, Emami SA, Gilan A, Hoseinian NS. Assessing the effect of Alpinia galanga extract on the treatment of SSRI-induced erectile dysfunction: A randomized triple-blind clinical trial. Front Psychiatry. 2023 Apr 18;14:1105828. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1105828. PMID: 37143784; PMCID: PMC10151528. ↩︎
4. Ma X, Li X, Wang W, Zhang M, Yang B, Miao Z. Phosphatidylserine, inflammation, and central nervous system diseases. Front Aging Neurosci. 2022 Aug 3;14:975176. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.975176. PMID: 35992593; PMCID: PMC9382310. ↩︎
5. Cui X, Eyles DW. Vitamin D and the Central Nervous System: Causative and Preventative Mechanisms in Brain Disorders. Nutrients. 2022 Oct 17;14(20):4353. doi: 10.3390/nu14204353. PMID: 36297037; PMCID: PMC9610817. ↩︎