Prevagen Review: Is it a Scam or the Real Deal?

(Last Updated On: May 11, 2023)

Prevagen scamYou have all seen the ads or heard the commercials I am sure. Prevagen will improve your memory with some ingredient found in jellyfish. Buy some Prevagen today and get your memory back.

Does this stuff really work?

Those are questions we are going to answer today in this Prevegen review?

 

What is Prevagen?

Prevagen is a brain supplement that you see advertised on TV quite frequently and it seems to be heavily advertised on news channels like CNN.

The manufacturer says that it imposes memory, provides clearer thinking, a sharper mind, and improved brain functioning.

The main ingredient is something they say was found in jellyfish, and it is a memory-building break-through.

Prevagen is available at most drug stores and GNC and other places, not to mention that you can get it online. Now let’s take a look at the ingredients and see what is in there and if it is really anything that will help your memory or cognitive function.

 

Ingredients in Prevagen

prevegen ingredients label

Let’s take a look at the ingredients and see what we really have here.

When it comes to this product there really isn’t much to look at in terms of ingredients. There is only one active ingredient, and that is the patented Apoaequorin which is a protein that is found in jellyfish. The thing is, they aren’t harvesting jellyfish to mass-produce this product, they actually make it in a lab, no jellyfish required.

So, this means we really only have to find out if and how well the man-made Apoaequorin works. Of course, they have their study that they say proves it works, but we looked on the web for more independent studies to see if it really does work or if it is just a bunch of hot air.

It was pretty hard to find any studies on Apoaequorin but we did find this one on Pubmed. The study says there was a “strong relationship between apoaequorin and improvements on a quantitative measure of cognitive function”. When we look a little further at the study we find it was done by Kenneth Lerner and others. It turns out Kenneth Lerner works for Quincy Bioscience, the company that makes Prevagen. You can also see Lerner’s name in this study they did that they have on their website. So basically, the company did its own study and found that the main ingredient in the product worked.

There were also some studies out there on how safe Prevagen is, those studies appear to be done by the manufacturer as well. While Kenneth Lerner didn’t perform this study there was a Mr. Moran on the study who also worked with Mr. Lerner on the other studies so it does make you think.

We also came across this study that was not done by the manufacturer and they said you would be better off taking something else.

Unfortunately, no independent studies have shown that the active ingredient in Prevagen works.

 

Prevagen Manufacturers Charged with Fraud

Prevagen Sacm

We couldn’t help but notice when researching Prevagen this article by NBC News that says that Prevagen is a hoax and that the Federal Trade Commission has charged the company with fraud.

The article goes on to say, “Makers of a product called Prevagen are falsely advertising it as a memory booster, and falsely claiming the product can get into the human brain”.

The Federal Trade Commission also says that even the study that the manufacturer did doesn’t even prove that it works. The manufacturer says the FTC is a “lame-duck” and that they are rushing the complaint through.

Whoever’s side you are on, being charged with fraud by the FTC is not a good sign.

 

Side Effects

Customers have reported a large number of side effects with this supplement. So many that it started an FDA investigation. The investigation found significant side effects that included seizures and strokes, as well as worsening symptoms of multiple sclerosis. Some of the other side effects include nausea, headache, vomiting, and anxiety to name a few.

 

Prevegen vs Hunter Focus

When we compare Prevegen to our top-rated brain supplement, Hunter Focus, it’s not even close.

When looking at the ingredients in both products you have Prevegen with only one ingredient (Apoaequorin) and the only study that says the ingredient actually works was done by Prevegen itself. On the other hand, Hunter Focus has a nice list of 9 effective ingredients, including lion’s mane mushroom, citicoline, Rhodiola Rosea and Bacopa Monnieri. All of which have been proven effective at improving cognition and mental function.

When looking at the size of the doses it’s not close either. Hunter Focus boasts a 1833.5 mg dose while Prevegen uses a laughable 10 mg dose. You can also go for the Extra Strength Prevegen, which uses a still pathetic 20 mg dose. Granted, both products don’t use the same ingredients, but this isn’t even close. Mind Lab Pro’s dose is 183 times as big as regular strength Prevegen.

Prevegen is cheaper we will give them that. Granted it should be, considering it uses a pathetically small dose of an ingredient that only they themselves tested and found it worked.

Hunter Focus wins this one in an absolute landslide.

 

Customer Reviews

Reviews

As you can imagine, there are many negative reviews on this product. We must say there are also some reviews that swear by this product and say it works great. For the most part, the reviews are definitely below average, as is expected.

 

The Verdict:

This won’t come as much of a surprise after all this, but we recommend you pass on the Prevagen. If you are looking for a brain supplement that does work you would be much better served trying something we reviewed in our article The 7 Best Nootropics for Superior Mental Function.