Conclusion: Based on the current data and clinician input, a range of nutraceuticals and phytoceuticals were given either a supportive recommendation or a provisional recommendation across a range of various psychiatric disorders. However several had only a weak endorsement for potential use; for a few it was not possible to reach a clear recommendation direction, largely due to mixed study findings; while some other agents showed no obvious therapeutic benefit and were clearly not recommended for use. It is the intention of these guidelines to inform psychiatric/medical, and health professional practice
PubMed 35311615 ↗N-Acetyl Cysteine (nac)
People mainly take N-Acetyl Cysteine (nac) for focus, mood, energy. Based on 10 first-hand reports and 31 meta-analyses & systematic reviews in the medical literature. Ranked #380 of 1,974 overall.
Of reports that state an outcome, 83% are positive.
What N-Acetyl Cysteine (nac) does, according to users
Of the people who reported each effect, the share who said it got better.
3 more with fewer than 3 reports
What the research says
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses from PubMed, with their published conclusions.
3+ meta-analyses or systematic reviews and 10+ randomized controlled trials in humans. The grade measures how much human research exists — read the conclusions below for what it found.
Conclusion: Although 22 trials could be included in this review, the evidence provided is limited and mostly not relevant to clinicians or consumers. Overall, although there was low risk of attrition and selective data reporting bias within the trials, the trials themselves were not adequately powered and need more substantial follow-up periods. There is a need for larger trials with longer periods of follow-up to be conducted. Outcomes should be meaningful for those with schizophrenia, and include measures of improvement and relapse (not just rating scale scores), functioning and quality of life and acce
PubMed 26848926 ↗Conclusion: No reliable evidence from the available literature suggests that interventions during surgery can protect the kidneys from damage. However, the criteria used to diagnose acute renal damage varied in many of the older studies selected for inclusion in this review, many of which suffered from poor methodological quality such as insufficient participant numbers and poor definitions of end points such as acute renal failure and acute renal injury. Recent methods of detecting renal damage such as the use of specific biomarkers and better defined criteria for identifying renal damage (RIFLE (risk, i
PubMed 24027097 ↗Conclusion: However, in terms of serum hormones, the NAC group did not show significant difference in increasing the serum levels of testosterone (MD, 1.35; p = .21), luteinising hormone (MD, 0.82; p = .40), follicle-stimulating hormone (MD, -7.48; p = .29) and prolactin (MD, -0.34; p = .32) compared with the placebo group. In conclusion, NAC orally daily produced a greater improvement in sperm concentration, ejaculate volume, sperm motility and normal morphology for idiopathic infertile men, whereas no significant influence in serum hormones, which required more high-quality RCTs with sufficient sample s
PubMed 33405232 ↗Dosage people report
As stated by users — not a recommendation. Follow the label or your doctor.
Reported side effects
How often each side effect came up across all reports.
What users say
Verbatim quotes, shortened only — each links to the original discussion.
“NAC dose-dependently protected against this neurotoxicity, with 1-3mg/kg providing partial protection, and 10-30mg/kg providing full protection.”
“I've tested it several times now, across many months and with many pauses, and it always does this without fail for me...NAC somehow fixes all this and I actually can talk like a normal human being again.”
“NAC, L-tyrosine, Magnesium.”
“I started taking 3000mg/day of N-Acetylcysteine five days ago and have been amazed at how well it works for me. It has rapidly alleviated my bipolar depression, increased my motivation.”
“Quercetin + Nac for oxidative stress”
Top discussions (5)
- N-Acetyl Cysteine (10mg/kg) completely prevents all Methamphetamine-induced (7.5mg/kg) dopamine depletion in rats ↗
- NAC strongly improves my verbal fluency ↗
- Remarkably powerful anti-anxiety effects from the supplement N-acetyl glucosamine (NAG) ↗
- Why does NAC have rapid anti-depressant and mood stabilizing effects on me? ↗
- Trigger neuroplasticity to recover damage done by alcohol benzos drugs, psych meds and depression ↗
Other options for focus
User data from public discussions; research from PubMed. Information only, not medical advice — talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or combining anything. Data updated October 2, 2026. How we rate