Six months ago I sustained a moderate concussion in a cycling accident. After the acute symptoms resolved, I was left with persistent cognitive symptoms: brain fog, word-finding difficulty, slowed processing speed, and an inability to concentrate for more than 20-30 minutes. Standard neurological workup was normal. My neurologist diagnosed post-concussion syndrome and suggested we try Semax based on the Russian clinical literature on its neuroprotective and neurotrophic properties.
Protocol: 600 mcg intranasal Semax daily, divided into two 300 mcg doses (morning and early afternoon), cycling 14 days on and 7 days off. My neurologist also had me on high-dose omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, and creatine.
Month 1: The first cycle was cautiously promising. Within the first week, the density of the brain fog seemed to lighten somewhat. Not lift entirely, but change from an impenetrable overcast to a hazy day. I could read for 45 minutes instead of 20. Phone conversations required slightly less effort. My wife noticed before I did -- she said I sounded "more like myself" on the phone.
Month 2: By the third cycle, the improvement was more definitive. Word-finding difficulty, which had been my most distressing symptom, improved noticeably. I went from frequently pausing mid-sentence to search for common words to only occasionally struggling with less common vocabulary. Processing speed was still below my pre-injury baseline, but the gap was narrowing. I returned to work part-time.
Month 3: Continued improvement, though the rate of change had slowed. I was able to work 6-hour days with adequate cognitive stamina. My neuropsychological testing showed improvement in attention and working memory domains compared to 3 months prior. My neurologist was pleased but cautioned that we cannot attribute the improvement solely to Semax -- concussion recovery follows its own trajectory and I was doing multiple interventions simultaneously.
I cannot say with certainty that Semax was responsible for my recovery rather than time and other interventions. What I can say is that the trajectory of improvement seemed to accelerate when I started Semax, and the cognitive clarity during active cycles was noticeably better than during off weeks, which provides at least within-subject evidence of acute benefit.
The Russian clinical data on Semax for stroke and brain injury recovery is extensive, even if it has not been replicated in Western trials. For someone in my position -- dealing with persistent post-concussion cognitive symptoms and limited treatment options -- Semax felt like a reasonable and low-risk intervention. I plan to continue cycling it for another 3 months.