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What is N-Acetylcysteine NAC?

N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) is an altered form of the amino acid cysteine, which is commonly found in food and synthesized by the body. It is used as a mucolytic, any agent that dissolves thick mucus, to correct abnormally low glutathione levels, and for paracetamol/acetaminophen overdoses.

Reported Purpose & Efficacy

Reasons and Efficacy
Purpose # of patients
# of patients with evaluations Efficacy
Major
Moderate
Slight
None
Can’t tell
ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) 42 10 Efficacy_slight Efficacy_none Efficacy_cant_tell
General health 19 4 Efficacy_none Efficacy_cant_tell
Parkinson's Disease 11 4 Efficacy_moderate Efficacy_cant_tell
Other 10 1 Efficacy_slight
Support immune health 8 0
Depressed mood 5 3 Efficacy_none Efficacy_cant_tell

See all 112 patients currently taking N-Acetylcysteine NAC

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Reported Side Effects

Side effects as an overall problem

Severe
 2
Moderate
 1
Mild
 3
None
 30

Commonly reported side effects, conditions, and hospitalizations associated with N-Acetylcysteine NAC

Nausea 1
Decreased respiratory function 1
Personal 1

Reported Dosages

Frequently reported dosages based on patients currently taking N-Acetylcysteine NAC. See all 34 dosages ►

  daily 1 cap(s) daily 500 mg daily 600 mg daily 900 mg daily 1,000 mg daily 1,200 mg daily 1,500 mg daily 1,800 mg daily 2,000 mg daily
  6 Number of Patients: 6 3 Number of Patients: 3 13 Number of Patients: 13 32 Number of Patients: 32 3 Number of Patients: 3 4 Number of Patients: 4 16 Number of Patients: 16 3 Number of Patients: 3 8 Number of Patients: 8 4 Number of Patients: 4  

Reported Stop Reasons

Why Patients Stopped Taking N-Acetylcysteine NAC (multiple reasons could be selected)
Reason # Patients Percentage of patients
Other 20   Other: 42%
Did not seem to work 13   Did not seem to work: 27%
Doctor's advice 6   Doctor's advice: 13%
Course of treatment ended 5   Course of treatment ended: 10%
Side effects too severe 4   Side effects too severe: 8%
Not indicated 3   Not indicated: 6%
Personal research 2   Personal research: 4%
Expense 2   Expense: 4%

See all 48 patients who’ve stopped taking N-Acetylcysteine NAC

Reported Duration See details about how long patients take this treatment ▼

Currently Taking N-Acetylcysteine NAC

A bar graph

0-1 month 1-3 months 3-6 months 6 months-1year 1-2 years 2 years or more
0

Stopped Taking N-Acetylcysteine NAC

A bar graph

0-1 month 1-3 months 3-6 months 6 months-1year 1-2 years 2 years or more

Reported Adherence, Burden & Cost See details from patient evaluations ▼

Adherence

Taking treatment as prescribed

Adherence of N-Acetylcysteine NAC

Always
 19 53%
Usually
 8 22%
Sometimes
 5 14%
Never
 4 11%

Burden

Difficulty being on treatment

Burden of N-Acetylcysteine NAC

Very
 1 3%
Somewhat
 3 8%
A little
 5 14%
Not at all
 27 75%

Cost

Paid out of pocket

Cost of N-Acetylcysteine NAC

$200+
 0 0%
$100-199
 0 0%
$50-99
 0 0%
$25-49
 4 29%
< $25
 10 71%

See more information, including instructions, precautions, side effects, and interactions.

Report created on February 10, 2012.