Uridine

Pronunciation: YOOR-i-deen.

Generic name
uridine
Drug class
Pyrimidine nucleoside dietary/food supplement (not an approved drug)
Form
Capsule, tablet, powder
Route
Oral
Legal status
Dietary/food supplement (United States, New Zealand) or Natural Health Product framework (Canada); non-prescription in every market where classification could be confirmed. UK/EU/Australia classification could not be confirmed live in this research.

Availability and supply rules vary by country

Trade names by country:

Australia: · Full directory

What uridine is and how it works

Uridine is a naturally occurring nucleoside sold as a dietary/food supplement, marketed for cognitive support, mood support, and general cellular health. It is not an FDA-approved drug or an approved medicine in any of the markets confirmed in this research, and its regulatory oversight and pre-market evidence requirements are generally lighter than for a prescription or OTC medicine. (1) (2)

Uridine occurs naturally in the body, in breast milk, and in many foods. As a supplement, it has been studied in small, preliminary clinical trials for possible mood-related benefits, including in depressed adolescents with bipolar disorder and, separately, in a registered trial for veterans with suicidal ideation -- but these are early-stage, investigational findings, not an established or approved treatment. Talk with a clinician before starting uridine, especially if you take other medicines or are considering it for a psychiatric condition.

Mechanism of action: how uridine works

Uridine is a pyrimidine nucleoside, a structural building block of RNA and a precursor in pyrimidine metabolism. Proposed mechanisms for its studied effects on mood include roles in membrane phospholipid synthesis and mitochondrial/cellular energy metabolism, though the mechanism underlying any clinical effect remains under investigation. (2)

What uridine is used for

Marketed for cognitive and mood support

Uridine is marketed as a supplement for brain health, cognitive function, and mood support. This is a marketed structure/function claim, not an FDA- or regulator-approved therapeutic indication. (1)

Investigational research in bipolar depression (not an approved use)

A real, peer-reviewed open-label study gave adolescents with depressed bipolar disorder 500 mg of uridine twice daily for 6 weeks and found a substantial reduction in depression-rating scores, with only mild side effects and no serious adverse events. The authors explicitly described this as preliminary, pending confirmation in randomized controlled trials -- it is not an approved or clinically established treatment for bipolar depression. (2)

Investigational research in suicidal ideation (not an approved use)

A real, registered clinical trial has studied uridine in veterans with suicidal ideation. This confirms active investigational research in this area but is not itself evidence of efficacy or an approved use. (3)

Before taking uridine

Do not take / not appropriate for

  • Do not use uridine as a substitute for a prescribed psychiatric medicine or any other prescribed treatment -- it is not an approved treatment for bipolar disorder, depression, or any other condition. (all countries) (2)

Tell your clinician about

  • If you are taking any prescription medicine for a mood or psychiatric condition, before adding uridine or any new supplement.
  • If you are pregnant, trying to become pregnant, or breastfeeding.
  • If uridine is being considered for a child or adolescent, particularly for a psychiatric condition -- this should only be done under specialist clinical supervision, as in the research study reviewed.
  • All other supplements and medicines you take, since uridine's interaction profile has not been extensively studied.
(2)

How to take uridine

  • Follow the dose stated on the product label, since dietary supplements are not subject to the same fixed, clinically-established dosing as approved medicines.
  • Discuss the intended use, dose, and duration with a clinician or pharmacist, particularly if you are considering it for a mood-related reason.
  • The one peer-reviewed adolescent bipolar-depression study reviewed here used 500 mg twice daily for 6 weeks under close clinical supervision -- this reflects a specific research protocol, not an independently validated general recommendation for you.
(1) (2)

Procedures and treatment changes

Tell the treating team before surgery, procedures, or any medicine change. Do not alter treatment without the responsible clinician. (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

Missed dose

Because uridine is a supplement without a fixed, regulator-established dosing schedule, simply resume your usual label-directed use. If you have questions about your specific product or routine, check with a pharmacist or clinician.

Overdose

If a large amount has been taken, especially by a child, or if severe or concerning symptoms occur, contact a doctor, pharmacist, or poison control service promptly. (1)

Side effects

Side effects and their urgency vary; report severe, persistent, or concerning symptoms.

Vivid dreams -- reported in a clinical study of adolescents taking uridine.

What to notice: Vivid dreams -- reported in a clinical study of adolescents taking uridine.

What to do: Discuss persistent or troublesome symptoms with the treating clinician or pharmacist. (2)

Abdominal cramps.

What to notice: Abdominal cramps.

What to do: Discuss persistent or troublesome symptoms with the treating clinician or pharmacist. (2)

Nausea.

What to notice: Nausea.

What to do: Discuss persistent or troublesome symptoms with the treating clinician or pharmacist. (2)

Diarrhea.

What to notice: Diarrhea.

What to do: Discuss persistent or troublesome symptoms with the treating clinician or pharmacist. (2)

Serious warnings

Using uridine in place of prescribed psychiatric treatment — moderate caution

Symptoms: Not applicable -- this is a use-pattern caution, not a symptom to watch for.

Action: Do not stop or replace a prescribed medicine for depression, bipolar disorder, or suicidal thoughts with uridine. If you or someone else is having thoughts of self-harm or suicide, contact a prescriber or emergency services immediately -- uridine is not an approved or established treatment for this. (2) (3)

New or worsening gastrointestinal symptoms — mild caution

Symptoms: Abdominal cramps, nausea, or diarrhea.

Action: These were reported as mild and self-limited in the adolescent study reviewed. Tell your clinician or pharmacist if they persist or worsen. (2)

Interactions

  • Uridine's interaction profile with prescription medicines has not been extensively studied. Tell your clinician or pharmacist about all other medicines and supplements you take, particularly any medicine for a mood or psychiatric condition. (2)

Pregnancy, breastfeeding, kidney/liver function, age

Pregnancy

Uridine is naturally present in the body and in breast milk, but no dedicated safety studies of supplemental uridine in human pregnancy were identified in this research. Discuss use with a clinician before taking it during pregnancy. (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

Breastfeeding

Uridine is a natural component of human breast milk; no dedicated safety studies of supplemental uridine use during breastfeeding were identified in this research. Discuss use with a clinician. (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

Children

The one peer-reviewed study reviewed here involved adolescents with bipolar depression under close clinical and research supervision -- this is not a general recommendation for supplement use in children, which should only be considered on specific clinician advice. (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

Elderly

No age-specific dosing guidance for older adults is established in the sources reviewed; discuss use with a clinician, particularly given the potential for interactions with other medicines common in this age group. (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

Hepatic_impairment

No specific hepatic-impairment guidance is established in the sources reviewed for supplemental uridine use; discuss any liver condition with a clinician. (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

Renal_impairment

No specific renal-impairment guidance is established in the sources reviewed for supplemental uridine use; discuss any kidney condition with a clinician. (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

Source_ids

PMC-URIDINE-ADOLESCENT-BIPOLAR-DEPRESSION-2011 (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

Monitoring

Before starting

  • Discussion of realistic evidence strength for the intended use with a clinician or pharmacist, especially for any mood-related reason
  • Review of all current medicines and supplements

During treatment

  • Watching for gastrointestinal side effects (nausea, cramps, diarrhea) or vivid dreams.
  • Ongoing clinical follow-up for anyone using uridine alongside treatment for a mood or psychiatric condition, given the preliminary nature of that research.
  • Reviewing ongoing need and evidence with a clinician periodically.
(2)

Storage

Store at room temperature, away from moisture and heat, and out of reach of children.

Professional information

Clinician-facing context only. Uridine is a supplement, not an approved drug, so no regulator-established prescribing information exists in the way it does for a licensed medicine.

General (no regulator-established dose in any market reviewed)

Indication: Marketed cognitive/mood support; investigational research in bipolar depression and suicidal ideation

Dose summary: The one peer-reviewed adolescent bipolar-depression study reviewed used 500 mg twice daily for 6 weeks under research supervision. A separate rare-disease (hereditary orotic aciduria) context has used doses up to 300 mg/kg/day for 20+ years under close medical supervision as part of specific medical-food/drug management -- this is not generalisable to supplement use.

Renal context: Not established in the sources reviewed for this dossier. (2)

Mechanism of action

Hepatic guidance

Not established in the sources reviewed for this dossier.

Overdose note

Limited data exist on uridine supplement overdose in humans; gastrointestinal symptoms are the most likely effect at excessive doses. Seek medical or poison-control advice for any suspected overdose, especially in a child. (2)

Frequently asked questions

Is uridine an approved medicine?

No. Plain uridine is sold as a dietary/food supplement (or, in Canada, under the Natural Health Products framework) everywhere its classification could be confirmed in this research (United States, Canada, New Zealand). It is not an FDA- or regulator-approved medicine for any condition. Note that a chemically related but distinct product, uridine triacetate, IS a separate FDA-approved prescription medicine for a specific rare metabolic disease -- that is a different product, tracked separately on this site. (1)

Does uridine help with bipolar depression or suicidal thoughts?

There is real, but preliminary, research in this area. A peer-reviewed open-label study found a substantial reduction in depression scores in adolescents with bipolar depression given 500 mg of uridine twice daily for 6 weeks, and a separate registered clinical trial has studied uridine in veterans with suicidal ideation. However, these are early-stage findings, not an established or approved treatment -- uridine should never replace a prescribed psychiatric treatment, and anyone with suicidal thoughts should contact a prescriber or emergency services immediately. (2) (3)

Is a high dose of uridine safe long-term?

This depends heavily on context and should not be assumed to transfer to supplement use. Patients with a specific rare metabolic disease (hereditary orotic aciduria) have been treated with oral uridine at doses up to 300 mg/kg per day for over 20 years under close medical supervision, as part of managing that specific disease -- this is a medical context, not a basis for choosing a general supplement dose. Discuss any long-term supplement use with a clinician. (2)

What is the mechanism of action of uridine?

Uridine is a pyrimidine nucleoside, a structural building block of RNA and a precursor in pyrimidine metabolism. Proposed mechanisms for its studied effects on mood include roles in membrane phospholipid synthesis and mitochondrial/cellular energy metabolism, though the mechanism underlying any clinical effect remains under investigation. (2)

What is the generic name of Uridine?

The generic name is uridine. (1) (2)

What class of drug is uridine?

Uridine is classed as: Pyrimidine nucleoside dietary/food supplement (not an approved drug). (1) (2)

References

  1. Questions and Answers on Dietary SupplementsU.S. Food and Drug Administration · United States · accessed 2026-07-31 · source 1
  2. Open-Label Uridine for Treatment of Depressed Adolescents with Bipolar DisorderPubMed Central (peer-reviewed clinical study) · United States · dated 2011 · accessed 2026-07-31 · source 2
  3. Clinical and Imaging Trial of Uridine for Veterans With Suicidal Ideation (NCT03265964)ClinicalTrials.gov (U.S. National Library of Medicine trial registry) · United States · accessed 2026-07-31 · source 3
  4. Regulation of Dietary SupplementsMedsafe (New Zealand Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Authority) · New Zealand · accessed 2026-07-31 · source 4
  5. About Natural Health ProductsHealth Canada · Canada · accessed 2026-07-31 · source 5

Brand names by country

Single-ingredient uridine names are shown separately by country. Product availability, strengths, and supply rules can change; combination products are not included here.

Priority countries

View brands in additional countries.

This page provides general reference information about uridine, a dietary supplement, and is not a substitute for advice from a doctor or pharmacist. Uridine is not an approved medicine in the markets reviewed, and its research evidence, especially for mood-related uses, is real but preliminary.

Related medicines