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| AHFS/Drugs.com | International Drug Names |
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| ECHA InfoCard | 100.000.389 |
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| Formula | C10H14O3 |
| Molar mass | 182.219 g·mol−1 |
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Mephenesin (INN), also called myanesin, [1] [2] is a centrally acting muscle relaxant. It can be used as an antidote for strychnine poisoning. Mephenesin however presents with the major drawbacks of having a short duration of action and a much greater effect on the spinal cord than the brain, resulting in pronounced respiratory depression at clinical doses and therefore a very low therapeutic index. It is especially dangerous and potentially fatal in combination with alcohol and other depressants. [3] Mephenesin was the inspiration for the synthesis of a derivative of 1,3-propanediol, meprobamate, by Bernard Ludwig and Frank Berger, [4] the first tranquilizer to see widespread clinical use. Mephenesin is no longer available in North America but is used in Italy and a few other countries. [5] Its use has largely been replaced by the related drug methocarbamol, which is better absorbed. [6]
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Mephenesin may be an NMDA receptor antagonist. [7] Mephenesin was previously used in France as an OTC muscle relaxant called Décontractyl but was taken out of production by Sanofi Aventis and due to a French Health Ministry decree in July 2019.
