Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0000729 (abdominal cramps)
 531 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Mecamylamine (MCL) has been shown to extinguish nicotine dependence in rats and monkeys. MCL was administered to fourteen nicotine-dependent persons to determine if it may be effective in withdrawing nicotine-dependent humans at doses which have acceptable toxicity. Subjects smoked 20 to 60 cigarettes per day for a mean of 2.4 years, and none had been nicotine abstinent for as much as one day for at least one year. MCL was started in a dose of 5 to 10 mg per day and progressively raised until the subject experienced nicotine blockage and/or toxic effects. During MCL administration, 7 of 14 (50%) totally ceased smoking within the first 11 days of treatment, and an additional 4 (28.6%) subjects reduced cigarette consumption to less than five per day by the end of three weeks. Thirteen of 14 (92.9%) subjects stated that MCL blocks nicotine, reduces nicotine craving, and "works." At least some minor side-effects of MCL were observed in every subject. The most intolerable side-effects were constipation, urinary retention, abdominal cramps, and weakness, and these were responsible for drop-out of 5 (35.7%) subjects. Although there is a high prevalence of side-effects, MCL is probably a viable withdrawal treatment for some cases of recalcitrant nicotine dependence.
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PMID:Clinical evaluation of mecamylamine for withdrawal from nicotine dependence. 643 66