Phenmetrazine (Preludin) is a stimulant drug of the morpholine chemical class that was previously used as an appetite suppressant, but has since been withdrawn from the market. It was initially replaced by its analogue phendimetrazine which functions as a prodrug to phenmetrazine, but now it is rarely prescribed either, due to concerns of abuse and addiction.
Contents
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* 1 History
* 2 Medical use
* 3 Pharmacology
* 4 Recreational use
* 5 See also
* 6 References

[edit] History

Phenmetrazine was first patented in Germany in 1952 by Boehringer-Ingelheim,[1] with some pharmacological data published in 1954.[2] It was the result of a search by Thomä and Wick for an anorectic drug without the side-effects of amphetamine.[3] Phenmetrazine was introduced into clinical use in 1954 in Europe.[4]
[edit] Medical use

In clinical use, phenmetrazine produces less nervousness, hyperexcitability, euphoria and insomnia than drugs of the amphetamine family.[5] It tends not to increase heart rate as much as other stimulants. Due to the relative lack of side effects, one study found it well tolerated in children.[3] In a study of the effectiveness on weight loss between phenmetrazine and dextroamphetamine, phenmetrazine was found to be slightly more effective.[6]

Even though the manufacturers claimed it had "exceptional safety and strikingly low incidence of side effects", within a few years there were reports of psychosis similar to that of amphetamine.[4]
[edit] Pharmacology

Phenmetrazine acts as a releasing agent of norepinephrine and dopamine with EC50 values of 50.4 ± 5.4 nM and 131 ± 11 nM, respectively.[7] It has negligible efficacy as a releaser of serotonin, with an EC50 value of only 7,765 ± 610 nM.[7]

After an oral dose, about 70% of the drug is excreted from the body within 24 hours. About 19% of that is excreted as the unmetabolised drug and the rest as various metabolites.[8]

In trials performed on rats, it has been found that after subcutaneous administration of phenmetrazine, both optical isomers are equally effective in reducing food intake, but in oral administration the levo isomer is more effective. In terms of central stimulation however, the dextro isomer is about 4 times as effective in both methods of administration.[9]
[edit] Recreational use

Phenmetrazine has been used recreationally in many countries, for example Sweden. When stimulant use first became prevalent in Sweden in the 1950s, phenmetrazine was preferred to amphetamine and methamphetamine by users.[10] In the autobiographical novel "Rush" by Kim Wozencraft, intravenous phenmetrazine is described as the most euphoric and pro-sexual of the stimulants the author used.

Phenmetrazine was classified as a narcotic in Sweden in 1959, and was taken completely off the market in 1965. At first the illegal demand was satisfied by smuggling from Germany, and later Spain and Italy. At first, Preludin tablets were smuggled, but soon the smugglers started bringing in raw phenmetrazine powder. Eventually amphetamine became the dominant stimulant of abuse because of its greater availability.

Phenmetrazine was taken by The Beatles early in their career. Paul McCartney was one known user. McCartney's introduction to drugs started in Hamburg, Germany. The Beatles had to play for hours, and they were often given "Prellies" (Preludin) by the maid who cleaned their housing arrangements, German customers, or by Astrid Kirchherr (whose mother bought them). McCartney would usually take one, but John Lennon would often take four or five.[11] Hunter Davies asserted, in his 1968 biography of the band,[12] that their use of such stimulants then was in response to their need to stay awake and keep working, rather than a simple desire for kicks.

The street name for the drug in Washington, D.C. was "Bam".