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Posted on Dec 30, 2005, 8 p.m.
By Bill Freeman
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: Pyritinol has been continuously used and researched since it was patented by Merck in 1961, thus it is most probably the oldest nootropic drug still in use today. The drug has been used to treat a wide range of disorders and problems from alcoholism to cerebral trauma.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
Pyritinol has been continuously used and researched since it was patented by Merck in 1961, thus it is most probably the oldest nootropic drug still in use today. The drug has been used to treat a wide range of disorders and problems from alcoholism to cerebral trauma.
ROLE FOR ANTI-AGING:
In 1989, two scientists from the former Czechoslovakia discovered that pyritinol is a potent scavenger of hydroxyl free radicals. It is now widely accepted that the antioxidant properties of the drug are responsible for many of the benefits of Pyritinol. The discovery that Pyritinol can protect proteins in the brain against radical induced polymerization, coupled with evidence showing that the drug enhances cholinergic transmission in the brain explains why it has been useful in the treatment of several cognitive disorders. Trials have shown that pyritinol is useful in protecting brain cells from hypoxia, aiding recovery from head injury and stroke, and alleviating dementia. Pyritinol is known to increase nerve activity in an area of the brain known as the locus coeruleus, which has been linked to learning and memory. Pyritinol has also been clinically proven as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. The drug also enhances or normalizes glucose transport through the blood-brain barrier and increases the production of energy from glucose. In 1993, researchers found that pyritinol enhanced the immune system by stimulating neutrophil migration, an increasing the survival time of the white blood cells.
SIDE EFFECTS/CONTRAINDICATIONS:
Pyritinol is generally well-tolerated, although the drug can occasionally cause skin rashes and gastrointestinal disturbances. However, during a trial of the drug for the treatment of rheumatoid artiritis some serious side effects were observed. Thus, patients using pyritinol to treat rheumatoid arthritis should only do so when advised (and supervised) by a doctor. Pyritinol should not be taken by pregnant women or those who believe they may be pregnant.
PHARMACOLOGY:
Pyritinol is almost identical in structure to vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), however it does not have any actions that are similar to those of the vitamin.
Synonyms:
pyrithioxine, pyridoxine disulfide
