NAME THAT DRUG PREPARED AND SUBMITTED BY: MEDTOX LABORATORIES
Experimentation on Wife Helps Discover Drug I
n the last decade, society has witnessed the awful impacts that stimulant drug abuse has had on American communi-
ties. In particular, methamphetamine has es- tablished itself as perhaps the most insidious of all drugs of abuse. Methamphetamine’s sweeping powers are formidable. Te drug is uniquely capable in taking the brain hostage, disabling users, and enslaving them into a long physical and mental decline. Tis month’s mystery drug shares many of meth- amphetamines more onerous direct effects. In some ways, the drug can be as pernicious as methamphetamine. Te drug is present in several different drug markets; it has appeal as both a prescription medication and as an abused drug on the streets. It is manufac- tured in a variety of forms atached to several
well-known brands. Tis month’s drug is a first page feature of most internet drug sales sites. Its utilization as therapy for narcolepsy has waned in the past decade as more precise and beter-tolerated medications have come to market. Tis drug was first synthesized as an inves-
tigational drug towards the end of World War II. Te drug was not a pharmaceutical prod- uct of the World War II conflict however. By the mid 1950s, interest in the chemical began to brew. Its first investigational experimenta- tion was a therapy to treat depression and mood disorder. In fact, this drug’s developer first tested the tolerability of this drug on his wife. Like Sigmund Freud and his extensive contributions to cocaine research, research chemist Leandro Panizzon engaged his wife
Rita in a series of personal tests to judge the effects of efficacy and tolerability of the drug. Leandro Panizzon, like Freud, experimented with the drug as well. Panizzon found it not very intriguing. Rita, however, responded to the drug and found that it made her feel en- ergized and adventuresome. Panizzon’s wife’s name is woven into the product name for this drug. Over time, Panizzon’s discovery evolved out of the world of antidepressants and into a new world genre of medications used to treat adolescent behavioral disorders. Tis month’s drug is available in a wide
array of pharmaceutical applications. It is used worldwide. Novel applications for this drug currently revolve around its utility as a substitute drug for cocaine addicts. In some circles, the drug has also been used in an extended release format as a substitute drug for methamphetamine addicts. Pain management programs are inclined to use this drug to help boost the mood and energy of patients who may be weighed down by the depressing effects of opiates and the emotional drag of chronic disease or injury. But in the main, this month’s drug is a go-to therapy for psychiatrists and pediatricians who treat challenging behavioral disorders. To avoid laying on the final clues that would
obviate more storytelling, let us first discuss the signs and symptoms associated with the use and abuse of this drug. Tis drug is most appropriately classified as a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant. It is a member of the piperazine class of compounds. Its pharma- cological properties result in increases in bio-available levels of dopamine and norepi- nephrine. Tis drug achieves this effect by blocking the reuptake of the monoamine trans- porters. With boosted levels of dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain, the net effects of the drug are that of stimulation and increased energy. To those ends, a user may display some of the following physical signs or symptoms: • Dilated pupils (possibly greater than 8 mm in diameter)
40 datia focus winter 2012
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