Bemegride (trademarked as Megimide) is a

central nervous system The central nervous system (CNS) is the part of the nervous system consisting primarily of the brain and spinal cord. The CNS is so named because the brain integrates the received information and coordinates and influences the activity of all p ...

stimulant Stimulants (also often referred to as psychostimulants or colloquially as uppers) is an overarching term that covers many drugs including those that increase activity of the central nervous system and the body, drugs that are pleasurable and inv ...

. The drug was first made in 1911. It has been used in hypnotic overdose. As with other chemoreceptor agonists, it is a potent emetic at doses above those normally used in management of barbiturate overdose although emesis and aspiration are a concern during treatment. It is a controlled substance in some countries.

Animal use

Bemegride is also used to induce convulsions in experimental animals.

Synthesis

The original synthesis involves first the condensation of methylethylketone with two equivalents of

cyanoacetamide 2-Cyanoacetamide is an organic compound. It is an acetic amide with a nitrile functional group. Uses Cyanoacetamide is used in spectrofluorimetric methods to determine the activity of antihistamine H1 receptor antagonistic drugs such as ebast ...

. The product can be rationalized by assuming first aldol condensation of ketone and active methylene compound followed by dehydration to give 3. Conjugate addition of a second molecule of

would afford 4. Addition of one of the amide amines to the nitrile would then afford the iminonitrile 5. The observed product 6 can be rationalized by assuming loss of the carboxamide under strongly basic conditions. Decarboxylative hydrolysis of 6 then leads to bemigride 7.

John Bodkin Adams case

Bemegride was the drug which suspected

serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

Dr John Bodkin Adams who failed to prescribe correctly to his patient Gertrude Hullett. Hullett took an overdose of barbiturates on 19 July 1956 but Adams only gave her a single 10 cc dose of bemegride three days later on the 22nd, despite having acquired 100cc for her treatment. Hullett died the next day on 23 July 1956. Adams was charged but never tried for her murder.Cullen, Pamela V., ''A Stranger in Blood: The Case Files on Dr John Bodkin Adams'', London, Elliott & Thompson, 2006,

References

Antidotes Stimulants Respiratory agents Convulsants Glutarimides GABAA receptor negative allosteric modulators {{respiratory-system-drug-stub