This is a list of

aminorex Aminorex, sold under the brand names Menocil and Apiquel among others, is a weight loss (anorectic) stimulant drug. It was withdrawn from the market after it was found to cause pulmonary hypertension (PPH). In the United States, aminorex is a ...

analogues, also known as substituted 2-amino-5-aryloxazolines. Aminorex itself is a

stimulant Stimulants (also known as central nervous system stimulants, or psychostimulants, or colloquially as uppers) are a class of drugs that increase alertness. They are used for various purposes, such as enhancing attention, motivation, cognition, ...

drug with a 5-phenyl-2-amino-

oxazoline Oxazoline is a five-membered heterocyclic organic compound with the formula . It is the parent of a family of compounds called oxazolines (emphasis on plural), which contain non-hydrogenic substituents on carbon and/or nitrogen. Oxazolines are the ...

structure. It was developed in the 1960s as an

anorectic An anorectic is a drug that reduces appetite, resulting in lower food consumption, leading to weight loss. These substances work by affecting the central nervous system or certain neurotransmitters to create a feeling of fullness or reduce the desi ...

, but withdrawn from sale after it was discovered that extended use produced

pulmonary hypertension Pulmonary hypertension (PH or PHTN) is a condition of increased blood pressure in the pulmonary artery, arteries of the lungs. Symptoms include dypsnea, shortness of breath, Syncope (medicine), fainting, tiredness, chest pain, pedal edema, swell ...

, often followed by

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to Cardiac cycle, fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF ...

, which resulted in a number of deaths. A

designer drug A designer drug is a structural or functional analog of a controlled substance that has been designed to mimic the pharmacological effects of the original drug, while avoiding classification as illegal and/or detection in standard drug tests. ...

analogue

4-methylaminorex 4-Methylaminorex (4-MAR, 4-MAX) is a stimulant drug of the 2-amino-5-aryloxazoline group that was first synthesized in 1960 by McNeil Laboratories. It is also known by its street name "U4Euh" ("Euphoria"). It is banned in many countries as a sti ...

appeared on the illicit market in the late 1980s but did not attract significant popularity due to its steep dose-response curve and tendency to produce

seizure A seizure is a sudden, brief disruption of brain activity caused by abnormal, excessive, or synchronous neuronal firing. Depending on the regions of the brain involved, seizures can lead to changes in movement, sensation, behavior, awareness, o ...

Pemoline Pemoline, formerly sold under the brand name Cylert among others, is a stimulant medication which was used in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy,- it has since been discontinued in most countries due ...

, the 4-keto derivative of aminorex, had been discovered several years earlier, and derivatives of this type appeared to be effective stimulants with comparatively low toxicity. Pemoline was sold for around 25 years as a therapy for

ADHD Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and emotional dysregulation that are excessive and pervasive, impairing in multiple ...

and relief of

fatigue Fatigue is a state of tiredness (which is not sleepiness), exhaustion or loss of energy. It is a signs and symptoms, symptom of any of various diseases; it is not a disease in itself. Fatigue (in the medical sense) is sometimes associated wit ...

, before being withdrawn from the market in 2005 because of rare but serious cases of

liver failure Liver failure is the inability of the liver to perform its normal synthetic and metabolic functions as part of normal physiology. Two forms are recognised, acute and chronic (cirrhosis). Recently, a third form of liver failure known as acute- ...

. More recently in around 2014 another derivative 4,4'-dimethylaminorex started to be sold illicitly, but again swiftly lost popularity due to a spate of fatal overdose cases. A number of related compounds are known, and new derivatives have continued to appear on the designer drug market.

List of substituted aminorex derivatives

References

{{Chemical classes of psychoactive drugs Aminorex analogues Chemical classes of psychoactive drugs Aminorexes

List of substituted aminorex derivatives

See also

References