Table of Contents
How bad is Captagon?
Captagon is an addictive drug that fuels conflicts in the Middle East4. Fighters on Captagon or Amphetamines may feel a sense of well-being, euphoria and invincibility. It is clear that these drugs are favored to suppress pain and increase aggression in soldiers.
Why Captagon is banned?
In April 2020, Saudi Arabia seized 44.7 million Captagon pills smuggled from Syria, and imposed an import ban on fruits and vegetables from Lebanon citing drug smuggling concerns, causing the price of Lebanese lettuce to plummet.
What is Captagon pills used for?
by Drugs.com Captagon was first manufactured in 1961 as an alternative to amphetamine and methamphetamine used at the time to treat narcolepsy, fatigue, and the behavioral disorder “minimal brain dysfunction”.
Where is theophylline found?
Theophylline is found in black tea and to a lesser extent in green coffee, cocoa cotyledon and dried mate.
What is Fenethylline used for?
Fenethylline was used as medicament for hyperactivity disorders in children, narcolepsy and depression, but it has also been used as a drug of abuse under the common name of ‘captagon’.
Which of the following is a prodrug?
Examples of prodrugs that exist naturally or were produced unintentionally during drug development include aspirin, psilocybin, parathion, irinotecan, codeine, heroin, L-dopa, and various antiviral nucleosides.
Why is theophylline no longer used?
Oral theophylline has been used as a bronchodilator to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) for decades, but it has fallen out of favor due to the side effects that come with the higher doses that are required to achieve any beneficial effect, as well as the advancement of improved drug treatment.
What foods are high in theophylline?
Theophylline is found in black tea and to a lesser extent in green coffee, cocoa cotyledon and dried mate. Theophylline is synthesized on an industrial scale and is used principally in pharmaceutical preparations.
What is Fenethylline made of?
Fenethylline is a combination of the drugs amphetamine and theophylline. It was formerly used to treat conditions such as ADHD, narcolepsy, and depression; but its use has been banned because of the potential for abuse.
Is acyclovir a prodrug?
Acting as an oral prodrug, valacyclovir is converted in vivo to acyclovir. Acyclovir, a nucleoside analog, is phosphorylated by virally-encoded thymidine kinase and subsequently by cellular enzymes, yielding acyclovir triphosphate, which competitively inhibits viral DNA polymerase. (See “Acyclovir: An overview”.)
What does prodrug mean in medicine?
A prodrug can be defined as a drug substance that is inactive in the intended pharmacological actions and is must to be converted into the pharmacologically active agent by metabolic or physico-chemical transformation.
What do you need to know about Captagon?
What You Need To Know About Captagon, The Drug Of Choice In War-Torn Syria 1 Captagon is one of several brand names for the drug compound fenethylline… 2 Captagon is in the family of drugs known as amphetamines. 3 Captagon is a controlled substance. 4 What’s happening in the Middle East…
Is there such a thing as a fake Captagon?
And apparently Captagon has enough brand recognition that counterfeit pills are commonly found in authorities’ drug seizures. One analysis of fake Captagon found no fenethylline hydrochloride (the true active ingredient). Instead investigators found amphetamine and caffeine as main ingredients in the fakes.
Is Captagon a new drug?
Captagon is not a new drug. The Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Encyclopedia places its debut in 1961, when it was manufactured by Chemiewerk Homburg, a subsidiary of specialty chemicals company Degussa. The patent for its production dates to 1962, according to the Merck Index.
What is Captagon (fenethylline)?
Captagon is one of several brand names for the drug compound fenethylline hydrochloride. Captagon is not a new drug. The Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Encyclopedia places its debut in 1961, when it was manufactured by Chemiewerk Homburg, a subsidiary of specialty chemicals company Degussa.