Mecamylamine
Mecamylamine (INN, BAN) (brand names Inversine, Vecamyl ) or mecamylamine hydrochloride (USAN) is a non-selective, non-competitive antagonist of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) that was introduced in the 1950s as an antihypertensive drug. It was withdrawn from the market for the treatment of hypertension in 2009 in the United States.
Chemically, mecamylamine is a secondary aliphatic amine, with a pKaH of 11.2
Pharmacology and clinical applications
Mecamylamine has been used as an orally-active ganglionic blocker in treating autonomic dysreflexia and hypertension, but, like most ganglionic blockers, it is more often used now as a research tool.
Mecamylamine is also sometimes used as an antiaddictive drug to help people stop smoking tobacco, and is now more widely used for this application than it is for lowering blood pressure. This effect is thought to be due to its blocking α3β4 nicotinic receptors in the brain. It has also been reported to bring about sustained relief from tics in Tourette's Disorder when a series of more usually used agents had failed [22].
