Beclamide (marketed as Chloracon, Hibicon, Posedrine, Nydrane, Seclar, and other names) is a drug that possesses anticonvulsant activity. It is no longer used.

Uses

It has been used as a sedative and as an anticonvulsant. It was studied in the 1950s for its anticonvulsant properties, as a treatment for generalised tonic-clonic

seizure An epileptic seizure, informally known as a seizure, is a period of symptoms due to abnormally excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain. Outward effects vary from uncontrolled shaking movements involving much of the body with l ...

s. It was not effective for absence seizures. Interest in the drug resumed in the 1990s for its psychiatric properties as an adjunct in the treatment of

schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social wit ...

Side effects

Side effects are uncommon but include stomach pain, nervousness, giddiness, skin rash and

leukopenia Leukopenia () is a decrease in the number of leukocytes (WBC). Found in the blood, they are the white blood cells, and are the body's primary defense against an infection. Thus the condition of leukopenia places individuals at increased risk of in ...

. It is counter-indicated in breast feeding as it is passed in the milk.

Administration and pharmacology

Administration is oral, though it has an unpleasant taste. It is quickly absorbed and elimination is renal and complete within 48 hours. Beclamide is possibly metabolized to 3-chloropropanoic acid ''in vivo'', which binds to the

GHB receptor The γ-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) receptor (GHBR), originally identified as GPR172A, is an excitatory G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that binds the neurotransmitter and psychoactive drug γ-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB). As solute carrier family 52 ...

References

* ''The Medical Treatment of Epilepsy'' by Stanley R Resor. Published by Marcel Dekker (1991). . Abandoned drugs Anticonvulsants Carboxamides Organochlorides {{anticonvulsant-stub