Chlorphenesin carbamate (Maolate, Musil) is a centrally acting

muscle relaxant A muscle relaxant is a drug that affects skeletal muscle function and decreases the muscle tone. It may be used to alleviate symptoms such as muscle spasms, pain, and hyperreflexia. The term "muscle relaxant" is used to refer to two major therapeu ...

used to treat muscle pain and

spasm A spasm is a sudden involuntary contraction of a muscle, a group of muscles, or a hollow organ, such as the bladder. A spasmodic muscle contraction may be caused by many medical conditions, including dystonia. Most commonly, it is a musc ...

s. Chlorphenesin carbamate is no longer used for this purpose in most developed nations due to the availability of much safer spasmolytics such as

benzodiazepines Benzodiazepines (BZD, BDZ, BZs), colloquially known as "benzos", are a class of central nervous system (CNS) depressant drugs whose core chemical structure is the fusion of a benzene ring and a diazepine ring. They are prescribed to treat co ...

. Other central effects include sedation,

anxiolysis An anxiolytic (; also antipanic or anti-anxiety agent) is a medication or other intervention that reduces anxiety. This effect is in contrast to anxiogenic agents which increase anxiety. Anxiolytic medications are used for the treatment of anxie ...

, and dizziness.

Chlorphenesin

A related chemical, chlorphenesin (C₉H₁₁ClO₃) ''without'' the

carbamate In organic chemistry, a carbamate is a category of organic compounds with the general Chemical formula, formula and Chemical structure, structure , which are formally Derivative (chemistry), derived from carbamic acid (). The term includes orga ...

group, is used as a preservative in products such as cosmetics. It has

antifungal An antifungal medication, also known as an antimycotic medication, is a pharmaceutical fungicide or fungistatic used to treat and prevent mycosis such as athlete's foot, ringworm, candidiasis (thrush), serious systemic infections such as ...

and some

antibacterial An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the treatment and prevention ...

properties, and is classified as an antifungal for topical use by the WHO. The major adverse effect from this preservative on skin is allergic contact sensitivity. Systemic intoxication from

transdermal Transdermal is a route of administration wherein active ingredients are delivered across the skin for systemic distribution. Examples include transdermal patches used for medicine delivery. The drug is administered in the form of a patch or ointm ...

use has not been observed, although the FDA discourages its use as an ingredient in nipple cream for nursing mothers.

References

{{Muscle relaxants Muscle relaxants Carbamates Secondary alcohols Phenol ethers 4-Chlorophenyl compounds Drugs with unknown mechanisms of action Glycerols

Chlorphenesin

See also

References