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Pharmacologic and therapeutic features of sulbutiamine
Van
Reeth, O., et al.
Drugs Today 1999, 35(3): 187
ISSN 1699-3993
Copyright 1999 Prous Science
CCC: 1699-3993
Asthenia is the
most frequent medical reason for people seeking help from their
physician. In 75% of cases, the cause is functional (either reactive
or psychiatric) and in 25% it is organic. In order to provide
patients with rapid relief of symptoms, appropriate antiasthenic
treatment should be initiated immediately, while at the same time,
adequate clinical and laboratory assessments should be performed to
detect the underlying cause of asthenia. Sulbutiamine, a highly
lipophilic thiamine derivative, is the only antiasthenic compound
known to cross the blood-brain barrier and to be selectively active
on specific brain structures directly involved in asthenia. This
article reviews the current knowledge on the effects of sulbutiamine
in animal models and in various forms of human asthenia.
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