Pentylenetetrazol
chemical compound
Pentylenetetrazol (PTZ), or pentylenetetrazole, also known as pentetrazol (INNTooltip International Nonproprietary Name) and sold under the brand name Metrazol, is a drug formerly used as a circulatory and respiratory stimulant. High doses cause convulsions, as discovered by Hungarian-American neurologist and psychiatrist Ladislas J. Meduna in 1934. It has been used in convulsive therapy, and was found to be effective in treating depression, but side effects, such as uncontrolled seizures, were difficult to avoid. In 1939, pentylenetetrazol was replaced by electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), which is easier to administer, as the preferred method for inducing seizures in England's mental hospitals. In the US, pentylenetetrazol's approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was revoked in 1982. It is used in Italy as a cardio-respiratory stimulant in combination with dihydrocodeine in a cough suppressant drug.
Side effects
Pentylenetetrazol is anxiogenic and has been known to induce severe anxiety in humans.
Pharmacology
Mechanism of action
The mechanism of pentylenetetrazol is not well-understood, and it may have multiple actions. In 1984, Squires et al. published a report analyzing pentylenetetrazol and several structurally related convulsant drugs.
“Pentylenetetrazol” enters the record as chemical compound. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Pentylenetetrazol, chemical and compound can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 10, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q412391. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1934, 1939, 1982 and 1984.
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