Pemoline
Pronunciation:PEM-oh-leen
Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number:2152-34-3
Formal Names:Cylert
Informal Names:Popcorn Coke
Type:Stimulant.Seepage 11
Federal Schedule Listing:Schedule IV (DEA no. 1530)
USA Availability:Prescription
Pregnancy Category:B
Uses.In the United States pemoline became available for medical purposes
during the 1970s. It is used to treat depression, weariness, and attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The drug’s stimulant effects are described as
greater thancaffeinebut less than amphetamine. Unlike many scheduled
stimulants, pemoline is unrelated to amphetamine.
Studies find pemoline useful in reducing symptoms of depression, and ex-
perimental usage of pemoline with monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) an-
tidepressants has helped depressed persons who obtain insufficient relief with
other drugs.
Pemoline has eliminated drowsiness felt by persons taking antihistamines.
The drug has been proposed for workplace usage to reduce fatigue but has
not been tested extensively for that purpose. Tests have found that the drug
improves ability to perform arithmetic when users are tired. In a different but
more robust experiment, members of the U.S. Navy Special Warfare group
stayed awake 64 hours around the clock while using pemoline. Though their
performance appeared to decline as the experiment continued, they not only
did better than participants who used placebos, but they also did better than
persons usingmethylphenidate. In England, Royal Air Force experimenters
concluded that pemoline can help keenness and capabilities during long shifts
of duty. A Russian report endorses the drug’s usefulness for “urgent increase”
of functioning but notes that persons using pemoline cannot maintain initial
ability if body temperature rises and oxygen supply declines, nor does the
drug help persons push past emotional strain or fulfill complicated task re-
quirements. During the 1980s and 1990s sports officials in Belgium found the
drug was frequently used by cyclists seeking a competitive edge. Multiple
sclerosis patients using pemoline sometimes report less exhaustion than those