Drugs and Addictive Substances

Are There Any Medical Reasons for Taking This Substance?

Since the early 1950s, piperazines have been used widely by veterinarians as an anthelminticPronounced ant-hel-MINN-tick; a substance that helps destroy and expel parasitic worms, especially worms located in the intestines. drug. Anthelmintics are used to treat parasitic infections. In other words, they destroy worms. In humans, piperazine citrate serves a similar function and is used to treat pinworm and roundworm infestations in adults and children. The drug acts by paralyzing the muscles of mature worms and dislodging them from the walls of the intestines. The worms are then eliminated as part of a bowel movement.

In 1999, drug researchers in Japan found that a particular form of benzylpiperazine stimulates a brain chemical called acetylcholinePronounced uh-settle-KOH-leen; a neurotransmitter that forms from a substance called choline, which is released by the liver.. A neurotransmitterA substance that helps spread nerve impulses from one nerve cell to another., acetycholine is involved in learning and memory. This led to the discovery of donepezil (Aricept), which helps ward off memory loss in patients with Alzheimer's and other brain diseases.

As of early 2005, other chemical substances related to BZP were being investigated for possible uses in the treatment of depression, psychosis, epilepsyA disorder involving the misfiring of electrical impulses in the brain, sometimes resulting in seizures and loss of consciousness., and severe pain. In addition, phenylpiperazine derivatives (substances similar to TFMPP) were being tested for their ability to kill certain types of cancerous tumors.