Paraldehyde 100% solution for injection 5ml ampoules
Paraldehyde was initially introduced into medical practice in the United Kingdom in 1882 by the Italian physician Vincenzo Cervello.
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Safety monitoring data
Yellow Card reports
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Suspected adverse reactions reported for Paraldehyde
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Data from the MHRA Yellow Card scheme. A reported reaction does not necessarily mean the medicine caused it. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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2 branded products available
WHO defined daily dose (DDD)
5 gram
Not a recommended dose. The DDD is the assumed average maintenance dose per day for a drug used for its main indication in adults. It is a statistical measure used for research and comparison purposes only.
Source: WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology, distributed via NHS dm+d BNF mapping files. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Therapeutically similar medicines
Similarity based on WHO Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification and NHS BNF section grouping. Source data: NHS dm+d via TRUD (OGL v3.0), WHO ATC/DDD Index.
NHS prescribing volume and spending trends
Clinical guidelines and formulary information
British National Formulary
Paraldehyde
Source: British National Formulary, NICE. Joint Formulary Committee. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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Supply & product information
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Codes for healthcare professionals and prescribing systems
These codes are used by healthcare IT systems and prescribers to identify this medicine.
NHS UK identifiers
Browse tools
SNOMED CT and dm+d codes from NHS TRUD (Technology Reference data Update Distribution), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. BNF codes from NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA). ATC codes from the WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology (whocc.no).
Active and completed clinical studies from ClinicalTrials.gov
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health (NIH). Data accessed via ClinicalTrials.gov API v2. Trial information is provided for research purposes and does not constitute medical advice.
Pharmacology and chemical data from DrugBank
Key facts
Drug status
Approved
Major interactions
1 found
Half-life
7.5 hours
Mechanism
Paraldehyde is believed to reduce the release of acetylcholine in response to neuronal depolarization [A19737].
Food interactions
None known
Human targets
None mapped
Data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
Pharmacokinetics at a glance
Absorption
93%
Half-life
7.5 hours
[A19738]
Metabolism
[A19738]…
Elimination
70-80%
[A19738]…
Pharmacokinetic data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
[A19735]
It has been used in the treatment of seizures as an anticonvulsant .
[A19736]
Known interactions with other medications. Always consult a healthcare professional.
Showing 50 of 812 interactions
[A19738]
Inhalation of paraldehyde can produce sore throat, headache, dizziness, nausea, drowsiness and unconsciousness but exposure via this route is rare. Chronic use is dependence forming and withdrawal proceeds similarly to ethanol withdrawal producing hallucinations and convulsions. Toxic hepatitis and nephritis have been observed during chronic use.
The acute LD50 values determined for various species are as follows [A19738]:
Rabbit - 3.3-5 g/kg (oral)
Rat - 1.5-1.65 g/kg (oral), 1.3-1.45 g/kg (i.p.)
Dog - 3-4 g/kg (oral)
Mouse - 2.75 (oral)
Cat - 3.3 (oral)
How the body processes this drug — absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination
[A19738]
[A19738]
It is thought to ultimately be metabolized to carbon dioxide and water.
[A19738]
11-28% is exhaled as the parent compound. 0.1-2.5% is excreted in the urine as the parent compound.
Enzymes involved in drug metabolism — important for understanding drug interactions
ATC N05CC05
Chemical identifiers
CAS, UNII, InChI Key and database cross-references
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Chemical identifiers
CAS, UNII, InChI Key and database cross-references
Linked compound data from DrugBank Open Data (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Paraldehyde
Additional database identifiers
Drugs Product Database (DPD)
5663
ChemSpider
21106173
ZINC
ZINC000000001886
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:404
GenAtlas
ALDH2
GeneCards
ALDH2
GenBank Gene Database
X05409
GenBank Protein Database
28606
Guide to Pharmacology
2595
UniProt Accession
ALDH2_HUMAN
DrugBank citations
If you use DrugBank data in your research, please cite the following publications: