WHILE comparatively excellent drugs are available for the control or reduction of grand mal seizures, the agents which are used in the treatment of intractable petit mal attacks are often inadequate. Although bromides are now little used, heavy reliance still rests on the barbiturates, phenobarbital, and mephobarbital (mebaral®) and in recent years on the new drug trimethadione (tridione®).
Sedation, barbiturate rashes, and slowing of the mental processes are obvious disadvantages of the phenobarbital derivatives, while photophobia, drug rash, and leukopenia handicap the usefulness of trimethadione.
The compound (N-methyl-α-phenylsuccinimide1) which is discussed in this presentation has been found to equal or to surpass trimethadione in therapeutic efficacy and, in addition, is relatively nontoxic.
In laboratory and clinical tests N-methyl-α-phenylsuccinimide has been designated as PM 334 and will hereinafter be so designated for the sake of brevity.
PM 334 was selected for chemical trial from a large number of