Bismuth subsalicylate
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Bismuth subsalicylate
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| Systematic (IUPAC) name | |
| 2-hydroxy-2H,4H-benzo[d]1,3-dioxa-2-bismacyclohexan-4-one | |
| Identifiers | |
| CAS number | |
| ATC code | none |
| PubChem | |
| Chemical data | |
| Formula | C7H5BiO4 |
| Mol. mass | 362.093 g/mol |
| SMILES | & |
| Pharmacokinetic data | |
| Bioavailability | ? |
| Metabolism | ? |
| Half life | ? |
| Excretion | ? |
| Therapeutic considerations | |
| Pregnancy cat. |
? |
| Legal status | |
| Routes | Oral |
Bismuth subsalicylate, with a chemical formula C7H5BiO4,[1] is a drug used to treat nausea, heartburn, indigestion, diarrhea, and other temporary discomforts of the stomach and gastrointestinal tract. Commonly known as pink bismuth, it is the active ingredient in popular medications such as Pepto-Bismol and (modern, since 2003) Kaopectate.
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[edit] Pharmacology
As a derivative of salicylic acid, bismuth salicylate displays anti-inflammatory action and also acts as an antacid.
[edit] Adverse effects and contraindications
There are some adverse effects. It can also cause a black tongue and black stools in some users of the drug, when it combines with trace amounts of sulfur in their saliva and gastrointestinal tract.[2] This discoloration is temporary and harmless.
Some of the risks of salicylism can apply to the use of bismuth subsalicylate.[3][4]
Children should not take medication with bismuth subsalicylate while recovering from influenza or chicken pox, as epidemiologic evidence points to an association between the use of salicylate-containing medications during certain viral infections and the onset of Reye's syndrome.[5] For the same reason, it is typically recommended that nursing mothers not use medication containing bismuth subsalicylate (such as Pepto-Bismol) because small amounts of the medication are excreted in breast milk and pose a theoretical risk of Reye's syndrome to nursing children.[6]
[edit] Radioactivity
While bismuth is technically radioactive, its half life is so long, on the order of hundreds of billions of years,[7] that its radioactivity presents absolutely no threat under all medical and other ordinary purposes.
[edit] Decomposition
Bismuth subsalicyclate is the only active ingredient in an over the counter medication that will actually leave a shiny metal slag behind after being completely burnt with a blow torch.[citation needed]
[edit] References
- ^ Merck Index, 11th Edition, 1299.
- ^ Drug information page at the National Institutes of Health
- ^ Sainsbury SJ (December 1991). "Fatal salicylate toxicity from bismuth subsalicylate". The Western journal of medicine 155 (6): 637–9. PMID 1812638.
- ^ Vernace MA, Bellucci AG, Wilkes BM (September 1994). "Chronic salicylate toxicity due to consumption of over-the-counter bismuth subsalicylate". The American journal of medicine 97 (3): 308–9. doi:. PMID 8092182. http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/0002-9343(94)90017-5.
- ^ Aspirin or Salicylate-Containing Medications, reyessyndrome.org
- ^ CDC warning about breastfeeding while taking medications
- ^ Marcillac, Pierre de; Noël Coron, Gérard Dambier, Jacques Leblanc, and Jean-Pierre Moalic (April 2003). "Experimental detection of α-particles from the radioactive decay of natural bismuth". Nature 422: 876–878. doi:.
