Chemicals and Drugs

Hexamethonium

A nicotinic cholinergic antagonist often referred to as the prototypical ganglionic blocker. It is poorly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and does not cross the blood-brain barrier. It has been used for a variety of therapeutic purposes including hypertension but, like the other ganglionic blockers, it has been replaced by more specific drugs for most purposes, although it is widely used a research tool.

National Library of MedicineMedical Subject Headings2026

Structured Summary

Abstract

A nicotinic cholinergic antagonist often referred to as the prototypical ganglionic blocker. It is poorly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and does not cross the blood-brain barrier. It has been used for a variety of therapeutic purposes including hypertension but, like the other ganglionic blockers, it has been replaced by more specific drugs for most purposes, although it is widely used a research tool.

Chemical Identity

Chemical Information

Molecular Formula
C12H30N2+2
Molecular Weight
202.38 g/mol
CAS Registry No.
60-26-4
IUPAC Name
trimethyl-[6-(trimethylazaniumyl)hexyl]azanium
InChIKey
VZJFGSRCJCXDSG-UHFFFAOYSA-N
SMILES
C[N+](C)(C)CCCCCC[N+](C)(C)C
MeSH Unique ID
D018738
Source
PubChem CID 3604

MeSH Record

Classification

Broader headings

Related Concepts

Knowledge Graph

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Drug Class

Pharmacological Action

MeSH Record

Synonyms

28 entry terms
  • Hexonium
  • Depressin
  • Hexamethonium Bitartrate
  • Hexamethonium Bromide
  • Hexamethonium Chloride
  • Hexamethonium Dibromide
  • Hexamethonium Dibromide Dihydrate
  • Hexamethonium Dichloride Dihydrate
  • Hexamethonium Dihydroxide
  • Hexamethonium Diiodide
  • Hexamethonium Dimethylsulfate
  • Hexamethonium Diperchlorate
  • Hexamethonium Iodide
  • Hexamethonium Monotartrate
  • Bitartrate, Hexamethonium
  • Bromide, Hexamethonium
  • Chloride, Hexamethonium
  • Dibromide Dihydrate, Hexamethonium
  • Dibromide, Hexamethonium
  • Dichloride Dihydrate, Hexamethonium
  • Dihydrate, Hexamethonium Dibromide
  • Dihydrate, Hexamethonium Dichloride
  • Dihydroxide, Hexamethonium
  • Diiodide, Hexamethonium
  • Dimethylsulfate, Hexamethonium
  • Diperchlorate, Hexamethonium
  • Iodide, Hexamethonium
  • Monotartrate, Hexamethonium

MeSH Record

Aspects Covered

24 allowable subheadings

Indexed with the subheadings administration & dosage, adverse effects, agonists, analysis, antagonists & inhibitors, blood, cerebrospinal fluid, chemical synthesis, chemistry, classification, economics, history, immunology, isolation & purification, metabolism, pharmacokinetics, pharmacology, poisoning, radiation effects, standards, supply & distribution, therapeutic use, toxicity, urine.

MeSH Record

History Note

95; was HEXAMETHONIUM (NM) 1980-94

MeSH Record

Previous Indexing

  • Hexamethonium Compounds (1980-1994)

MeSH Hierarchy

Tree Numbers

  1. D02w.092w.877.250.592.400w
  2. D02w.675w.276.558.592.500w

AMA Style

References

  1. National Library of Medicine. Hexamethonium. Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). 2026. Unique ID D018738. http://id.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/2026/D018738
  2. Hexamethonium. In: Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexamethonium
  3. Hexamethonium. In: Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q410557
  4. Hexamethonium. In: PubChem Compound. CID 3604. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/3604