HDL Jerry Lampson 18-Mar-02
Cystamine was recently shown to treat HD in mice.(ref) Cysteamine is a closely related, off-the-shelf, chemical that has established effects against radiation sickness. The chemical was used extensively by the Soviets after radiation intensive disasters such as Chernobyl. Cysteamine is also a potent antioxidant.
Researchers at Massachussetts General Hospital in Boston are now planning a clinical study of cysteamine for Huntington's disease. Should that study show cysteamine as effective as cystamine, a readly available drug with a long safe history of treatment for humans would be instantly available to treat HD.
In the West cysteamine is used to treat Tylenol overdoses, vision problems, and a rare kidney disease called cystinosis. Children have been treated for years with no side effects.
So why not start taking cysteamine now for HD? We can not assume that cysteamine will act like cystamine in mice to treat HD in humans. However, the evidence is that much of cysteamine is converted to cystamine in the body. It is sort of like taking flax seed oil to get EPA. The conversion is well known but the amount converted is variable. The conversion may be better for cysteamine to cystamine because cysteamine oxidizes to cystamine.
Although anyone can buy cysteamin from the net it is prudent to ingest only the pharmaceutical grade of cysteamine. If you want to try cysteamine check with your doctor and get a prescription for the drug. Other names for cysteamine are MEA and 2-Aminoethanethiol. The adverse effects and contraindications are:
Produces acute and chronic duodenal ulcers in rats (cysteamine given 3 times within 8 hours produced ulcers in female SIV infected rats). Abdominal pain anorexia; diarrhea; fever; lethargy; nausea or vomiting; skin rash. [Merck Index; 1989; p 436]
Risk-benefits should be considered when the following problems exist: blood disorders hepatic function impairment; seizures. [USP DI; 1996; suppl. p 195]