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Routes of administration | By mouth, insufflation, inhalation, sublingual, rectal, intramuscular, intravenous |
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Pharmacokinetic data | |
Bioavailability | Variable |
Protein binding | Unknown |
Metabolism | Hepatic transesterification of prodrugs methylphenidate and ethanol |
Excretion | Urine, sweat |
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Chemical and physical data | |
Formula | C15H21NO2 |
Molar mass | 247.338 g·mol−1 |
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(what is this?) (verify) |
Ethylphenidate (EPH) is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant and a close analog of methylphenidate.
Ethylphenidate acts as a norepinephrine–dopamine reuptake inhibitor, meaning it effectively boosts the levels of the norepinephrine and dopamine neurotransmitters in the brain, by binding to, and partially blocking the transporter proteins that normally remove those monoamines from the synaptic cleft.
Ethylphenidate, being almost identical to methylphenidate in both structure and pharmacodynamics, likely also doesn't solely act as a "classical" reuptake inhibitor but primarily as an inverse agonist at the dopamine transporter (DAT), inducing dopamine transporter reversal and subsequent dopamine release from the axon terminal into the synaptic cleft in a manner similar to but distinct from amphetamines.[3]