pyridostigmine bromide

[pir-i-doh-stig-meen]

noun

Pharmacology.

1. a cholinesterase inhibitor, C 9 H 1 3 BrN 2 O 2 , used in its bromide form in the treatment of myasthenia gravis.

Word History and Origins

Origin of pyridostigmine bromide¹

First recorded in 1960–65; pyrid(ine) + -o- + (physo)stigmine

Example Sentences

"We found veterans who recalled being exposed to pesticides and pyridostigmine bromide, a drug used during the Gulf War as a pretreatment to protect troops from the harmful effects of nerve agents, were more likely to get GWI after deployment," Meyer said.

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Suggested causes include exposure to low levels of sarin gas when chemical munitions were destroyed, and a drug called pyridostigmine bromide, which soldiers were given to protect them from sarin.

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On the complicated web of factors and likely causes: The panel determined that two chemicals are probably responsible for GWI, both of which were administered by the U.S. military to its own soldiers: the drug pyridostigmine bromide, given to troops to protect against nerve gas, and pesticides sprayed around barracks, dining halls and uniforms to protect against insects.

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