chemistry

Tolvaptan

Tolvaptan is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Tolvaptan rather than just read about it. In short: Tolvaptan, sold under the brand name Samsca among others, is an aquaretic drug that functions as a selective, competitive vasopressin receptor 2 (V2) antagonist used to treat hyponatremia (low blood sodium levels) associated with congestive heart failure, cirrhosis, and the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH). Tolvaptan was approved by the U.S.

Key takeaways

Tolvaptan belongs to chemistry; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Tolvaptan to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Tolvaptan from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Tolvaptan, sold under the brand name Samsca among others, is an aquaretic drug that functions as a selective, competitive vasopressin receptor 2 (V2) antagonist used to treat hyponatremia (low blood sodium levels) associated with congestive heart failure, cirrhosis, and the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH). Tolvaptan was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on May 19, 2009, and is sold by Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. under the trade name Samsca. Tolvaptan, as Jynarque, was granted approval for medical use in the United States in April 2018. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted tolvaptan a fast track designation for clinical trials investigating its use for the treatment of polycystic kidney disease. The FDA granted Jynarque an orphan drug designation in April 2012, for the treatment of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. Tolvaptan is available as a generic medication.

Medical uses Tolvaptan (Samsca) is indicated for the treatment of clinically significant hypervolemic and euvolemic hyponatremia. Tolvaptan (Jynarque) is indicated for slow kidney-function decline in adults at risk of rapidly progressing autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). Tolvaptan phosphate is a prodrug of tolvaptan, developed for intravenous administration. Tolvaptan phosphate is converted into the active drug tolvaptan in the human body following administration.

Side effects The FDA has determined that tolvaptan should not be used for longer than 30 days and should not be used in patients with underlying liver disease because it can cause liver injury, potentially leading to liver failure. When using to treat hyponatremia, it may cause too rapid correction of hyponatremia resulting in fatal osmotic demyelination syndrome.

Pharmacology Tolvaptan is a selective vasopressin V2 receptor antagonist.

Chemistry Tolvaptan is a racemate, a 1:1 mixture of the following two enantiomers:

References

Further reading Gheorghiade M, Niazi I, Ouyang J, et al. (2003). "Vasopressin V2-receptor blockade with tolvaptan in patients with chronic heart failure: results from a double-blind, randomized trial". Circulation. 107 (21): 2690–6. doi:10.1161/01.CIR.0000070422.41439.04. PMID 12742979.

External links "Tolvaptan". Drug Information Portal. U.S. National Library of Medicine. Archived from the original on July 8, 2016.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Tolvaptan

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Tolvaptan claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Tolvaptan before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Tolvaptan ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Tolvaptan

In research: Tolvaptan appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Tolvaptan in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Tolvaptan is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2-Tolyl compounds, Benzamides, Benzanilides, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Tolvaptan outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Tolvaptan in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Tolvaptan means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Tolvaptan out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Tolvaptan in simple terms?

Why does Tolvaptan matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Tolvaptan?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Tolvaptan.