chemistry

Xipamide

Xipamide 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 Xipamide rather than just read about it. In short: Xipamide ( ) is a sulfonamide diuretic drug marketed by Eli Lilly under the trade names Aquaphor (in Germany) and Aquaphoril (in Austria). It is used for the treatment of oedema and hypertension.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Xipamide ( ) is a sulfonamide diuretic drug marketed by Eli Lilly under the trade names Aquaphor (in Germany) and Aquaphoril (in Austria). It is used for the treatment of oedema and hypertension.

Mechanism of action Like the structurally related thiazide diuretics, xipamide acts on the kidneys to reduce sodium reabsorption in the distal convoluted tubule. This increases the osmolarity in the lumen, causing less water to be reabsorbed by the collecting ducts. This leads to increased urinary output. Unlike the thiazides, xipamide reaches its target from the peritubular side (blood side). Additionally, it increases the secretion of potassium in the distal tubule and collecting ducts. In high doses it also inhibits the enzyme carbonic anhydrase which leads to increased secretion of bicarbonate and alkalizes the urine. Unlike with thiazides, only terminal kidney failure renders xipamide ineffective.

Uses Xipamide is used for

cardiac oedema caused by decompensation of heart failure renal oedema, chronic renal disease (but not with anuria) hepatic oedema caused by cirrhosis ascites lymphoedema hypertension in combination with chronic renal disease

Pharmacokinetics After oral administration, 20 mg of xipamide are resorbed quickly and reach the peak plasma concentration of 3 mg/L within an hour. The diuretic effect starts about an hour after administration, reaches its peak between the third and sixth hour, and lasts for nearly 24 hours. One third of the dose is glucuronidized, the rest is excreted directly through the kidney (1/3) and the faeces (2/3). The total plasma clearance is 30-40 mL/min. Xipamide can be filtrated by haemodialysis but not by peritoneal dialysis.

Dosage Initially 40 mg, it can be reduced to 10–20 mg to prevent a relapse. The lowest effective dose is 5 mg. More than 60 mg have no additional effects.

Adverse effects more than 1/10 of all patients hypokalaemia, which can lead to nausea, muscular weakness or cramps, and ECG abnormities 1/100 to 1/10 hyponatraemia, which can lead to headache, nausea, drowsiness or confusion orthostatic hypotension initially increase of urea, uric acid and creatinine, which can lead to a gout attack in predisposed patients 1/1000 to 1/10,000 allergic reactions of the skin hyperlipidaemia less than 1/10,000 haemorrhagic pancreatitis acute interstitial nephritis thrombocytopenia, leucopenia

Contraindications anuria praecoma and coma hepaticum hypovolemia, hyponatremia, hypokalemia hypercalcemia gout sulfonamide hypersensitivity pregnancy, lactation period

Interactions

Not recommended combinations Xipamide lowers the renal clearance of lithium which can lead to lithium intoxication. (This interaction is classified as medium.)

Combinations requiring special precautions The product information requests special precautions for these combinations:

The antihypertensive effect can be increased by ACE inhibitors, barbiturates, phenothiazines, tricyclic antidepressants, alcohol, etc. (Classified as minor.) NSAIDs can reduce the antihypertensive and diuretic effects. Xipamide increases the neurotoxicity of high doses of salicylates. (Classified as minor.) Toxicity of cardiac glycosides is increased due to hypokalemia and hypomagnesemia.(Classified as minor.) Antiarrhythmic agents (classes Ia and III), phenothiazines and other antipsychotics increase the risk of torsades de pointes due to hypokalemia.

Interactions not included in the product information Xipamide can reduce the effect of antidiabetics. (Classified as minor.)

Banned use in sport On 17 July 2012, cyclist Fränk Schleck was removed from the Tour de France by his team RadioShack-Nissan after his A-sample returned traces of xipamide.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Xipamide

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Xipamide 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 Xipamide 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 Xipamide 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 Xipamide

In research: Xipamide 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 Xipamide 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: Xipamide is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, Chloroarenes, Diuretics, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Xipamide 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 Xipamide in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Xipamide 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 Xipamide out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Xipamide in simple terms?

Xipamide ( ) is a sulfonamide diuretic drug marketed by Eli Lilly under the trade names Aquaphor (in Germany) and Aquaphoril (in Austria). It is used for the treatment of oedema and hypertension.

Why does Xipamide 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 Xipamide?

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 Xipamide.