Treatment of drug addiction; preliminary report.

Abstract

1. In this preliminary report, 16 cases of drug addiction are here presented. Eight of these were treated with calcium gluconate alone. Seven were treated with a combination of calcium gluconate and barbiturates, and one with calcium gluconate and nicotinic acid—separately, but both intravenously. Calcium gluconate with the barbiturates was preferred in that it had more lasting effects. 2. All patients received relief in a few minutes from symptoms caused by withdrawal of morphine and its derivatives. The return of symptoms was treated with repeated doses, with the same results, until the symptoms completely subsided. 3. Morphine, or its derivatives, was withdrawn completely in 14 cases, and continued for a while in two, because of previous experience of the house physician. His instructions were, however, soon changed to abrupt withdrawal of the drug. 4. While no conclusion is drawn here as to exact dosages desirable, this study does show that the withdrawal symptoms of drug addicts who are willing to accept treatment in a general hospital, and who are not wanted for crimes by the police, could be treated in the general hospital effectively and well with the intravenous use of calcium gluconate and the barbiturates, combined according to individual variations.