Fixed Dosing Schedule Research Articles

Detoxification from Heroin Using Self vs Physician Regulation of Methadone Dose

Self-regulation of methadone dose during detoxification was compared to a fixed dose schedule. Self-regulators tended to maintain themselves on a stable methadone dose until forced to detoxify, but used less heroin and remained in treatment longer than the control group. The results suggest that a longer initial period of methadone stabilization may be useful in enabling addicts to detoxify successfully.

Vaginally administered 16,16-dimethyl-PGE 2 for the induction of midtrimester abortion

Thirty patients in the 13th–20th week of gestation underwent therapeutic abortion utilizing vaginally administered 16,16-dimethyl-PGE 2 (free acid) suppositories. The first 15 patients obtained individual doses in the range of 400–1200 μg given every three hours (mean total dose 4.2 mg). In the following 15 patients a fixed dose schedule was used (800 μg followed by 1000 μg every three hours; mean total dose 5.3 mg). All but one of the 30 patients aborted. The mean induction-abortion interval for all patients was 16.8±6.9 hours (mean ± S.D.) With the fixed dose regime the success rate was 100% and the induction-abortion interval 16.0±5.9 hours. Because gastro-intestinal side effects were minimal, neither anti-emetic nor anti-diarrheic medication was required. A slight elevation of temperature was noted in five patients. The uterine response to the vaginal administration of this compound was characterized by a gradual increase in uterine tonus followed by sustained stimulation. The results are interpreted to suggest that the vaginal administration of 16,16-dimethyl-PGE 2 is a useful alternate method for the induction of second trimester abortion. Moreover, this compound seems to cause fewer gastro-intestinal side effects than other prostaglandins administered by the vaginal route at our department.

Further studies on the mechanism of antipsychotic action: potentiation by alpha-methyltyrosine of thioridazine effects in chronic schizophrenics.

Six chronic schizophrenics with stationary symptomatology and treated since more than one year with thioridazine in a fixed dose schedule were examined by means of two different rating scales. The thioridazine dosage was then considerably reduced, leading to reappearance of schizophrenic symptoms. The tyrosine hydroxylase inhibitor, α-methyltyrosine (2 g daily) was then given as additional treatment, and the thioridazine dosage necessary to reattain the pre-trial level of symptomatology was titrated. This dosage, as well as the simultaneous thioridazine plasma levels, were found to be considerably reduced by α-methyltyrosine. The efficacy of this agent as an inhibitor of tyrosine hydroxylase was ascertained by demonstrating a marked reduction in cerebrospinal fluid homovanillic acid. The observations confirm our earlier data and lend additional support for the hypothesis that central catecholamine neurotransmission is involved in the antipsychotic action of neuroleptic agents.

Comparative efficacy of Pitocin ® and prostaglandin F 2α in the induction of labor near term in the multipara

A double blind clinical trial was carried out in 2 well-matched groups of 20 normal pregnancies ( ≤ 36 weeks) with Pitocin ® and prostaglandin F 2α, administered intravenously in a fixed dose schedule, in order to induce parturition. Uterine contractions and fetal heart rate were recorded. Under the conditions of the set-up no differences in efficacy and the frequency of unwanted side-effects were observed. Prostaglandin F 2α given in this dose schedule was more frequently followed by hypertonia than Pitocin ®.