Abnormal adrenal gland metabolism in opioid addicts: implications for clinical treatment.

Adrenal gland metabolism is markedly altered in heroin addicts. During daytime hours, the addict may suffer corticoid deficiency of the addisonian type, and in the evening, an excess of the cushingoid type. The high plasma levels of cortisol that are found in the evening in addicts antagonize endogenous opioids in a manner similar to naloxone.

Chronic opioid treatment of intractable, non-malignant pain.

There is a sub-group of patients with non-malignant medical conditions who have severe, intractable pain and who require chronic opioid administration for adequate pain control. Reported here is a systematic clinical evaluation of 52 such patients who were referred after they had failed numerous, non-opioid pain treatments. Major causes of pain were irreversible degenerative and/or traumatic injuries to the musculoskeletal system.

Double-blind comparison of amantadine and bromocriptine for ambulatory withdrawal from cocaine dependence.

Amantadine hydrochloride and bromocriptine mesylate were compared on a double-blind basis for withdrawal from cocaine dependence. Both amantadine and bromocriptine appear effective in alleviating the symptoms of cocaine withdrawal. In doses higher than previously reported, however, bromocriptine caused enough side effects to produce treatment dropouts; neither drug produced euphoria.