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Opiate Abuse
16. Gold, M.S., Pottash, A.L.C., Sternbach, H., Barbaban, J., and Annitto, W. Antiwithdrawal effects of alpha methyl dopa and cranial electrotherapy. Paper presented at Society for Neuroscience. 12th Annual Meeting, October, 1982.
Device not specified.
Chronic opiate user inpatients were randomized for this double-blind study and given either alpha methyl dopa (Aldomet) or placebo Aldomet 48 hours after abruptly removing methadone, or CES or placebo CES. Aldomet and CES were both effective in controlling the effects of acute withdrawal. CES was also effective in controlling the effects of protracted withdrawal. No placebo condition was effective. The authors theorized that CES was effective by stimulating -endorphin, which inhibited the noradrenaline activity at the locus ceruleus. No side effects were reported.
31. Magora, F., Beller, A., Assael, M.I., Askenazi, A. Some aspects of electrical sleep and its therapeutic value. In Wageneder, F.M. and St. Schuy (Eds). Electrotherapeutic Sleep and Electroanaesthesia. Excerpta Medica Foundation, International Congress Series No. 136. Amsterdam, Pages 129-135, 1967.
Device: 30 - 40 Hz, 2 mS, 2 mA, forehead to occipital fossa electrodes
20 hospitalized pts suffering from long-lasting insomnia with anxiety, obsessive and compulsive reactions, morphine and barbiturate addiction and involutional depression were given 2 - 4 CES treatments weekly for 2 - 3 hours a day for a total of 10 - 20 treatments. 5 of the 20 showed no improvement, 11 had sedative effects, and 4 had hypnotic effects. The 15 responders all had normal restoration of their sleep rhythm as measured by EEG. Parallel with the return to a normal sleep pattern, all the other psychiatric signs: anxiety, depression, agitation, delusions, abstinence syndrome, improved so that all these pts were able to leave the hospital. Follow-up has continued for 8 - 12 months after treatment and has revealed no relapse.
Also 9 children (aged 5 - 15 years) suffering from severe, long-lasting bronchial asthma, resistant to conventional treatment, including steroids, were given 3 - 24 (Av. 15) CES treatments once a week for 1 - 2 hours. The asthmatic attacks stopped completely in 3 children and 4 months later the children felt well without taking any drugs. 2 children showed objective improvement, no wheezes were found on examination and, the frequency and severity of wheezing spells were diminished. 1 child showed slight improvement, 2 did not respond at all. None suffered an asthmatic attack for 24 hours following CES. Placebo conditions did not cause any improvement. The authors concluded that it appears that CES may be an adjunct to the treatment of asthma in children. Because of the selection for trial of the most severe cases available to us, resistant to any other known treatment, even slight results are encouraging. It was also noted that no ill-effects were noted on prolonged and repeated observations in dogs and in humans.
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