ADDICTION TO BARBITURATES AND THE BAR- BITURATE ABSTINENCE SYNDROME *

THE purpose of this paper is to point out that chronic intoxication with barbiturates represents a true addiction—no matter how addiction is defined —and to describe the manifestations of maintained intoxication with barbi-turates as well as the signs and symptoms which occur following withdrawal of these drugs from chronically intoxicated individuals. The increasing incidence of acute intoxication with barbiturates is un-questioned. Production of the barbiturates in the United States has in-creased 400 per cent since 1933. In 1948, over 300 tons of these drugs were manufactured.1 Acute intoxication with barbiturates accounts for about 25 per cent of all cases of acute poisoning admitted to general hos-pitals 2 and more deaths are caused by barbiturates, either accidentally in-gested or taken with suicidal intent, than by any other poison.3'4'5'6 The number of deaths due to barbiturate poisoning has increased 300 per cent since 1940. The large number of papers which have appeared in the medi-cal literature on barbiturate poisoning and its treatment reflect the risin