Effects of diazepam and chlormethiazole on ventilatory control in normal subjects

Gamma-hydroxybutyric acid versus clomethiazole for the treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome in a medical intensive care unit: an open, single-center randomized study

BACKGROUND

Clomethiazole (CLO) has been shown to be effective in treating alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS). Gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) has also been introduced in the treatment of alcoholic patients and is effective in surgical intensive care unit (ICU) patients in preventing and treating AWS. There are no comparative studies between CLO and GHB in a medical ICU setting.

METHODS

Twenty-six alcoholic patients with severe AWS and concomitant medical diseases were randomally enrolled in the study. CLO was given orally to 12 patients in a dosage of 250 mg every 4 hours as a liquid; GHB (initially 30 mg/kg body weight (BW) followed by 15 mg/kg BW) was administered intravenously to 14 patients. Four major AWS symptoms (tremor, sweating, nausea, restlessness) were scored, and the administration of additional medication was registered.

RESULTS

GHB was more effective in treating AWS symptoms. In the GHB group, AWS score dropped from 6.6 +/- 2.6 to 1.8 +/- 2.1 (p <.01), while in the CLO group, the score dropped from 6 +/- 2.5 to 4.1 +/- 2.4 (n. s.). Differences between groups were significant (p =.021, two-way ANOVA). The treatment did not alter outcome or the duration of ICU stay. No serious side effects were detected.

CONCLUSION

GHB effectively controls AWS symptoms in medical ICU patients. The rapid initial treatment response of GHB in contrast to CLO has no influence on duration of patient withdrawal.

Protracted withdrawal syndromes from benzodiazepines

The benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome is a complex phenomenon which presents serious difficulties in definition and measurement. It is particularly difficult to set out precise limits on its duration. Many withdrawal symptoms are a result of pharmacodynamic tolerance to benzodiazepines, some mechanisms for which are discussed. Such tolerance develops unevenly in different brain systems and may be slow to reverse. Withdrawal symptoms occurring in the first week after cessation of drug use tend to merge with more persistent symptoms that may last for many months. These prolonged symptoms do not necessarily constitute "true" pharmacological withdrawal symptoms, but are nevertheless related to long-term benzodiazepine use. Such symptoms can include anxiety, which may partly result from a learning deficit imposed by the drugs, and a variety of sensory and motor neurological symptoms. The protracted nature of some of these symptoms raises the possibility that benzodiazepines can give rise not only to slowly reversible functional changes in the central nervous system, but may also occasionally cause structural neuronal damage.