ABSTINENCE SYNDROME IN DOGS AFTER CHRONIC BARBITURATE MEDICATION

¹ National Institute of Mental Health, Addiction Research Center, Public Health Service Hospital, Lexington, Ky

Twenty-one dogs were intoxicated chronically with secobarbital or amobarbital for 180 to 195 days. When these barbiturates were withdrawn, the dogs showed mild, or else inconsistent, signs of abstinence.

Ten dogs were intoxicated chronically with sodium pentobarbital for 180 to 195 days. On withdrawal, all showed loss of weight, and all except two dogs had tremor. In addition, one dog had two grand mal convulsions, a canine type of delirium and a terminal hyperthermia.

Fifteen dogs were intoxicated chronically with sodium barbital for 216 to 339 days. After withdrawal of sodium barbital, a definite abstinence syndrome developed which was characterized by the disappearance of signs of intoxication and the appearance of weakness, tremor, anxiety, rapid loss of weight, convulsions, and a canine type of delirium. It was similar to the barbiturate abstinence syndrome seen in man. The thirteen dogs that survived this experiment were reconditioned and then reintoxicated with sodium barbital for 124 to 225 days, and again a characteristic abstinence syndrome was precipitated when sodium barbital was withdrawn.