The amphetamine-barbiturate therapy in psychiatric conditions

Actions of a Mixture of Amphetamine and a Barbiturate in Man

“…Clinical reports (Myerson, 1939 ;Davidoff & Goodstone, 1942 ;Gottlieb & Coburn, 1944;Gottlieb, 1949;Grahn, 1950;Harris, 1953) suggest that amphetamine/ barbiturate drug mixtures are probably used with three main kinds of object: {1) Where an amphetamine effect, that is, stimulation, is primarily desired, and the barbiturate drug is added to mitigate over-excitement, tachycardia or sleeplessness.…”

Amphetamine Preparations in Psychiatry

“…Gottlieb (1949), giving amphetamine 10 mg. with sodium amytal 130–190 mg. on rising, at noon and occasionally at 4 p.m., for 1 month, found that only 10 per cent of short depressive mood swings, moderate and severe depressions failed to improve. For phasic depression, for reactive depression and for psychoneurotic depression, Davidoff and Goodstone (1942) reported a 40 per cent acceleration in the speed of improvement, as compared with controls, when using dextro‐amphetamine with amylobarbitone. These writers add that earlier and milder cases, and the emotionally disturbed depressive outside mental hospitals, are most benefited.…”

“…Golla, Blackburn and Graham (1940) found, in 2 subjects, that the effect of 10 mg. of amphetamine sulphate equalled that of 5 mg. of methylamphetamine. Davidoff (1943) and Jackson (1946) reported that methylamphetamine showed a greater duration of effect than did amphetamine, and the first writer found that it produced more rapid results and gave greater motor activity in 8 normal and 8 depressed subjects. Myerson (1947) wrote that it produced a greater loquacity and Levine, Rinkel and Greenblatt (1948), investigating 75 patients, reached the conclusion that it had a greater central effect and a smaller peripheral, vascular effect than has amphetamine,…”