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Forest S. Tennant, Jr, MD, DrPH

Arch Intern Med. 1979;139(2):154-156.

Abstract
Forty-six consecutive patients who voluntarily sought outpatient treatment for abuse of one or more prescription drugs were studied. Barbiturates, amphetamines, and diazepam were the most common drugs abused. Desired treatments by patients included counseling, medical withdrawal, or medical maintenance with the drug of abuse or a chemically related drug. Twenty-two (47.8%) patients left treatment and relapsed within one month; another eight (17.4%) patients relapsed between one and three months after entering treatment. Only 13 (28.3%) reported abstinence 90 days after entering treatment. This experience suggests that a wide range of medical, social, and psychologic resources are required to treat prescription drug abuse, and that long-term drug abstinence is difficult to achieve with all patients.

(Arch Intern Med 139:154-156, 1979)

Author Affiliations
From the Division of Epidemiology, UCLA School of Public Health, UCLA Center for Health Services, Los Angeles.

Footnotes
Accepted for publication Oct 11, 1978.

Reprint requests to Community Health Projects, Inc, 336 1/2 S Glendora Ave, West Covina, CA 91790 (Dr Tennant).

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