CorrespondenceArchive
Addiction Rare in Patients Treated with Narcotics
To the Editor
Recently, we examined our current files to determine the incidence of narcotic addiction in 39,946 hospitalized medical patients1 who were monitored consecutively. Although there were 11,882 patients who received at least one narcotic preparation, there were only four cases of reasonably well documented addiction in patients who had no history of addiction. The addiction was considered major in only one instance. The drugs implicated were meperidine in two patients,2 Percodan in one, and hydromorphone in one. We conclude that despite widespread use of narcotic drugs in hospitals, the development of addiction is rare in medical patients with no history of addiction.
Jane Porter
Hershel Jick, M.D.
Boston Collaborative Drug Surveillance Program Boston University Medical Center, Waltham, MA 02154
1. Jick H, Miettinen OS, Shapiro S, Lewis GP, Siskind Y, Slone D. . Comprehensive drug surveillance . JAMA . 1970; 213:1455–60.
2. Miller RR, Jick H. . Clinical effects of meperidine in hospitalized medical patients . J Clin Pharmacol . 1978; 18:180–8.
