tephorin as a cure??

[0utrider]

hi

SWIM just read / is reading the book "Junky" by W. Burroughs. And somewhere he states, that the protagonist was in a facility for kickin' and they tried a new treatment and gave him (IV) Tephorin. It even says its an anti-histaminikum, which is true, but also says that it apparently worked (even though just for a small time)

any infos on that? SWIm is just curious about the further research and conclusions with that one and how that could be possible and what the pharmacological effects are

[RaverHippie]

wikipedia says

Phenindamine is an antihistamine closely related to cyproheptadine used to treat symptoms of the common cold and allergies, such as sneezing, itching, rashes, and hives. Its efficacy against some symptoms of opioid withdrawal was researched in the 1950s and 1960s in a number of countries; William S Burroughs' book Junky mentions this technique. It has the trade names of Nolahist and Thephorin.

EDIT: also looks like a deliriant antihistamine:Symptoms of a phenindamine overdose include extreme sleepiness, confusion, weakness, ringing in the ears, blurred vision, large pupils, dry mouth, flushing, fever, shaking, insomnia, hallucinations, and possibly seizures.

[Orchid_Suspiria]

Sounds a little bit like trying to treat withdrawal with diphenhydramine.It might help one sleep but other than that only slightly effective.

[0utrider]

exactly, thats why SWIM was quite surprised when he read that, especially since the guy in the book was not on such weak stuff that just the sleeping thing would be a problem, on the other hand its just a book of course..