Cocaine Detoxification with Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation (CES): A Preliminary Appraisal [Abstract]
Brovar, Alan. International
Electromedicine Institute Newsletter, 1(4), July/Aug, 1984. Also in
Brain/Mind Bulletin, 9(14), August, 1984.
Twenty-five consecutive
admissions to a drug abuse treatment hospital who qualified for DSM III
diagnosis of cocaine abuse were included in the study. Patients were
alternately assigned to a control group (N = 12), and Alpha-Stim CES treatment
(N =13), of which only five accepted while eight refused.
CES was given for 20 minutes
twice a day for the five day inpatient treatment program. All five (100%) of
the CES patients completed detoxification, compared with 75% of the other 20.
All five (100%) of the CES patients completed the treatment program, compared
with 63% of the CES refusers and 67% of the other 12 controls.
A follow-up of the three
groups from six to eight months later showed that no CES patients had returned
for treatment, while 50% of the CES refusers and 39% of the controls had
recidivated. One of the latter had died of overdose.
The role of CES in the
treatment of chemical dependency is of great interest since anxiety and
insomnia are frequently present in the early stages of recovery and are a common
precursor to relapse. The authors concluded that CES facilitated patient retention in a hospital detoxification and
rehabilitation program for cocaine dependent persons. No side effects were
reported.
The graph shows the relative
performance of the CES treated group compared with the controls, in the three
areas measured: Completion of detoxification, completion of the treatment
program, and not returning for additional treatment in the six to eight months
follow-up period.
 Cocaine Detoxification with CES 247.15 Kb
|
For Practitioners 
