Ephedrine in the Treatment of Narcolepsy
Authors: Harry A. Collins
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1932)

Article1 April 1932Ephedrine in the Treatment of NarcolepsyHARRY A. COLLINS, M.D., F.A.C.P.HARRY A. COLLINS, M.D., F.A.C.P.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-5-10-1289 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptCases of narcolepsy of various types have been described in the literature but no successful form of treatment had been recorded until Doyle's12 recent report. In five cases of this disease the somnolent and cataleptic seizures were abolished within twenty-four hours by the use of ephedrine. In this paper I wish to present two other cases in which I have used this drug with the same success.The first physician to write upon the subject of narcolepsy was Aretaeus who, in the first century, wrote two books upon "The Lethargics", Galen also referred to abnormal somnolence and lethargy in his...References1 DANA CL: On morbid drowsiness and somnolence, Jr. Nerv. and Ment. Dis., 1884, ii, 153-176. CrossrefGoogle Scholar2 WESTPHAL E: Berliner Medicinische Psychologische Gesellschaft, Arch. f. Psychiat, 1876, vii, 636-656. Google Scholar3 GÉLINEAU : De la narcolepsie, Lanc. Franç. Gaz. des hôp., 1880, liii, 626-628, 635-637. Google Scholar4 CAFFÉ : Journal des connaissances medical pratique, Aug. 20, 1862. (See reference 3). Google Scholar5 FISCHER F: Epileptoide Schlafzustände, Arch. f. Psychiat., 1877, viii, 200-203. Google Scholar6 LÖWENFELD L: Über hysterische Schlafzustände, deren Beziehungen zur Hypnose und zur grande Hysterie, Arch. f. Psychiat., 1891, xxii, 715-738, 1892, 40-69. CrossrefGoogle Scholar7 CAMP CD: Morbid sleepiness, Jr. Abnorm. Psychol., 1907-1908, xi, 9-21. CrossrefGoogle Scholar8 ADIE WJ: Idiopathic narcolepsy; a disease sui generis; with remarks on the mechanism of sleep, Brain, 1926, xlix, 257-306. CrossrefGoogle Scholar9 WILSON K: Discussion on narcolepsy, Proc. Roy. Soc. Med., (Sect. Neur.), 1928, xxi, 37-46. Google Scholar10 CAVE HA: Narcolepsy, Proc. Staff Meet. Mayo Clin., 1929, iv, 281-284. Google Scholar11 DANIELS LE: A symptomatic treatment for narcolepsy, Proc. Staff Meet. Mayo Clin., 1930, v, 299-300. Google Scholar12 DOYLE JB: Discussion. A symptomatic treatment for narcolepsy, Proc. Staff Meet. Mayo Clin., 1930, v, 299-300. Google Scholar13 FULTONBAILEY JFP: Tumors in the region of the third ventricle; their diagnosis and relation to pathological sleep, Jr. Nerv. and Ment. Dis., 1929, lxix, 261. CrossrefGoogle Scholar14 PURVES-STEWART : The diagnosis of nervous diseases, 1924, Ed. Arnold and Co., London. Google Scholar15 CHURCHPETERSON AF: Nervous and mental diseases, 1923, W. B. Saunders and Co., Philadelphia. Google Scholar16 BROCK S: Idiopathic narcolepsy, cataplexia and catalepsy associated with an unusual hallucination; case report., Jr. Nerv. and Ment. Dis., 1928, lxviii, 583-590. CrossrefGoogle Scholar17 PEARCE MG: Narcolepsy, Texas State Jr. Med., 1928, xxiv, 371-373. Google Scholar18 COMMON GR: Narcolepsy following epidemic encephalitis, Jr. Am. Med. Assoc., 1929, xciii, 29-30. Google Scholar19 LEVIN M: Narcolepsy, Gélineau's syndrome and other varieties of morbid somnolence, Arch. Neur. and Psychiat., 1929, xxii, 1172-1200. CrossrefGoogle Scholar20 DENYER SE: A case of narcolepsy, Brit. Med. Jr., 1930, i, 1172-1173. CrossrefGoogle Scholar21 ZIEGLER LH: Narcolepsy after severe pneumonia, Med. Clin. North Am., Mayo Clin. Vol., 1930, xiii, 1373-1374. Google Scholar22 CHENSCHMIDT KKCF: The action and clinical use of ephedrine, alkaloid isolated from Chinese drug, ma huang, Jr. Am. Med. Assoc., 1926, lxxxvii, 836-841. CrossrefGoogle Scholar23 JOHNSTON JI: The action and clinical use of ephedrine. Discussion. Jr. Am. Med. Assoc., 1926, lxxxvii, 842. Google Scholar24 ADIE WJ: The clinical features of idiopathic narcolepsy, Practitioner, 1930, cxxv, 288-295. Google Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Des Moines, Ia.*Received for publication, August 2, 1931. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byZur Klinik der kataplektischen Anfälle 1 April 1932Volume 5, Issue 10Page: 1289-1295KeywordsDrugsEpileptic seizuresNarcolepsy ePublished: 1 December 2008 Issue Published: 1 April 1932 PDF downloadLoading ...