Some cases of acute intoxications from compulsive use of isoaminile

Isoaminile (Peracon) has found in Italy a certain success as a substitute for hard narcotics. Three observations are reported in which five young adults have been intoxicated by the i.v. administration of the cough suppressant. On the basis of two opposed points of view suggeted by the Literature to explain the compulsive abuse of this drug, the A. have studied its physical dependence capacity by using an original technique. The isoaminile cyanide release does not determine a physical dependence; a slight CN- release activity occurs in vivo only with high doses.