Abstract
Though recovery of consciousness after drug overdose may occur within a day or two, the drug itself may not finally leave the brain for another one to three weeks, and at this late time a withdrawal syndrome can occur, with insomnia, restlessness, raised paradoxical (R.E.M.) sleep, epileptic phenomena, and even delirium. It is proposed that a high degree of drug-tolerance and dependence can be rapidly acquired after overdose.
Abnormal sleep features of 10 patients resolved only slowly over a period of up to two months after overdose. The data support the view that R.E.M. sleep is concerned with processes of brain repair.
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Selected References
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