Guidelines for the management of hospitalized narcotics addicts.

Opiate-dependent patients who are hospitalized for medical, surgical, or obstetrical reasons require proper management of their addiction to care of their presenting illness. Guidelines are offered for methadone support during hospitalization for the patient enrolled in a treatment program and for the street addict. The important clinical features of withdrawal reactions are outlined, and a method is presented for establishing an initial and supportive dose of methadone for street addicts. The use of analgesics in the addicted patient, the treatment of methadone overdose, and some problems in the management of mixed-drug abuse are discussed.