Analgesic abuse and the barbiturate abstinence syndrome.

Abstinence syndromes secondary to sedative-hypnotic drugs can occur in a wide range of clinical situations. The first such cases due to a combination analgesic product containing a barbiturate are reported. Cryptic abuse of combination prescription drugs can cause difficult diagnostic problems, such as the abstinence syndromes reported here. Each prescriber should know the individual agents contained in a combination preparation and their potential side effects.