Effects of Isonicotinic Acid Hydrazide in Mentally Ill Patients

¹ The Anoka State Hospital, Anoka, Minnesota.
² The School of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.

Isonicotinic acid hydrazide was administered to a group of 51 mentally ill tuberculous patients in an effort to assist in determining whether toxic effects to the liver, kidney and blood forming organs would be encountered during the course of treatment. Two patients had to be discontinued because of the lack of cooperation and one with severe pulmonary and superimposed renal tuberculosis died after a short period of treatment. All treated had known active tuberculosis at the time administration of the drug was begun. The conclusions reached as a result of this study are as follows:

1) There was no demonstrable damage to the liver, kidney or blood forming organs after 90 days of treatment and it was not thought that those patients showing damage prior to treatment had any significant increase in impairment of function which could be related directly to the action of the drug.

2) Increase in appetite and weight and reduction in sedimentation rate were in keeping with findings as reported elsewhere but did not parallel in degree those published by other investigators. This probably is related in some way to the type of patient treated in this series.

3) Study of chest x-ray films and gastric washings after 90 days of treatment showed no consistent x-ray improvement but 22.9 per cent of cases treated showed change in sputum status.

4) An improvement in the mental behavior of psychotic patients under treatment with this drug was noted in a reasonably high percentage of cases.