BIOCHEMICAL AND CLINICAL-ASSESSMENT OF HISTAMINE BLOCKADE

The effects of antihistamines on biochemical stress indicators and on psychomotor and physiological functions were studied in 60 healthy pat ients receiving in a randomized, double-blind study either 25 mg prome thazine, 150 mg ranitidine, both drugs or placebo (n = 15 in each grou p), Different aspects of the premedications were evaluated by determin ing various hormone, neurotransmitter and neurotransmitter metabolite levels in blood and cerebrospinal fluid, and subjectively using questi onnaires concerning the quality of the preoperative night's sleep and visual analogue scales, and objectively by measuring changes in blood pressure and heart rate, impairment of vigilance with the Maddox wing apparatus and the critical flicker fusion threshold test. The relation ships between the subjective assessments and the biochemical stress in dicators were also investigated. There were no differences between the study groups in the quality of the preoperative night's sleep, estima ted fear, apprehension or dizziness, or in the various physiological s tress indicators. Only few statistically significant correlations were found between the subjective and biochemical assessments, It is concl uded that histamine receptor antagonists used in clinical doses do not interfere with the biochemical, clinical preoperative, and physiologi cal responses.