SAFETY AND TOLERANCE OF ORAL DEXTROMETHORPHAN IN PATIENTS AT RISK FOR BRAIN ISCHEMIA

Experimental ischemia models have shown the antitussive dextromethorphan to be an N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist with neuroprotective properties. We treated 10 patients with a history of recent stroke or transient ischemic attack with oral dextromethorphan (60 mg q.i.d.) for 3 weeks in a placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover tolerance study. We documented no clinical evidence of toxicity attributable to dextromethorphan in this preliminary study.