But why in God's holy name she brought along enough longevity serum for four initial dosages, I cannot imagine?"

(Soldiers in the Gulf for Desert Storm received the initial dosage only.)

About half the initial dosage is excreted after 6 hours, but some studies suggest that it is not metabolized at all before excretion.

These may subside if and when the large initial dosage is reduced, but long-term use of even low doses can cause elevated blood pressure and cataracts.

Of course, given this new stuff's greater purity, initial dosage levels may be lower, but I expect the Medusans simply maintain their normal levels and enjoy a stronger high."

To the Editor: In "Depression Worsened" (letter, Feb. 11), John Burwell describes taking Halcion (triazolam) at an initial dosage of .5 mg, twice the manufacturer's recommendation.

She regretted now having increased the initial dosage beyond that recommended on the typed label of the tablet phial but she had needed that extra lift to be able to carry out the first executions.

While medical literature recommends an initial dosage of one-half milligram to two milligrams two to three times daily in adults, the attending physician eventually wrote an "as-needed" prescription allowing nurses to administer up to 17 milligrams a day, the suit says.

Wrestling with evident depression (which after his death would be assessed as clinical depression), Foster was prescribed the anti-depressant medication Trazodone over the phone by his Arkansas doctor, though he was given an insufficient initial dosage to have much effect.