Fifty minutes of Stuart Hagmann's original version hit the cutting room floor after re-shoots, including a scene featuring George Rose and Geraldine Fitzgerald as Jacqueline Bisset's parents. Bisset's character goes to visit them at their Connecticut home.
The original title was "Speed is of the Essence". This was also the title of the Gail Sheehy's story published in New York magazine upon which the movie was based. Gail Sheehy wrote the article about her sister's addiction.
John G. Avildsen was called in to direct the re-shoots of a few scenes at the behest of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.