Abstract
Six opiate-dependent drug users presented to the local emergency department within a 10-day period with symptoms of severe opioid withdrawal immediately following intravenous use of recently acquired street ‘heroin’. The withdrawal picture was similar to that described in patients undergoing rapid opioid detoxification, suggesting that the substance injected was contaminated with an opiate antagonist. A number of potential compounds are discussed, including naltrexone and buprenorphine, and recommendations for the medical management of severe opiate withdrawal within an emergency setting are outlined. [Lubman DI, Koutsogiannis Z, Kronborg I. Emergency management of inadvertent accelerated opiate withdrawal in dependent opiate users. Drug Alcohol Rev 2003;2:433 – 436]
Dan I. Lubman BSc (Hons), MB ChB, PhD, FAChAM, FRANZCP, Senior Lecturer, Substance Use Research and Recovery Focussed (SURRF) Program, ORYGEN Research Centre and Cognitive Neuropsychiatry Research and Academic Unit, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Zeff Koutsogiannis MB BS, FACEM, Emergency Physician, Emergency Department, Western Hospital, Victoria, Australia; Ian J. Kronborg MB BS, FRACP, FAChAM, Director, Drug and Alcohol Services, Western Hospital, Victoria, Australia.
Dan I. Lubman BSc (Hons), MB ChB, PhD, FAChAM, FRANZCP, Senior Lecturer, Substance Use Research and Recovery Focussed (SURRF) Program, ORYGEN Research Centre and Cognitive Neuropsychiatry Research and Academic Unit, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Zeff Koutsogiannis MB BS, FACEM, Emergency Physician, Emergency Department, Western Hospital, Victoria, Australia; Ian J. Kronborg MB BS, FRACP, FAChAM, Director, Drug and Alcohol Services, Western Hospital, Victoria, Australia.