Assessment of abuse liability of pheniramine among opioid-dependent human subjects

An efficient method for simultaneous detection of Pheniramine, Pentazocine and cotinine in urine by Gas Chromatography in De-addiction program

Background

Nonmedical use of prescription drugs for recreational purposes is a major health problem that raises high concerns for public health. Recently, several laboratory studies have reported the misuse of pentazocine, an agonist-antagonist opioid in combination with antihistamines in opioid addicts. Illicit self-administration of prescription drugs has been increasingly reported in India. Urinalysis as an adjunct to self-report plays a key role in providing additional information in the treatment of drug users. This paper aims to discuss a simple, convenient, and rapid capillary column gas-liquid chromatography method for simultaneous detection of pentazocine, pheniramine, and cotinine in urine.

Methods

The sample was extracted with chloroform and isopropanol (3:1,v/v) and evaporated to dryness. After reconstitution with methanol, it was directly subjected to gas chromatography analysis. Method performance was evaluated and validated in terms of sensitivity, precision, the limit of detection (LOD), and the limit of quantification (LOQ).

Findings

The linearity obtained was in the range of 50-1000 ng/ml with a correlation coefficient (r) above 0.999 for each drug. Good LOQ (50ng/ml) was obtained with each drug. Also, the developed method was effective in analyzing samples from patients with suspected abuse of these drugs.

Conclusion

The technique was found to be simple, robust, sensitive, and precise in the simultaneous analysis of drugs (pentazocine, pheniramine, and cotinine). This method was proved to be useful and cost-effective in treating and monitoring patients seeking help for addiction in clinical settings.

Abuse Deterrent Formulations in Constraining the Abuse Potential of Prescription Medicines: A Myth or Truth

BACKGROUND

Diverse pain killers used for the management of varied categories of pain are being misused in order to have extreme pleasant effect by a large number of populations. To overcome the misuse of prescription drugs, regulatory bodies have given stress on development of abuse resistance.

METHODS

We studied numerous literatures: (1) Research and review papers including the guidelines for pain management, abuse, and abuse deterrence; (2) Description and categorization of pain along with the management approaches; (3) advantages and disadvantages of the abuse deterrent formulations were described.

RESULTS

Abuse deterrent formulations are the contemporary remedial treatment for pain with reduced prospects of being abused. But these comprise the huge expense in contrast to the generic drugs as well as the non-deterrent branded equivalents.

CONCLUSION

Many challenges are faced throughout the development of abuse deterrent formulations. These formulations displayed substantial drop in abuse incidences but it may lead to other modes of abuse which may prove more harmful for the users.

Pheniramine dependence in obsessive-compulsive disorder: A case report

BACKGROUND

Pheniramine abuse is reported not only in patients with psychiatric disorders but also in the general population.

CASE REPORT

We report a case of pheniramine dependence in a patient with obsessive-compulsive disorder. The patient took about 250 mg orally daily and injected about 90 mg every week from the last six months. It reduced his anxiety, was cheaper than his other psychiatric medications, and free of stigma. He had lethargy, headache, uneasiness, anxiety, and poor sleep as withdrawal symptoms.

RESULTS

This case highlights the vulnerability of those with psychiatric disorders towards pheniramine abuse. Hence, this report advocates the strict evaluation of over-the-counter drugs for patients with pre-existing psychiatric disorders.