Critical interpretation of urinary phencyclidine monitoring.

A critical appraisal of issues and problems in monitoring urinary phencyclidine (PCP) is presented. Problems may be related to impurities of ingested material and/or metabolites, and methods that are not sensitive enough to detect PCP in the nanogram/ml amounts which may be present in blood or urine. Possible false positives found with some methods are discussed.

Urinary acidifiers in phencyclidine detoxification.

Urinary acidification is widely used to increase the excretion rate of PCP in abusers. Various acidifying techniques were used and compared with regard to efficacy in lowering pH, side effects, and patient acceptability. On the basis of our findings and data from routine monitoring with test tapes, we would recommend the following acidifications procedures as efficacious and reasonably well tolerated: Ammonium chloride, 4 gm.

Urinary phencyclidine excretion in chronic abusers.

Data on usage patterns of 100 hospitalized chronic phencyclidine abusers was collected. Weekly urine samples were monitored using a new gas chromatographic nitrogen detector analysis for PCP. Abusers were found to be, on the average, young males who had used PCP for approximately 40 months (range 12 to 96 months) and approximately 3 to 4 d/week.

Chronic phencyclidine abuse and physical assault.

When the authors investigated aggressive behavior on a phencyclidine (PCP) detoxification and rehabilitation unit and compared similar types of behavior on a heroin unit, they found no differences between the two units. The urinary PCP levels of a subgroup of 75 patients admitted to the PCP unit who had PCP-positive urine were significantly higher than those of 75 patients admitted to an acute psychiatric ward because of violent behavior who also had PCP-positive urine. The authors discuss the implications of these findings and the need for more information on the relationship between PCP levels in blood and urine and behavior.