Bedside urine testing for fentanyl in self-reported heroin users in a tertiary Brisbane emergency department.

Objective: To determine if patients presenting to our toxicology unit following self-reported heroin use had positive urine immunoassay testing for fentanyl or its analogues.

Methods: Urine samples from consenting patients were tested at the bedside for the presence of opiates or fentanyl and its analogues.

Results: Over a 30-month period, 58 patients were recruited.

Rivastigmine for the management of anticholinergic delirium.

Introduction: Anticholinergic agents are commonly taken in overdose, often causing delirium. The spectrum of anticholinergic delirium ranges from mild agitation to severe behavioural disturbance. Physostigmine is an effective treatment for anticholinergic delirium, but its availability is limited.

A cluster of acute thebaine poisonings from non-food grade poppy seeds in the Australian food supply.

Introduction: Poppy seed tea is used for its opioid effects and contains multiple opium alkaloids, including morphine, codeine, papaverine, and thebaine. Animal studies indicate thebaine has strychnine-like properties, but there is limited literature describing human thebaine poisoning. We describe a cluster of acute thebaine poisoning in people ingesting tea made using poppy seeds with high thebaine content that entered the Australian food supply chain.