Non-detectable street drugs?

Nurses General Nursing

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I work in the ER part of the time and we'll see patients, usually younger (20's) but sometimes older that are acting completely intoxicated, yet their triage drug screen will come back negative for everything we test for (opiates, marijuana, Tricyclics, benzos, barbituates, amphetamines, meth, PCP ....there might be a couple more)

Any ideas as to what is on the streets these days? I'm heard that dextromethorphan is something being abused. In large doses it causes paradoxical effects (hyperactivity, etc.)

What have you all seen?

Pat

Specializes in CTICU, Interventional Cardiology, CCU.

this is one I have been waiting to share..I am an RN and I work in Newark Nj and my Aunt is also an RN. She is an ER Nurse manager in the Philly area. She gave me this flyer that the local PD was posting all over ther Er about Jenkem last year, which is literally, huffing the noxious gas from human waste. It causes, all kinds of awful problems, I would think that huffing my own poop wpuld right??

But all joking aside here is the bulliten she handed me last year

http://67.19.222.106/crime/graphics/jenkem.pdf

I hope the web site works. I had just graduated nursing school when she gave me this. I was so grossed out by reading what our own feces can do to us.....

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

There is some sort of cold medicine that a druggie can take to pass urine drug screens. I've known two druggies who bought an awful lot of cold medicines and they always passed their "surprise" drug screens at work. So yes there is something, I don't know what it is. Sorry.

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Specializes in ED.
which is literally, huffing the noxious gas from human waste

That is absolutely disgusting! Eeew! :barf01:

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lol turns out he has a weird potassium disorder. If I had a dollar for everyone who thought he was some young kid that was high I'd be rich. (but I know this is a rare circumstance)

Electrolyte imbalances will make people seem crazy or drugged up. I agree that labs should be checked before it's assumed someone is on drugs.

And- Jenkem! You're hilarious Morettia! (I thought I was the only weirdo that had heard of this!)

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Specializes in Neuro ICU and Med Surg.

Hypoglycemia can also make people appear to be intoxicated as well. My mom's friend is a diabetic and was slurring her words and appeared to be drunk when infact her blood sugar was low.

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Specializes in Neuro ICU and Med Surg.
this is one I have been waiting to share..I am an RN and I work in Newark Nj and my Aunt is also an RN. She is an ER Nurse manager in the Philly area. She gave me this flyer that the local PD was posting all over ther Er about Jenkem last year, which is literally, huffing the noxious gas from human waste. It causes, all kinds of awful problems, I would think that huffing my own poop wpuld right??

But all joking aside here is the bulliten she handed me last year

http://67.19.222.106/crime/graphics/jenkem.pdf

I hope the web site works. I had just graduated nursing school when she gave me this. I was so grossed out by reading what our own feces can do to us.....

That is just disgusting. :barf02:EWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!

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Specializes in ED, ICU, PACU.

Sniffing the Ready Whip can exhalant will do it.

What a waste of such delicious stuff. Personally, I would much rather invert the can into my mouth and hear the familair Whooossshhhhh (don't know how to spell that noise) than to keep it upright for the gas (leaving all the good stuff behind).

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this is one I have been waiting to share..I am an RN and I work in Newark Nj and my Aunt is also an RN. She is an ER Nurse manager in the Philly area. She gave me this flyer that the local PD was posting all over ther Er about Jenkem last year, which is literally, huffing the noxious gas from human waste. It causes, all kinds of awful problems, I would think that huffing my own poop wpuld right??

But all joking aside here is the bulliten she handed me last year

http://67.19.222.106/crime/graphics/jenkem.pdf

I hope the web site works. I had just graduated nursing school when she gave me this. I was so grossed out by reading what our own feces can do to us.....

I remember this from an email going around a couple years ago. As far as I can find it has not been substantiated. I found this just now on Snopes.

http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/jenkem.asp

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Specializes in Psychiatrics.

I don't know about the non-detectable street drugs....but where I come from alot of our pot is laced with other stuff....like pcp and barbituates, so that if someone who has only smoked pot, their drug screen will come up positive for several things (3-5) different things. This has happened for several (a dozen or more) patients where I worked at a local acute psych unit.

:smokin::clown:

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Specializes in ER, Med/Surg.

Thanks for everyones thoughts. I've been working A LOT and hadn't had a chance to get on and check this topic.

We always check everyones labs for lytes etc.

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Because of the difficulty in manufacturing meth here in California (regulating cold meds and all) HEROIN is making a comeback.:(

steph

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