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Due to its specificity, phosphatidylethanol (PEth) 16:0/18:1 has gained increased popularity as a marker for high alcohol consumption in recent years. As conflicting results regarding the stability of PEth 16:0/18:1 in whole blood have been published, there are still uncertainties related to optimum handling, transport and storage of blood samples for the analysis of PEth 16:0/18:1. A stability study where whole blood samples were drawn from healthy volunteers, who had ingested alcohol, is presented. The samples were collected in tubes with ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) and heparin as additives and stored under standardized conditions within 1 h of blood sampling. Storage times were 28 days in ambient temperature and at 4–8°C, and 90 days at −20°C and −80°C. All samples were analyzed regularly during the storage periods. PEth 16:0/18:1 concentrations were stable (defined as < 15% decrease compared with baseline values) at all temperatures up to 28 days, independent of additive. After 90 days of storage at −20°C, the mean concentrations had decreased by 18.8% in EDTA tubes and by 13.8% in heparin tubes. At −80°C, the concentrations were stable throughout the 90-day period. The present study shows that in samples containing PEth formed in vivo , PEth 16:0/18:1 is stable for 28 days irrespective of storage temperature. During long-term storage, samples should be stored at −80°C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The knowledge base on new psychoactive substances (NPS) is generally limited. This introduces new challenges and increased unpredictability in substance abuse treatment., Case Presentation: A man in his thirties was submitted to detoxification after reportedly using flubromazolam, a high potency designer benzodiazepine, which he had purchased on the dark web. Extensive drug testing of serum, urine and hair, and the remains in a dropper bottle delivered by the patient, did not reveal flubromazolam or possible metabolites, but did reveal several common drugs of abuse, and 8-aminoclonazolam, a metabolite of clonazolam, another designer benzodiazepine sold on the dark web. The detoxification was uncomplicated. An excessive treatment protocol based on the patient's information, involving high preparedness and increased resources, both clinically and analytically, turned out to be unnecessary., Interpretation: The drug use and clinical course in this case proved to be more common than the unit prepared for. The case history illustrates both the challenges with users of NPS and the general unpredictability in substance abuse treatment.

Background: Following a surgical procedure, a female patient in her forties was prescribed opioids (oxycodone). The prescription escalated into doses that were extremely high, and at a level beyond any experienced previously, either at the various hospital units that were involved in the treatment or in the medical literature., Case Presentation: The patient had no known history of substance abuse. After the surgical procedure, her general practitioner continued to prescribe the drug. The prescriptions escalated over the course of a couple of years, and at the time of our first contact with her, the doses had reached 11 000 mg oxycodone per day., Interpretation: The high doses were tapered down over the course of around nine months. The spiralling prescriptions had several causes: the oxycodone treatment was initiated without a set plan for withdrawal; the patient had a change of general practitioner during the early stage; and she was a patient without any history of substance abuse. The costs escalated to the extent that the Norwegian Health Economics Administration eventually refused further payments. In such cases there is a need for close cooperation between the inpatient drug rehabilitation care unit and medical and pharmacological units.

Background: High frequency of co-occurring substance use disorders and psychiatric disorders is reported in several studies. An important issue is whether we can rely on patient reports only. The purpose of this investigation was to find the prevalence of substance use among younger psychotic inpatients in Norway and to compare patients' self reports with the results of screening for drugs., Material and Methods: 65 patients aged 17 to 40, consecutively admitted to Blakstad Psychiatric Hospital in 2001 with psychosis were interviewed with regard to substance use 30 days prior to admittance. The Addiction Severity Index (EuropASI) was used for interviews. Blood and urine samples for drug analysis were taken at admittance., Results: 54% of the patients reported having used one or more substances for intoxication during the month prior to admittance. 40% of the included patients had used illegal drugs. Laboratory analyses revealed use of illegal drugs, mostly cannabis and amphetamine, in 34% of the patients. Only one patient tested positively for a drug not reported in the interview., Interpretation: The investigation shows that 54% of the younger psychotic inpatients intoxicate themselves with legal or illegal substances. This fact is important for the total medical management of these patients in psychiatric hospitals. We also found that this group of patients were reliable in reporting their substance use when a standardised interview was used.