Abuse of phencyclidine (PCP) a laboratory experience

Emergency Room patients at Riverside General Hospital who are found by the attending physician to have depressed sensorium and altered personality are routinely subjected to urine tests for various drugs of abuse including phencyclidine (PCP). The findings of the laboratory analysis of these patients are presented in this paper. The toxicology laboratory of this hospital performs screening procedures for various drugs on urine specimens by thin layer chromatography. Drugs detected are confirmed by gas chromatography and a homogeneous enzyme immunoassay technique. In 1981, 1.6% of the urine specimens of patients in the above-mentioned category were found to be positive for PCP. This percentage increased sharply during 1982 (5.8%) and 1983 (5.6%). During 1984 and 1985 the percentage dropped to 4.2% and 4.6%. It is implied from data that the abuse of this drug in this area has leveled off. The data also indicated that PCP is predominantly used by young adults with ages ranging from 21 to 30 years. The abuse of this drug in people over 40 years of age is comparatively very small. Among users of this drug, 67.5% are men and 32.5% are women. Out of 68 women found to be abusing PCP, 5 delivered their babies in this hospital. PCP was detected in the urine specimens of each of these babies. Four out of the five infants showed withdrawal symptoms such as extreme irritability, jitteriness, hyperactivity with high pitched cries and a poor ability to take food.