Lead Contamination of Opium, Opium Tincture, and Methadone Oral Solution, in Iran

Notes from the Field: Lead Contamination of Opium — Iran, 2016

On February 14, 2016, a patient with known addiction to oral opium and no occupational or other lead exposure was admitted to Loghman-Hakim Hospital and Poison Center (LHHPC) in Tehran, Iran, with abdominal pain, anemia, constipation, and a blood lead level (BLL) of 137 μg/dL (normal = <10 μg/dL). Over the next 8 months, approximately 3,000 oral opium users were evaluated at LHHPC, and found to...

Presence of lead in opium.

Opium addiction is a common form of addiction in Middle East countries such as Iran. Recently several reports suggested some kinds of pathologic findings such as abdominal pain, nephropathy, and anemia in opium addict patients. Such pathologic findings suggest lead poisoning in the patients. In this study, the concentration of lead in 10 opium samples was evaluated. The mean concentration of le...

Comparing the Effects of Methadone, Buprenorphine, and Opium Tincture Maintenance Therapy on Sexual Function

Background: Opioid use disorder is a major concern to public health, and opioid maintenance treatment onmethadone or buprenorphine is a widely used approach. On the other hand, in recent years, there has beenmore regards for the use of opium tincture for detoxification and maintenance treatment of opioiddependence in certain parts...

Oral opium: an unusual cause of lead poisoning.

INTRODUCTION The number of cases of lead poisoning (LP), a widely known disease with various aetiologies, being reported globally has decreased over the years due to both limited domestic applications of lead and enforcement of stringent safety measures. However, a new presentation of lead poisoning, lead-contaminated opium (LCO), is gradually emerging in our region. This study aimed to determi...

Blood lead level in opium abuse. Which is more dangerous? Opium smoking or opium ingestion?

Do Opium Abusers Develop Lead Toxicity? A Study on Opium Abusers in Hamadan, Iran

Background:Raw opium is a kind of drug, abused a lot in Iran. In a vast majority of cases, various impurities including lead are added to raw opium. This study aimed to evaluate Blood Lead Level (BLL) and probable clinical symptoms triggered by it among opium abusers. Methods:This study was case control and conducted on 40 patients addicted to raw opium (case group) and 40 patients without any ...