Washington Poison Center

Medetomidine as a Fentanyl Adulterant: Pharmacology, Detection, Clinical Presentation, and Management

Abstract Purpose of Review Medetomidine is a veterinary α2-adrenergic agonist that has been an adulterant of illicitly manufactured opioids since 2022. We review its pharmacology, detection, intoxication, withdrawal, and management, and assess why severe withdrawal has emerged in...

Web Monitoring as an Early Warning System: “Benadryl Challenge” Online Mentions Correlate With Diphenhydramine Overdoses Reported to US Poison Centers

PURPOSE: Social media has propagated several "challenges" that engage primarily adolescents in life-threatening behaviors such as the "Benadryl Challenge," where participants film themselves ingesting large doses of diphenhydramine. Once shared online, these activities have the p...