How to Make Sudafed from Meth

Given the increasing difficulty in obtaining "over-the-counter" sudafed (pseudoephedrine) to the point where it is easier to obtain the illegal drug methylamphetamine, a chemist has written a paper describing how to make sudafed from meth using reagants found in any well-stocked chemistry lab.

For those who have been living in a hole, sudafed is a good nasal decongestant medication often used for nasal congestion and allergies that is now only found behind the pharmacy counter and dispensed in limited quantities with a record kept of who has purchased. Why?

Because one can make methylamphetamine (meth) from it.

Well, with all the chronic drug shortages, it's a good thing we now have a way to make sudafed from meth.

Read the process here.

First reported in Scientific American.

(this blog article is partly in jest... partly not).

Food Allergy Reaction Video

So the other day, I was watching the movie Hitchstarring Will Smith and Eva Mendes during which there is this one scene where Hitch suffers an allergic reaction from a food he ate during a dinner date. Watch video.

It's actually a pretty good depiction of a reaction due to a food allergy.

However, given the throat-clearing suggesting airway swelling which extends to his face, he really should have called 911 as this not uncommonly leads to death if the airway swelling is severe enough to obstruct his breathing. Along with facial and airway swelling, his blood pressure probably dropped and his heart rate increased to point he could have passed out due to insufficient blood flow to the brain. Of course, it was a movie and none of that happened, but don't think for a second that benadryl alone is adequate.

It is a little unusual for an adult to have a previously unknown food allergy with this severe a reaction in someone as old as Hitch, but not impossible.

Treatment was appropriately given with benadrylin the movie, but in reality Hitch additionally should have gone to the ER where epinephrine and steroids also would have been administered followed by several hours of observation.

After recovery, he should ALWAYS carry an epipen with him. He should also probably see an allergist to determine what it was he reacted to so that he can avoid it in the future.

On another note, in the movie, Hitch literally chugs down an entire bottle of liquid benadryl and acts drunk from it. That wouldn't have happened... rather, he would have gotten extremely drowsy and fallen asleep fairly quickly.

Patients with Iodine or Seafood Allergy CAN Receive Contrast During CT Scans

It is a prevalent belief out in the medical (and lay public) community that patients with iodine or seafood allergy can not receive contrast when undergoing certain radiological tests like CT or MRI scans. The concern is that contrast contains minute amounts of free iodide and as such, IV administration of this material puts the patient at risk of a life-threatening anaphylactic reaction.

Contrast is often given in these tests as it traces out bloodflow enabling the physician to see organ and mass architecture much more clearly allowing for improved accuracy in seeing anything abnormal.

Well... rest assured that patients with iodine and seafood allergy CAN receive contrast without any significant increased risk of an allergic reaction as compared to other allergies.

In a large study encompassing 112,003 patients, only 5% had a reaction. The relative risk of a reaction in patients with seafood allergy was 3.0 compared with 2.9 for those with allergy to eggs, milk, or chocolate; 2.6 for those with allergy to fruit and strawberries; and 2.2 for those with asthma [7]. In other words, a seafood allergy increases the risk of a contrast reaction by about the same factor as does any other allergy. At least 85% of patients with seafood allergy receiving IV contrast material will not have an adverse reaction.

Reference:
Formation of potential antigens from radiographic contrast media. Acta Radiol 1987; 28:473-77
Immunologic basis for adverse reactions to radiographic contrast media. Acta Radial 1990; 31:605-612
Contrast media reactions: experimental evidence against the allergy theory. Br J Radiol 1984;57: 469-173
Adverse reactions to intravascularly administered contrast media. AJR 1975;24: 145-152