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Harm Reduction IV Propylene Glycol - Is It Safe?

sekio

sekio

Bluelight Crew
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Sep 14, 2009
Messages
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streets of simcity
So while I'm bumbling around on the web I found out that there's apparently such a thing as propylene glycol toxicity - it's normally found either in children or with "inappropriate IV usage" of PG.
As some of you may know, propylene glycol is the solvent used for dissolving lorazepam, diazepam, etc. (fat soluble benzos) for intravenous usage. The reason that this "syndrome" concerns me is because of a few papers associated with it -

Propylene Glycol Toxicity: A Severe Iatrogenic Illness in ICU Patients Receiving IV Benzodiazepines, Kevin C. Wilson MD et al.
We found that four patients (19%) who received IV lorazepam or diazepam had metabolic evidence of propylene glycol toxicity. [...] Close monitoring of all patients receiving IV lorazepam or diazepam for early evidence of propylene glycol toxicity is warranted.
...
We previously reported a case of acute, life-threatening multisystem organ dysfunction due to propylene glycol toxicity during treatment of alcohol withdrawal with high-dose IV diazepam.
...
We defined metabolic evidence of propylene glycol toxicity if the patient had an increase in anion gap or a decrease in serum bicarbonate that reversed after discontinuation of the IV benzodiazepine and that could not be explained by an alternative etiology. An elevated osmolar gap that could not be explained by a preadmission ingestion or infusion of other medications was also considered sufficient to define the patient as having metabolic evidence of propylene glycol toxicity.
...
Click to expand...


It's comforting to note that all of the case studies are usually continuous infusions of hundreds of grams of propylene glycol - but benzodiazepines can be overused due to their amnsesic properties so I thought this should be posted.

It may be better to use PolyEthylene Glycol.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I think this should be stickied or with the benzo megathread if there is one or either the IV mega thread so more people will read this before putting that shit in their veins.
 
wiggi said:
I think this should be stickied or with the benzo megathread if there is one or either the IV mega thread so more people will read this before putting that shit in their veins.
Click to expand...

Maybe it'll prevent people from continuous IV infusions, but I have a feeling most Bluelighters aren't going to be using propylene glycol this way.
 
It depends which route it's taken by. Orally, you could probably drink several litres and aside from a very upset stomach and terrible diarrhea, you'd probably live. IV usage of less than 5-10mL seems asymptomatic in most individuals.
 
It should definitely be used sparingly, PG has been known to cause metabolic acidosis, which is really no joke.
 
Propylene glycol as in antifreeze? A component of aircraft de-icers?!? Brrrrrr (no pun intended).
 
As a person in possession of a benzo solution in PEG, micron filters and everything required - I wouldn't
 
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