Syrup of ipecacuanha as an emetic in adults

The emetic actions of syrup of ipecacuanha have been evaluated in 105 adult patients presenting at the emergency department of the Royal Perth Hospital with a diagnosis of accidental or intentional poisoning. The australian Pharmaceutical Formulary (APF) and the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) formulations of the syrup were compared and gave similar overall emetic responses of 88% and 89% respectively at a dose level of 15 ml. A 30 ml dose regimen of the APF formulation gave a slightly but not significantly increased overall emetic response of 96%. There were no differences between the three groups of patients in the time taken to vomit, the duration of vomiting or the volume of stomach contents recovered.