Summary
- Occurs within minutes to hours of excessive cocaine use.
- Some patients may die suddenly before treatment is given.
- Presentation includes tachycardia, hypertension, hyperthermia, diaphoresis, mydriasis, and agitation.
- Urine cocaine screen confirms recent cocaine use, but treatment should not be delayed pending results of the test.
- Treatment may involve supportive care and benzodiazepines; hyperthermia requires rapid cooling to prevent death.
- Complications such as dysrhythmias, acute coronary syndrome, and intracranial haemorrhage can occur.
Other related conditions
- Amfetamine overdose
- Cocaine abuse
- Amfetamine abuse
- Alcohol withdrawal
- Overview of chronic alcoholism
- Alcohol abuse
- Phaeochromocytoma
- Overview of thyroid dysfunction
- Non-diabetic hypoglycaemia
- Malignant hyperthermia
- Non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction
- Overview of acute coronary syndrome
- Haemorrhagic stroke
- Subarachnoid haemorrhage
- Non-sustained ventricular tachycardias
- Sustained ventricular tachycardias
- Opioid overdose
- Overview of substance abuse and overdose
- Assessment of fever of unknown origin
Last updated: Apr 03, 2013
