Summary
- Large burden of dependency and toxicity worldwide stems from both legitimate and recreational ingestion of drug by nearly 25 million users annually.
- Overdose and toxicity strike inconsistently among new, occasional, chronic, and binge users. Intentional overdose is also encountered.
- Tachycardia, hyperthermia, volume depletion, agitation, seizures, and rhabdomyolysis are sentinel findings. Diagnosis facilitated by high index of suspicion and urine amfetamine screening.
- Treatment is initiated before receiving laboratory results. Hyperthermia often requires close monitoring and pharmacotherapy appropriate to an intensive care setting.
- Despite relative lack of short-term consequences (most victims recover fully), there are legitimate concerns that chronic use may lead to eventual permanent cognitive deterioration.
Other related conditions
- Cocaine abuse
- Malignant hyperthermia
- Generalised seizures
- Disseminated intravascular coagulation
- Overview of meningitis
- Encephalitis
- Haemorrhagic stroke
- Subarachnoid haemorrhage
- Assessment of cardiomyopathy
- Acute liver failure
- Acute renal failure
- Aplastic anaemia
- Rhabdomyolysis
- Phaeochromocytoma
- Overview of thyroid dysfunction
- Assessment of psychosis
- Overview of chronic alcoholism
- Alcohol withdrawal
- Generalised anxiety disorder
- Overview of depression
- Non-diabetic hypoglycaemia
- Assessment of hyponatraemia
- Syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone
- Serotonin syndrome
- Heat stroke
- Overview of dysrhythmias (cardiac)
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in adults
- Overview of substance abuse and overdose
- Amfetamine abuse
Last updated: May 20, 2013
