Highlights & Basics
- Amphetamine overdose represents a large burden of dependency and toxicity worldwide, stemming from both legitimate and recreational ingestion of amphetamine and its derivatives by nearly 36 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 is facilitated by a high index of suspicion and urine amphetamine screening.
- Treatment is initiated before receiving laboratory results. Hyperthermia often requires close monitoring and pharmacotherapy appropriate to an intensive care setting.
- Despite a relative lack of short-term consequences (most patients recover fully), there are legitimate concerns that chronic use may lead to eventual permanent cognitive deterioration.
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Citations
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