$Unique_ID{BRK00620}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{What do Doctors do for People in the Case of an Overdose of Cocaine?}
$Subject{overdose cocaine treatment Community Social lifestyle lifestyles drug
drugs cardiac arrest myocardial infarction infarctions heart attack attacks
seizure seizures arrhythmias arrhythmia}
$Volume{Q-23}
$Log{}

Copyright (c) 1991-92,1993   Tribune Media Services, Inc.


What do Doctors do for People in the Case of an Overdose of Cocaine?


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QUESTION:  The use of cocaine seems so wide spread that there must be cases
when people overdo it and take too much at a time.  What do doctors do for
people in the case of an overdose of cocaine?

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ANSWER:  Cocaine is not the "harmless high" it was once thought to be.  Since
the 1970's, when cocaine became a popular "recreational drug", people have
been showing up at emergency rooms with sudden cardiac arrest, myocardial
infarction (heart attack), epilepsy-like seizures, and cardiac arrhythmias
(erratic heart beat), all caused by snorting, injecting, or smoking cocaine.
Cocaine can kill, even on the first use.  When a young person with no previous
history of seizures or heart problems shows up at an emergency room, cocaine
use should be suspected.
     In a case of cocaine overdose, if there are no serious problems,
emergency room staff will make sure that the patient can breathe and will
attach an I.V. line for fluids and a cardiac monitor.  Seizures are treated
with tranquilizers such as Valium and cardiac arrhythmia is treated with beta
blocking agents.
     No attempt is made to remove the cocaine from the patient's system
because nature takes care of that.  Cocaine leaves the body relatively
quickly.  Most of it is metabolized by the liver, broken down into less
harmful chemicals, within 2 hours of ingestion.  Except for traces that can be
picked up in drug tests for several days, the effects of snorted cocaine last
about 3 hours after use, while the effects of intravenous or smoked cocaine
(freebase or crack) are even shorter.
     Unfortunately, the rising availability of the smokable crack is making
cocaine use more addictive.  Fortunately, public awareness of the cocaine
problem is growing, but there is still much to be done in educating everyone
about its dangers.

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The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace
the counsel and advice of your personal physician.  Promptly consulting your
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
problem.