Spice drug abuse: a case series and review of synthetic cannabinoid intoxication [presentation] Presentation uri icon
Overview
abstract
  • Background: Synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists are becoming increasingly popular with adolescents as an abused substance. Chronic use of these drugs can lead to addiction syndrome and withdrawal symptoms similar to cannabis abuse. Due to their potential health risk, several countries have banned these substances. Objectives: To report the clinical presentation and legislation status of synthetic cannabinoids in “Spice” products and alerts the healthcare community about the identification and risk assessment problems of these compounds. Case Reports: We retrospectively reviewed cases presenting to our emergency department during a 3-month period with reporting chief complaints of spice drug use prior to arrival. Six cases presented to our emergency department after using Spice Drugs. Two patients were admitted after reporting seizures. All but one presented with tachycardia. Two patients had hallucinations. The average length of ED observation was 2.8 hours. No patient with seizures had recurrent episodes. Conclusion: Spice drugs can cause potentially serious healthcare conditions that necessitate ED evaluation. Most cases can be discharged from the ED after a period of observation. Legal issues surrounding these drugs are yet to be finalized in the US.

  • Research
    keywords
  • Emergency Medicine
  • Poisoning
  • Substance Abuse