Another client is brought to the emergency room by friends who state that he took something an hour ago. He is actively hallucinating, agitated, with an irritated nasal septum.
A. Heroin
B. Cocaine
C. LSD
D. Marijuana
Correct Answer: B. Cocaine
The manifestations indicate intoxication with cocaine, a CNS stimulant. These patients present to the hospital with agitation, chest pain, anxiety, psychosis, and blunt and penetrating traumatic injuries. They are frequently hypertensive and tachycardic. Patients with acute cocaine toxicity presenting to the emergency department (ED) may require urgent treatment for tachycardia, dysrhythmia, hypertension, and coronary vasospasm, leading to pathological sequelae such as acute coronary syndrome, stroke, and death.
Option A: Intoxication with heroine is manifested by euphoria then impairment in judgment, attention, and the presence of pupillary constriction. Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine, is a very efficient prodrug and more potent than Morphine. Many deaths are caused by heroin overdoses throughout the world each year. Heroin, which can be sniffed, smoked, or injected, is experiencing a rebound in usage, partially related to the efforts to reduce the abuse of prescription pain relievers.
Option C: Intoxication with hallucinogen like LSD is manifested by grandiosity, hallucinations, synesthesia, and increase in vital signs. Patients under the influence of LSD will most likely present to a clinical setting after experiencing what is colloquially referred to as a “bad trip.” Others may present after ingesting the substance unknowingly, or perhaps in exceedingly large doses. D-lysergic acid diethylamide, or LSD, is a compound of the lysergamide class known for its powerful psychedelic effects on humans.
Option D: Intoxication with Marijuana, a cannabinoid is manifested by the sensation of slowed time, conjunctival redness, social withdrawal, impaired judgment, and hallucinations. The term “marijuana” typically refers to the tobacco-like preparations of the leaves and flowers of the plant Cannabis sativa and Cannabis indica. The plant contains many psychoactive compounds often referred to as cannabinoids. The primary psychoactive ingredient is believed to be tetrahydrocannabinol, which is also responsible for most of the intoxicating effects experienced by users.