Agitation and seizures in cocaine overdose

Date First Published:

March 25, 2010

Last Updated:

April 13, 2010

Report by:

Ash Ejjala, SET (Manchester Royal Infirmary)

Search checked by:

Ash Ejjala, Manchester Royal Infirmary

Three-Part Question:

[In] patients presenting with Cocaine Overdose,[is] benzodiazepines better than phenothiazines [in] reducing agitation and seizures

Clinical Scenario:

A young 23 year old fit healthy male patient is brought in by ambulance with agitation to emergency department.His friends give a history of cocaine use whilst he was out partying.while you are examining he has a generalised tonic clonic seizure