Evidence-Based Emergency Department Management of Methamphetamine Toxicity (Pharmacology CME)

Points & Pearls Excerpt

• Methamphetamine (substituted amphetamine) use can cause the sympathomimetic toxidrome.⁴ Figure 1 illustrates the body systems affected.
• Because the substances causing sympatho-mimetic toxidrome cannot be determined, ED patients are treated according to clinical presentation; identifying the substance ingested will not change acute management.
• The most common presenting conditions for methamphetamine-related ED visits include mental health concerns, trauma, skin infections, and dental-related diagnoses.⁸
• Assessing for myoclonus or rigidity helps differentiate sympathomimetic syndrome from serotonin syndrome.