<p>Cocaine, ethanol, cannabis and benzodiazepines co-consumption among patients assisted at the emergency room</p>

Abstract

IntroductionCocaine and ethanol (EtOH) co-consumption is a risk factor for physiologically and clinically negative outcomes. We describe the occurrence of cocaine consumption alone or co-consumption with EtOH and others psychotropics.Patients and methodsThe descriptive research used data on medical records of patients positive to cocaine test who attended an emergency room between 2016 and 2017. We determined the frequency of cocaine consumption alone and co-consumption with EtOH, cannabis or benzodiazepines (BZDs).ResultsOver one year period, 88 patients (13.3%) were positive to cocaine test, mainly attended on weekends, in holiday months, young adults or men. Among those positive for cocaine, 72% were also positive for EtOH, cannabis or BZD. Cocaine co-consumption with one or two out of three substance was 55.2% (CI95%; 44.7-65.8%) and 16.4% (CI95%;8.58-24.3%), respectively. Co-consumption was more frecuently wih EtOH, followed by cannabis or BZD. ConclusionCo-consumption of cocaine with EtOH is very common and could be associated with acute or chronic consumption of cannabis or acute exposure to BZDs. It is important that emergency physicians use a systematic approach to diagnose and treat more than one psychotropic substance in cocaine positive patients.

Gastrointestinal Injuries Following the Acute and Chronic Alcohol Abuse: An Update

“…Medical emergency teams, while dealing with ethanol abuse (acute abuse in the form of a simple intoxication; or chronic abuse with different medical complications) mainly concentrate on the nervous and circulatory system injuries. Such situations might be even more complicated while addict patients consume multiple drugs, with a mixture of nicotine, cannabis, cocaine and benzodiazepines hampering extremely the efficacy of the treatment [20].…”

Cardiovascular Risks of Simultaneous Use of Alcohol and Cocaine—A Systematic Review

“…In Sweden, 60% of the 2627 cocaine-positive samples from acute drug-related poisonings (2010–2016) were also positive for alcohol [ 24 ]. Similarly, 72% of cocaine users who attended an ED in Colombia between 2016 and 2017 also tested positive for alcohol [ 25 ]. In the U.S., 19% of all cocaine-related ED visits also had a co-occurring alcohol-related diagnosis during the same ED visit (19%; 95% CI: 15–25%) [ 26 ].…”