What is the recommended treatment for an overdose of amphetamines or cocaine?

The recommended treatment for an overdose of amphetamines or cocaine focuses on managing symptoms and preventing complications, particularly cardiovascular issues. When a patient presents with an overdose from stimulants such as cocaine or amphetamines, they often exhibit signs of agitation, increased heart rate, hypertension, and in severe cases, malignant hypertension.

Benzodiazepines play a crucial role in treating the agitation and anxiety that accompany stimulant overdose; they provide sedation and help control symptoms effectively. Additionally, in cases where malignant hypertension occurs—characterized by dangerously high blood pressure levels—medications like labetalol, which is an alpha/beta-blocker, can be used to stabilize blood pressure safely.

In contrast, other options like physostigmine are not indicated for stimulant overdoses, as they are acetylcholinesterase inhibitors primarily used for anticholinergic toxicity. Naloxone, while effective for opioid overdoses, has no role in treating stimulants since they do not act on the opioid receptors. Librium and Valium, similar to other benzodiazepines, may be used but are less conventionally recognized compared to the more specific use of benzodiazepines along with labetalol for the associated hypertension in these situations. Thus, the