Which is not a feature of cocaine poisoning:September 2011

Ans. C: HypothermiaCocaine when ingested results in hypehermia, hallucinations, euphoria and stimulation of libido Cocaine intoxicationWith excessive or prolonged use, the drug can cause itching, tachcardia, hallucinations and paranoid delusions.Overdoses cause tachyarrythmias and a marked elevation of blood pressure, which can be life-threatening.Toxicity results in seizures, followed by respiratory and circulatory depression of medullar origin.This may lead to death from respiratory failure, stroke, or hea-failure.Cocaine is also highly pyrogenic, because the stimulation and increased muscular activity cause greater heat production.Heat loss is inhibited by the intense vasoconstriction.Cocaine-induced hypehermia may cause muscle cell destruction and myoglobinuria resulting in renal failure.Emergency treatment often consists of administering a benzodiazepine sedation agent, such as diazepam to decrease the elevated hea rate and blood pressure.Physical cooling (ice, cold blankets, etc.) and paracetamol (acetaminophen) may be used to treat hypehermiaThere is no officially approved specific antodote for cocaine overdoseCocaine's primary acute effect on brain chemistry is to raise the amount of dopamine and serotonin in the nucleus accumbens (the pleasure center in the brain); this effect ceases, due to metabolism of cocaine to inactive compounds and paicularly due to the depletion of the transmitter resources (tachyplaxis).This can be experienced acutely as feelings of depression, as a "crash" after the initial high.