Peculiarities of Clinical Symptoms, Somatic Complications, Approaches to Therapy and Outcomes of Delirium Induced by Exposure to Synthetic Cannabinoids: Systematic Review
I P Pavlov Russian Medical Biological Herald October 12, 2023 I. Fedotov, B. Y. Volodin, V. V. Novikov et al.
Synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) can cause delirium after a single small dose or during withdrawal 2–4 days after last use. The delirium includes schizophrenic-like symptoms such as threatening hallucinations, paranoid delusions, aggression, and thought disorders, along with severe somatic complications like rhabdomyolysis, acute kidney failure, cardiomyopathy, and infections. Treatment involves detoxification, antipsychotics, and sometimes intensive care. Delirium lasts hours to days and usually resolves with amnesia and asthenia, but fatal outcomes occur from accidents, suicide, or somatic complications such as multi-organ failure.