In 2022, around 6,600 emergency cases due to drug use were recorded in the national surveillance system. However, other methodologies suggest a higher figure, estimating about 9,400 cases annually, equating to approximately 18 to 25 daily cases.
This figure pertains only to illegal, non-medical drug consumption and excludes cases involving psychiatric medications or similar medical issues. Alcohol, often recorded separately, is common in emergencies, with many cases of alcohol comas or high alcohol levels not included in the statistics.
More than 50% of substance-related emergencies involve alcohol; polyaddiction is frequent, particularly on weekends. Alcohol alone accounts for over 12,000 emergency cases annually in Spain.
Although drug-related emergency cases are a small percentage of total hospital emergencies, they are significant due to the diverse interventions required, such as treating overdoses and poisonings, psychiatric crises, and more, leading to high costs. Polydrug use often results in general illnesses that complicate treatment, causing longer hospital stays or extensive treatment, unlike other emergencies.
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The average age of these patients is between 30 and 40 years, with 75% being predominantly men, although the trend is changing with more young people, including teenagers and women, appearing. Generally, these patients are not classic drug addicts but habitual users with complications.
Commonly involved substances include alcohol, involved in most cases and often mixed with other drugs; cocaine, a leading cause of emergency visits nationwide, associated with symptoms like tachycardia and chest pain; cannabis or marijuana, attracting young people with anxiety or psychotic episodes; heroin and opioids, less frequent but linked to severe psychomotor and cognitive issues; and ecstasy or amphetamines, occasionally dangerous but not as prevalent, though historically linked to the Cod Route crisis.
Acute poisonings or overdoses, anxiety or panic attacks, psychiatric symptoms like psychoses or agitation, cardiac issues (e.g., tachycardia), and trauma or accidents due to altered states are common reasons for such patients visiting emergency rooms in Spain.
Cases typically rise on weekends, at night, and early morning hours, especially between Thursdays and Fridays, though they occur throughout the week in large cities. It’s notable that while young individuals partying are often stereotyped, chronic consumers are frequently older, with some suffering from deteriorated mental health due to psychiatric medication misuse or malpractice. Additionally, cases involve medical drug misuse by patients or incorrect prescriptions.
Typically, 10% to 20% of these cases result in hospital admissions beyond the emergency room, while most are discharged after observation. The most severe cases, about 2% to 5%, require ICU treatment, and deaths occur among them.
Fatal cases often involve polydrug users who mix high doses of alcohol and cocaine or use destructive opioids like heroin or fentanyl. Advanced age can also contribute, but young people face similar fatal risks.
In conclusion, Spain experiences high drug consumption rates relative to population size, yet the issue lacks focus. Society is increasingly consuming large quantities of antipsychotic or anxiolytic medications, raising concerns about alarming contraindications, including high suicide rates. A study linking medication consumption to increased suicides in Europe, especially in Spain, could be revealing, but interest in conducting such research is lacking.
Originally published at LaDamadeElche.com
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