Emergency room admissions for acute drug reactions in a VA hospital

To determine the extent to which veterans used a VA Emergency Room (ER) for the treatment of acute drug reactions, the ER log of a VA Hospital was examined to ascertain the number of drug-related visits during the past 24 months. The low base rate suggests that veterans do not rely on a VA ER for the treatment of acute drug reactions and that proper medical supervision and medication management is maintained in the majority of cases. Those who did utilize a VA ER appear to be young (age range 25 to 34), used legally prescribed drugs in combination with alcohol or tranquilizers, and were often suicidal. More attention to the crisis state precipitated by the acute drug reaction is recommended.