PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Christopher D Smith AU - Stefanie Robert TI - ‘Designer drugs’: update on the management of novel psychoactive substance misuse in the acute care setting AID - 10.7861/clinmedicine.14-4-409 DP - 2014 Aug 01 TA - Clinical Medicine PG - 409--415 VI - 14 IP - 4 4099 - http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/14/4/409.short 4100 - http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/14/4/409.full SO - Clin Med2014 Aug 01; 14 AB - The use of novel psychoactive substances (‘legal highs’ or ‘designer drugs’) is increasing worldwide. Patients misusing such substances have been reported to experience severe or prolonged side effects requiring admission to acute or critical care wards. These complications can be life threatening if misdiagnosed or mismanaged. As physicians have traditionally had less involvement with the management of such patients compared with their colleagues in emergency departments an update in the management of such patients is indicated. Here we present a summary of the management of those novel substances with the potential for serious complications based on a review of current literature.