The weekend weather forecast for sunny skies with warmer temperatures can actually mean trouble for outdoor concert goers. “The possibility of serious effects including death is even more concerning in combination with warm weather effects,” says Hantsch, a former medical director for the state poison control. “Nausea, vomiting, hallucinations, fast heart rate, increased blood pressure, seizures and high body temperature can result from exposure to stimulant substances.”
Loyola and other emergency departments are prepared to handle anything including expected cases of dehydration, electrolyte abnormalities, hyperthermia and drug or weather-related seizures.
In the past, Lollapalooza recorded 246 ambulance runs and most were for drug-related emergencies. Last year at this time in Chicago, 41 drug overdose cases, one resulting in death, had been reported.