Illegal Drug Use

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Lesson 57

• Illegal Drug Use

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Stimulants

• Group of drugs that speeds up the activities of
  the central nervous system
• Uppers
• Feel alert, awake, and active
• Increase
• Blood pressure
• Heart rate
• Breathing rate

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Stimulants continued

• Use of stimulants is always followed by a crash
• Down period- feelings of weakness, fatigue,
  sleepiness, sadness and depression
• Can develop psychological and physical dependence

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Stimulants

• Amphetamines
• Cocaine
• Ephedrine
• Caffeine

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Amphetamines

• Chemically manufactured stimulants that are
  highly addictive
• First used in the 1930s to treat narcolepsy
• Conditions for uses multiplied
• Sold without prescriptions in inhalers and
  powders

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Amphetamines

• Abuse and bizarre violent behavior among teens
  and prisoners led to recognition of harmful
  effects and
• Research of very limited therapeutic effects led
  to
• Medical profession reduces use

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Amphetamines

• Uses now
• Narcolepsy
• Certain types of obesity

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Methamphetamine
Stimulant in amphetamine family Effects- short
term

• Increased body temperature
• Rapid breathing and heart rate
• Impulsiveness

• Euphoria
• Increased alertness
• Perception of improved self esteem and self
  confidence

Addiction is very likely to occur after 1 use
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Meth

• Effects are similar to cocaine
• Major difference is the half-life
• the time required for the activity of a substance
  taken into the body to lose one half its initial
  effectiveness
• The half-life for cocaine is less than 45 minutes
• The half-life for meth is 3-6 hours

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Meth
Effects- long-term

• Nervousness
• Irritability
• Restlessness
• Insomnia

• Drastic weight loss
• Paranoia
• Desperation
• Permanent neurological changes

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Meth

• Death is possible from overdosing
• Even after your brain dies your body can suffer
• Elevated body temperature
• Cardiovascular shock
• Convulsions
• Tremors
• Death

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Ice

• Purest methamphetamine
• A.k.a. Crank
• Compared to crack, the half-life of ice is 60
  times longer

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Cocaine
Stimulant in amphetamine family

• Highly addictive drug obtained from the leaves of
  the coca bush
• It can be snorted, smoked or injected
• A.k.a.
• Coke
• Snow
• Blow

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Cocaine

• Leaves are soaked in kerosene and sulfuric acid
  until they begin to break down to form a paste
  consisting of 20- 85 of cocaine sulfate is
  produced
• Hydrochloric acid is then used to convert the
  paste to flakes or rocks of nearly pure cocaine
• Colorless or white, odorless powder

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How Cocaine is Administered

• Can be absorbed through a mucous membrane
• Circulated in the blood to heart lungs and other
  organs
• Reaches the brain in about 5 minutes

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Cocaine Administration

• Inhaled
• Reaches the brain and nervous system in 3 minutes
• Effects peak in 15-20 minutes and disappear in
  60-90 minutes

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Cocaine Administration

• Injected into a vein
• Reaches brain in 15 seconds
• 100 absorption of drug
• High crests in 3-5 minutes and lasts 30-40
  minutes
• Smoked
• Reaches brain in 7 seconds

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Freebase

• Freebase is the purified base form of cocaine
  processed from the paste using volatile
  (evaporating rapidly passing off readily in the
  form of vapor) chemicals
• The wisps of smoke produced are inhaled a.k.a.
  chasing the dragon as when used with heroin

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Initial Effects of Cocaine

• Effects are similar to amphetamine
• Studies couldnt distinguish between the effects
  of the 2 in small doses except that amphetamines
  actions are longer lasting

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Initial Effects of Cocaine

• Cocaine is a vasoconstrictor
• Narrows the blood vessels
• Appetite is deadened
• Cannot sleep

• Temperature may rise or fall
• Heart rate, blood pressure and breathing speed up
• Metabolism is sped up

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Long-term Effects

• Confusion
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Short-tempered

• Lose interest in food
• Aggressive
• Thinking impaired
• Difficulty concentrating and remembering

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Long term Effects

• Cocaine psychosis
• Have delusions and become paranoid
• Visual, auditory or tactile hallucinations
• Most common is formication- the sensation of bugs
  crawling under the skin
• Can last days, weeks, even months

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Long-term EffectsThose who sniff cocaine
regularly experience

• Runny nose
• Burns and sores on the nasal membranes
• Perforation of the septum between the nostrils
• Sore throats

• Hoarseness
• Shortness of breath
• Cold sweats
• Tremors
• Damage to liver

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Other Risk

• Intravenous users risk
• Hepatitis
• HIV
• Other blood borne diseases
• Freebase smokers
• Lung damage
• Mucous membranes
• Cilia
• Elasticity

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Crack

• Named for the sound it makes when it is smoked
• Almost pure cocaine
• Most accessible and powerful form of cocaine
• Works faster than other forms
• Takes about 7 seconds to reach the brain

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Crack

• Acts as stimulant and local anestthetgic
• Hyper-aroused state in which the user experiences
• a decrease in appetite
• Rapid breathing
• Tingling in the fingers
• Sense of well-being
• Lowered anxiety

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Crack

• Euphoric state is shorter on crack than cocaine
• Cocaine high lasts 1 ½ hours
• Crack high 20 to 30 minutes

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Crack

• After coming down, user experiences
• Restlessness
• Irritability
• Depression
• Headaches
• Convulsions
• Insatiable craving for more

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Ephedrine

• Stimulant that is found naturally in the ephedra
  plant
• Common in decongestants
• May be used to cook meth
• FDA banned over the counter sales of products
  containing ephedrine

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Sedative Hypnotics

• Group of drugs that depress the nervous system

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Sedative Hypnotics

• Group of drugs that depress the activities of the
  central nervous system
• Sedative- drug that has a calming effect
• Hypnotic- drug that produces sleep
• Sleeping pills and tranquilizers

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Sedative Hypnotics

• Two major types
• Barbiturates
• Benzodiazepines

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Barbiturates

• Type of sedative hypnotic that used to be
  prescribed to help people sleep and to relieve
  tension
• Rarely prescribed because of addictive tendancies

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Barbiturates

• About 2500 variations for the barbituric acid
  have been made
• Only about 15 remain in mediucal use
• Small doses calm nervous conditons
• Large doses cause sleep about 20 to 60 minutes
  after taking

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Barbiturates

• The effects may progress through successive
  stages
• Sedation
• Sleep
• Coma
• Death
• The last of course from misuse or abuse

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Benzodiazepines

• Often prescribed for anxiety
• Commonly known as tranquilizers
• Muscle relaxers
• Anticonvulsants

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Benzodiazepines

• Flunitrazepam
• Date rape drug
• A.k.a Roofies