Controlled stimulants Flashcards
(99 cards)
In general, what effects do stimulants have? (5)
- Heighten mood
- Increase alertness
- Decrease fatigue
- Grandiosity
- Risk can feel more rewarding
Controlled stimulants (4)
cocaine, amphetamines, Ritalin and Adderall
Coca leaf
The coca leaf has mild stimulating properties when absorbed in the mouth. Used in South America- Bolivia, Ecuador, Argentina, and Peru. Indigenous populations in these regions chewed the coca leaf for its mild stimulating properties. It has religious, medical, and social uses. An individual coca leaf doesn’t contain a lot of cocaine. The content in synthetic cocaine is much higher
Cocaine in 16th century South America
Spanish conquistadors arrived in South America during the 16th century, and at this time they took control over access to the coca leaf. Used the coca leaf to “pay” enslaved Incas. They believed it made them work harder and longer- since it was a stimulant. At this time- the Spanish were devout Catholics- they did not export the drug and considered it a vice. They also discouraged European use
The coca leaf in Europe
In the 19th century, there were a lot of different scientific discoveries- scientists started discovering the properties of different plants. As European naturalists started to explore South America, they began to study the properties of the Coca leaf. In the 1850s, European scientists were able to isolate the active agent in coca, and they developed cocaine. Scientists began looking for therapeutic and medical uses for this drug
Freud and cocaine
Freud started his career as a neurologist and was interested in neurological disorders. He has become well known for several contributions to psychology, like psychoanalysis. Many of his first writings were on therapeutic applications of cocaine- he initially thought cocaine was a miracle drug (wrote the book “On Coca”)
“On Coca”
The book written by Freud. He proposed that cocaine could be used as a local anesthetic, and as a treatment for depression, indigestion, asthma, neuroses, syphilis, morphine addiction, and alcoholism. He also considered it an aphrodisiac
The first documented addiction to cocaine
Ernst von Fleischl-Marxow- friend of Freud. He was a physician who investigated electrical activity of nerves and the brain. He became addicted to morphine due to chronic pain, and Freud suggested he use cocaine to treat his addiction. Cocaine only sort of worked- tolerance formed very quickly as he was taking large amounts of IV cocaine daily (1g/day). Marxow began to exhibit bizarre behavior, like paranoid delusions and formication syndrome (feeling like bugs are crawling on or under the skin).
Cocaine use in the 1880s
Cocaine was widely available and part of popular culture- not a lot of taboos surrounding it. Physicians prescribed it- cocaine revolutionized surgery as an anesthetic. It was available in OTC medicines as well as in coca wine and Coca-cola. Cocaine was featured in Sherlock Holmes, and Jekyll and Hyde was written while Stevenson was using cocaine for tuberculosis. Other famous users included Thomas Edison, Jules Verne, Czar Nicholas of Russia, and President Ulysses Grant
After the 1880s, when did beliefs regarding cocaine begin to shift?
By the end of the 19th century. At this point, cocaine psychosis was fairly common- erratic behavior, delusions. There were also many overdose deaths and issues with dependency. Beliefs and attitudes began to shift. In 1914, the Harrison Narcotic Act was passed it was a law to control opiates and cocaine. This led to reduction in use (for now)
Ephedra sinica
A shrub that was used in traditional Chinese medicine for more than 5000 years. In 1885, Ephedrine was naturally derived from Ephedra sinica. This compound was a stimulant of the sympathetic nervous system that was used to treat asthma and was more stable than epinephrine.
Chen and Schmidt
Researchers that discovered that ephedrine was highly similar to epinephrine, because it was also a stimulant of the sympathetic nervous system. It was originally used to treat asthma and was more stable than epinephrine. It is a derivative of amphetamines.
Lazar Edeleanu
Romanian chemist that synthesized what is now known as amphetamine in 1887.
Gideon Alles
Los Angeles chemist that discovered and published the physiological effects of amphetamines. Amphetamines are less expensive and easier to manufacture than ephedrine
Amphetamines
Amphetamine, methamphetamine, and dextroamphetamine are synthetic stimulants. They had medical uses in the 1920s, but also have a high potential for abuse.
Medical uses of amphetamines (4)
In the 1920s:
1. Cold and sinus problems
2. Obesity
3. Narcolepsy
4. Pep pills- give energy
Were used by soldiers on both sides of world war 2
Symptoms of prolonged use of cocaine and amphetamines (5)
- Suppress appetite
- Prevent sleep
- “Speed freaks”- people can go without food or sleep for multiple days
- Formication symptoms (“speed bugs”)
- Stimulant psychosis
Stimulant psychosis
Can be caused by prolonged use of cocaine and amphetamines. Paranoid delusions and disorientation- similar to the positive symptoms of schizophrenia
Cocaine use in the 1970s
In the 1970s, cocaine became a “prestige” drug- demand for the drug increased. People started to see many of the original problems that occurred in the 1880s. It was used by celebrities, pro athletes, and the wealthy
How was cocaine typically administered in the 1970s?
Usually administered in small doses and intranasally. This method of administration seemed to create less problems than IV use at the time, but this wasn’t exactly an accurate belief
Crack cocaine
In 1986, crack cocaine started to infiltrate neighborhoods (not the high prestige neighborhoods). It is freebased cocaine- cocaine is heated until it vaporizes. Inhaled vapors reach the brain very quickly, and has a very short delay between CS and US, increasing the potential for addiction
Effects of crack cocaine (3)
- Short duration (10-20 minutes)- high is very intense and more pleasurable than IV injection
- The low is equally intense
- Long term use causes paranoia, anger, anxiety/panic, deep depression, convulsions, hallucinations
The war on drugs (1980s)- crack vs cocaine
“Just say no”- the movement criminalized possession rather than just drugs, making a drug user by definition a criminal. While cocaine had been considered a prestige drug in the 70s, crack was cheaper, and therefore disproportionately impacted poor neighborhoods and African American and Latino communities
Disparities in sentencing during the war on drugs
In 1988, possession of 500 gs of cocaine= minimum 5 years, while possession of 5 gs of crack= minimum 5 years. This was in place until the Fair Sentencing Act in 2010