Drug Misuse Flashcards
(40 cards)
Good effects of taking stimulants
Stimulant and euphoriant
Increased confidence and impaired judgement
Lessens appetite and desire for sleep
Bad effects of taking stimulants
Damage to nose and airways
Convulsions with respiratory failure
Cardiac arrythmia’s and MI
Hypertension and CVA
Toxic confusion
Paranoid psychosis
Cocaine withdrawal effects
Depression
Irritability
Agitation
Craving
Hyperphagia
Hypersomnia
What are the extreme effects of using amphetamines
Toxic confusion occasionally with convulsions and death
Amphetamine psychosis in heavy chronic use
Opiates available
Opium Morphine Heroin (diamorphine) Methadone Codeine and dihydrocodeine
The risks of injecting heroin
Take too much leading to medical consequences
Effects of heroin
Analgesia Drowsiness and sleep Mood change - euphoria, intense pleasure Respiratory depression Cough reflex depression (marketed as a cough medicine) Decreased symp outflow (bradycardia and hypotension) Lowering of body temperature Pupillary constriction Constipation
Severe effects of heroin
Respiratory arrest
Pinpoint pupils unreactive to light
Bradycardia and hypotension
Varying degree of reduced consciousness/coma
The “good” effects of opiates
Intense but transient feeling of pleasure
- a rush
- orgasmic
- physical and emotional anaesthetic
Side effects of opiates
Fist time - nausea/vomiting and headache
Medium term - phlebitis, anorexia, constipation
Longer term - tolerance, withdrawal, social and health problems
Symptoms of opiate withdrawal syndrome
Craving Insomnia Muscle pain and cramps Increased salivary, nasal and lacrimal gland secretions Dilated pupils Piloerection - hairs stand on end
Ecstasy (NMDA) effects
Euphoria followed by feeling of calm
Increased sociability
Inability to distinguish between what is and isn’t desirable
Effects after 20 mins lasting 2-4 hours
Side effects of ecstasy
Nausea and dry mouth
Club users risk dehydration
Increased blood pressure and temperature
Large doses can cause anxiety and panic
Drug induces psychosis
What is the psychoactive agent in cannabis
Tatrahydrocannabinol
Skunk has a high THC content
Psychological effects for cannabis
Relaxing or stimulating, euphoriant, increasing sociability and hilarity, increases appetite, changes in time perception, synaesthesia
In higher doses - anxiety, panic, persecutory ideation, hallucinatory activity
I’ll effects of cannabis
Respiratory problems as with tobacco
Toxic confusion
Exacerbation of major mental illness
Side effects of steroids
Acne, stretch marks, baldness
Feminisation in males with hypotonia disk and gynaecomastia
Virilisation in women including hirsutism, deep voice, clitoral enlargement, menstrual irregularities, hair thinning
CV - increased cholesterol and HT
Growth deficits
Liver - cholestatic jaundice and liver tumours
Psychological - roid rage, hypomania and mania, depression and suicidality on withdrawal
Effects of cocaine relative to form
Smoking - immediate but over very quickly
Injecting - 15-30 secs
Snorting - 3-5 mins
Define tolerance
A drugs early effects are later achievable only by higher doses
Acute intoxication
Cluster of effects reacted to recent substance use that can’t be explained by another medical disorder
Define harmful use
Causing damage to physical health
Define dependence
Clusters of behavioural, cognitive and physiological phenomena
Includes-
- strong desire to take
- difficult controlling use
- persisting in use desp[ite harmful consequences
- higher priority given to drug use than to other activities and obligations
- increased tolerance
- possibly withdrawal for at least 1 month or repeatedly over 12 months
3 or more symptoms present daily for at least 1 month to repeatedly over 12 months
Withdrawal state
Group of symptoms variable clustering and severity occulting on absolute or relative withdrawal of a psychoactive substance, after persistent use of that substance
Benefits of methadone
- stops or greatly reduces heroin use
- stops or reduces injecting
- improves physical health, nutrition and reduces mortality
- reduces crime and debt
- allows for more stable relationships
- methadone does not damage any major organ even in high dose over a long time
