Stimulants & Depressants

Question 1

Stimulants & Depressants
Commonly Used Stimulants and Depressants

Stimulants

https://sunrisehouse.com/addiction-info/difference-stimulant-depressant/

Answer 1

Common Stimulant Drugs
Stimulants often called “uppers,” are the drugs that make people feel supercharged with energy and focus, even to the point of feeling invincible.

The most commonly used stimulants include:

Caffeine. Nicotine. Cocaine/crack cocaine.
Methamphetamine (meth). MDMA (ecstasy).
Adderall. Ritalin.

Question 2

Invincible

Answer 2

In·vin·ci·ble: adjective
too powerful to be defeated or overcome.
“an invincible warrior”
Similar: invulnerable, indestructible, unconquerable,
unbeatable, indomitable, unassailable, unyielding, unflinching, unbending, unshakeable, indefatigable, dauntless, impregnable, inviolable, secure, safe

Question 3

Stimulants: Legal
Caffeine, Nicotine

Answer 3

Caffeine and nicotine are, of course, legal and mild stimulants that many people use to get themselves going throughout the day. Still, they come with their own adverse side effects, especially if the drink or cigarette includes harmful additives.

Question 4

Stimulants:
Street drugs
Cocaine, Meth, Ecstasy

Answer 4

Cocaine, meth, and ecstasy are mainly considered to be “street” drugs that have few legitimate medical uses. Drugs like Adderall and Ritalin are stimulant medications that are mostly used legally to treat medical conditions, but they have been increasingly misused by individuals without a prescription.

Question 5

Common Depressant Drugs

Answer 5

Depressants come in several different categories, including legal and socially approved intoxicants, highly illegal street drugs, and different types of prescription anxiety medications. They work by inhibiting the central nervous system and slowing the heart rate and respiratory and gastrointestinal systems.

Question 6

Common depressants with misuse potential include:

Answer 6

Alcohol.
Valium.
Xanax.
Amobarbital.
Phenobarbital.

Question 7

Prescription depressants

Answer 7

Prescription depressants include benzodiazepines (Valium and Xanax) and barbiturates (amobarbital and phenobarbital). These medications were prescribed for decades as solutions to stress and anxiety disorders. Barbiturates came first, but it was soon found that these drugs were both highly addictive and had a high potential for overdose. Benzodiazepines were developed as a safer alternative, but they are both addictive and dangerous.

Question 8

Depressant: OPIOIDS

Answer 8

While technically considered their own class of drugs, opioids like heroin have similar effects to central nervous system (CNS) depressants, slowing the heart rate and breathing. Due to their pain-relieving and pleasant, relaxing effects, prescription opioids are some of the most commonly misused drugs of the modern age. They often end up restricted by governments after years of being overprescribed by doctors, resulting in them saturating black markets or being shared by friends and family. Opioids are incredibly addictive and carry a high potential for overdose, mainly if someone uses them in conjunction with alcohol or other CNS depressants.

Question 9

Differences between Stimulants and Depressants
1

Answer 9

Stimulants speed up the central nervous system and depressants do the opposite, slowing it and all the parts of the body controlled by the central nervous system down.

Question 10

Differences between Stimulants and Depressants
2a

Answer 10

As mentioned above, stimulants make the person using them feel more confident, alert, and energetic. They send the central nervous system into overdrive, increasing heart and breathing rates, suppressing appetite, and causing a spike in blood pressure. Certain stimulants can cause a rush of euphoria, especially if they’re taken via common misuse methods like snorting, smoking, or injection.

Question 11

Differences between Stimulants and Depressants
2b

Answer 11

Depressants can also cause euphoria, but they slow down the central nervous system instead of accelerating it, resulting in a pleasurable, relaxing feeling. Depressants slow heart rate and respiration, which is incredibly dangerous in high doses.

Question 12

Health Effects of Stimulants versus Depressants 1

Answer 12

Though stimulants may make individuals feel great temporarily, they typically include adverse side effects and result in a “crash” when the drug leaves the system, causing symptoms like fatigue, inability to focus, and depression.

Because stimulants increase heart rate and blood pressure, taking them can be risky for anyone with heart problems or who already has an increased risk of stroke. They can also cause very unpleasant psychological side effects, especially for those who have an underlying mental illness like anxiety, panic disorders, or issues with paranoia.

Question 13

Health Effects of Stimulants versus Depressants 2

Answer 13

Stimulant overdose deaths are often caused by sudden heart failure, heart attack, stroke, or hyperthermia – a condition in which the body becomes dangerously overheated.

In the long-term, continued stimulant misuse can result in a weakening of artery walls or inflammation of the heart muscle as high blood pressure wears them down. Stimulants also restrict blood flow to the gastrointestinal tract, leading to ulcers and tears.

Question 14

Health Effects of Stimulants versus Depressants 3

Answer 14

Studies have suggested that long-term stimulant use may lead to significant permanent changes in the brain, including a reduction of the white matter that’s responsible for impulse control, stress management, and decision-making. Psychological symptoms related to stimulant misuse may also continue long after an individual quits, especially anxiety and depression. There’s even increasing evidence of a link between stimulants like cocaine and Parkinson’s disease.

Question 15

Health Effects of Stimulants versus Depressants 4

Answer 15

Depressants are particularly dangerous when it comes to the potential for overdose, especially since these drugs are often mixed with one another to intensify the euphoric effects. Artificially slowing down the central nervous system always comes with risks, as it controls the essential functions of the heart and lungs. An overdose of depressants can cause someone’s breathing to slow to the point that not enough oxygen can reach the brain and other vital organs. This can quickly lead to brain damage, coma, and death.

Question 16

Health Effects of Stimulants versus Depressants 5
Depressant overdose symptoms can include:

Answer 16

Disorientation.
Unconsciousness.
No response to stimuli.
Floppy arms or legs.
Bluish lips or fingernails.
Cold or clammy skin.
Snoring or gurgling sounds.
Shallow or no breathing.

Question 17

Health Effects of Stimulants versus Depressants 6

Answer 17

Overdose deaths from these drugs have claimed many lives and are only increasing, especially from prescription opioids.

Long-term effects of depressants can typically be found around the liver and digestive system. Alcohol in particular is very hard on the liver, and long-term, heavy misuse is closely connected to conditions like fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, and liver damage or failure.

Question 18

Health Effects of Stimulants versus Depressants 7

Answer 18

Long-term use of depressant medications can also lead to psychological depression and increases the chance of experiencing paradoxical effects like anxiety and panic attacks. Some long-term users have developed chronic fatigue syndrome that lasts even after they’ve gotten clean. Insomnia and sexual dysfunction are also common. At the same time, withdrawal symptoms from certain depressants can be seriously dangerous.

Question 19

Depressants versus Stimulants: Signs of Abuse 1

Answer 19

People who misuse stimulants may start out seeming like they’re in a better place than they were before, with more energy, an increased ability to get work done, and, in the case of some stimulants, a more positive attitude. However, over time, as users develop a tolerance and need higher and higher doses to get the same effect, people around them may begin to notice severe crashes, depression, irritability, and agitation. Excitability can turn to anxiety and paranoia, and as obtaining the drug becomes the top priority, responsibilities may begin to fall to the wayside, resulting in overall diminished effectiveness in work or school.

Question 20

Depressants versus Stimulants: Signs of Abuse 2

Answer 20

Physical effects that can be signs of stimulant use include:
Dilated pupils. Restlessness. Weight loss.
Dental problems from teeth grinding or smoking.
Twitches or tics.
Insomnia can also become a severe problem as stimulants keep users awake, or they may develop strange sleeping patterns, such as staying up for days at a time, followed by sleeping for 24 hours or more.

Question 21

Depressants versus Stimulants: Signs of Abuse 3

Answer 21

Depressant misuse, on the other hand, can make a person appear lazy. Unlike stimulants, depressants make a person slow down. Users are more likely to want to sit around and relax or sleep. They may lose interest in formerly loved hobbies, old friends, or personal hygiene. Many of the symptoms may appear very similar to simple depression. These can include Poor concentration. Slow or slurred speech. Frequent drowsiness. Impaired coordination. Impaired memory. Dizziness.
Physical signs like a slow or irregular heartbeat and low blood pressure also hint that the problem is depressant misuse and not depression, as are side effects like constipation, itching of the skin, and difficulty urinating.