DRUGS

By Ingrid Marianne D. Ognita

Submitted to: Dr. SB. Cahiwat, RGC
STIMULANTS
Stimulants, sometimes called uppers, temporarily increase alertness and energy.
The most commonly used street drugs that fall into this category are cocaine and
amphetamines. Prescription stimulantscome in tablets or capsules. When abused, they are
swallowed, injected in liquid form or crushed and snorted.
Stimulants, such as dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine and Adderall) and
methylphenidate (Ritalin and Concerta), act in the brain similarly to a family of key brain
neurotransmitters called monoamines, which include norepinephrine and dopamine.
Stimulants enhance the effects of these chemicals in the brain. The associated increase in
dopamine can induce a feeling of euphoria when stimulants are taken nonmedically.
Stimulants also increase blood pressure and heart rate, constrict blood vessels, increase
blood glucose, and open up breathing passages.
The dramatic increases in stimulant prescriptions over the last 2 decades have led to their
greater environmental availability and increased risk for diversion and abuse.
NARCOTICS
Narcotics are addictive drugs that reduce the user's perception of pain and induce
euphoria (a feeling of exaggerated and unrealistic well-being). The English word narcotic
is derived from the Greek narkotikos , which means "numbing" or "deadening." Although
the term can refer to any drug that deadens sensation or produces stupor, it is commonly
applied to the opioidsthat is, to all natural or synthetic drugs that act like morphine.
Narcotics are the oldest as well as the strongest analgesics , or pain-relieving
drugs, known to humans. Ancient Sumerian and Egyptian medical texts dated as early
as 4000 B.C. mention the opium poppy ( Papaver somniferum ) as the source of a milky
fluid (opium latex) that could be given to relieve coughs and insomnia as well as ease
pain.
Narcotics are central nervous system depressants that produce a stuporous state in
the person who takes them. These drugs often induce a state of euphoria or feeling of
extreme well-being, and they are powerfully addictive. The body quickly builds a
tolerance to narcotics in as little as two to three days, so that greater doses are required to
achieve the same effect

CLASSIFICATION OF NARCOTICS
Natural derivatives of opium: Narcotics in this group include morphine itself and
codeine.
Partially synthetic drugs derived from morphine: These drugs include
heroin, oxycodone (OxyContin), hydromorphone (Dilaudid), and oxymorphone
(Numorphan).
Synthetic compounds that resemble morphine in their chemical structure: Narcotics in
this group include fentanyl (Duragesic), levorphanol (Levo-Dromoran), meperidine
(Demerol), methadone, and propoxyphene (Darvon).
HOW NARCOTICS WORK
The central nervous system in humans and other mammals contains five different
types of opioid receptor proteins, located primarily in the brain, spinal cord, and digestive
tract. When a person takes an opioid medication, the drug attaches to these opioid
receptors in the brain and spinal cord and decreases the person's perception of pain.
Narcotics do not, however, reduce or eliminate the cause of the pain.
USES OF NARCOTICS
Analgesic: Doctors frequently prescribe oral codeine and propoxyphene (alone or in
combination with aspirin) for pain control after oral surgery, for severe menstrual cramps,
and for temporary pain relief after other outpatient surgical procedures.
Antitussive: Antitussives are medications given to control coughing. Codeine is often
effective in relieving severe coughs and is a common ingredient in
prescription cough mixtures.
Antidiarrheal: Paregoric, a liquid preparation containing powdered opium, anise oil, and
glycerin, is sometimes prescribed for severe diarrhea.
PHYSICAL SIDE EFEECTS OF NARCOTICS

Constipation
Drowsiness,
Withdrawal symptoms after extended use (tearing, sweating, diarrhea, vomiting ,
gooseflesh, muscle twitching, runny nose, loss of appetite, and hot or cold flashes)

ALCOHOL
Alcoholism, or alcohol dependence, is described in the Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) as "A maladaptive pattern of alcohol use, leading
to clinically significant impairment or distress."

STAGES OF ALCOHOLISM
Stage 1: Experimentation with alcohol. Normally there is no change noted in
physical status or behavior, and the drinking usually occurs only on weekends during
social occasions with peers, making it the least detectable of the three. Peer pressure to
use alcohol "just for fun."
Stage 2: Actively trying to obtain alcohol. Alcohol use happens during the week to
provide relief when stress is felt or to "feel good" when depressed.
Stage 3: Preoccupation with alcohol. The child or adolescent has nearly lost the
capacity for controlling alcohol use. Setting limits results in withdrawal symptoms,
including depression, moodiness, or irritability. Severe withdrawal can result in serious
medical problems, including delirium tremens.
CAUSES AND SYMPTOMS OF ALCOHOLISM

Decline in school functioning, decreased attendance, poorer grades, and/or

general deterioration in social functioning in school
Increased isolation outside school
Rejection of usual long-term friendships in favor of new or different friends
Frequent arguments or less communication with family members
Being more secretivemarked changes in grooming and clothing stylesnoticeable
Increase in unexplained injuries and fightsrunning away from home.

Treatment of Alcoholism

The first category includes those teens who are using alcohol occasionally but still doing
well emotionally and developmentally and who are not drinking and driving. The
treatment objectives for this group are to encourage abstinence and re-enforce safety by
fostering the continuation of not driving while drinking and not driving with others who
are drinking

The second category includes those teens who are more at-risk because while they are
maintaining stability in physical, developmental, and emotional status, they are also
drinking and driving. Professionals dealing with members of this group may not be able
to maintain confidentiality, and people in this group may benefit from an introduction to
organizations such as Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD).
The third category includes those showing serious signs of impairment, including
inability to follow through on obligations at school or on a job, alcohol-related encounters
with police or the justice system, and mental health problems such as anxiety ,
depression, or oppositional-defiant behavior. These children may experience frequent
acute intoxication or withdrawal symptoms, medical complications, or an inability to stop
or reduce their alcohol intake. Werner and Adjer suggest that professionals dealing with
members of this group probably need to set aside confidentiality in order to involve
parents in the treatment process. Treatment may include detoxification in an in-patient
facility and/or rehabilitation in a youth-centered substance abuse program.
SEDATIVES
A drug that calms a patient, easing agitation and permitting sleep. Sedatives
generally work by modulating signals within the central nervous system. If sedatives are
misused or accidentally combined, as in the case of combining prescription sedatives
with alcohol, they can dangerously depress important signals that are needed to maintain
heart and lung function. Most sedatives also have addictive potential. For these reasons,
sedatives should be used under supervision and only as necessary.
Effects of Sedatives
The class of sedative drugs includes sleep aids like Lunesta, Ambien and Sonata and
barbiturates like Seconal and Amytal. They all cause drowsiness and sleepiness and are
used to reduce anxiety. They also reduce heart rate and breathing, and can reduce them to
the point that death occurs, if there is an overdose. When other depressant-type drugs like
opiates or alcohol are added to the mix, a dangerous effect can occur with a smaller dose
of sedatives.
One of the most marked effects of sedatives is their potential for abuse and addiction. A
person can quickly develop a tolerance, meaning that more of the drug is needed to create
the desired effects. This can occur if the drug is used as directed or if it is abused.
If a person takes a second or later dose too soon or if they take too much in their attempt
to achieve the euphoric effect they seek, they can easily overdose, leading to coma or
death.

A person abusing sedatives may look drowsy, may slur speech, stagger, have a weak
pulse, dilated pupils, trembling hands and lack of coordination. They may be confused,
disoriented and depressed. A person abusing sedatives may swing from emotional highs
to lows.
SIDE EFFECTS OF SEDATIVES

Depression, thoughts of self-injury or suicide

Anxiety, aggression, restlessness

Hallucinations, loss of personality

In some cases, a persons physician may be concerned about his or her patient being on
an addictive drug for a long period of time. They may cut the patient off, causing the
patient to have to resort to fraud, doctor-shopping, black market purchases or the internet
to get the pills they are addicted to.
Withdrawal from Sedatives
When a person tries to kick an addiction to this type of drug, they must consult a medical
professional. Cold-turkey withdrawal from sedatives can result in convulsions, delirium
and death. A person may require a stay in a medical detoxification program before he or
she can go to a drug rehab for recovery. But if they stay on the drug, they risk the serious
effects listed above. Its a serious trap that requires competent professional help to escape.
HALLUCINOGENS
Hallucinogens are a diverse group of drugs that alter perception (awareness of
surrounding objects and conditions), thoughts, and feelings. They cause hallucinations, or
sensations and images that seem real though they are not.
EFFECTS OF HALLUCINOGENS
The effects of hallucinogens can last for 4 to 12 hours and can be different depending on
which type of hallucinogen is used. The following may be experienced during this time:

Feeling happy and relaxed

Seeing and hearing things that arent there
Confusion and trouble concentrating
Dizziness
Blurred vision
Clumsiness

Fast or irregular heart beat

Breathing quickly
Vomiting
Sweating and chills
Numbness

EXAMPLES OF HALLUCINOGENS
LSD (d-lysergic acid diethylamide)also known as acid, blotter, doses, hits, microdots,
sugar cubes, trips, tabs, or window panesis one of the most potent mood- and
perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. It is a clear or white, odorless, water-soluble
material synthesized from lysergic acid, a compound derived from a rye fungus. LSD is
initially produced in crystalline form, which can then be used to produce tablets known as
microdots or thin squares of gelatin called window panes.
Psilocybin(4-phosphoryloxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine)also known as magic
mushrooms, shrooms, boomers, or little smokeis extracted from certain types of
mushrooms found in tropical and subtropical regions of South America, Mexico, and the
United States.
Peyote (Mescaline)also known as buttons, cactus, and mescis a small, spineless
cactus with mescaline as its main ingredient. It has been used by natives in northern
Mexico and the southwestern United States as a part of religious ceremonies. The top, or
crown, of the peyote cactus has disc-shaped buttons that are cut out, dried, and usually
chewed or soaked in water to produce an intoxicating liquid.
DMT (Dimethyltryptamine)also known as Dimitriis a powerful hallucinogenic
chemical found naturally occurring in some Amazonian plant species (see Ayahuasca)
and also synthesized in the laboratory. Synthetic DMT usually takes the form of a white
crystalline powder and is typically vaporized or smoked in a pipe.
Ayahuascaalso known as hoasca, aya, and yagis a hallucinogenic brew made from
one of several Amazonian plants containing DMT (the primary psychoactive ingredient)
along with a vine containing a natural alkaloid that prevents the normal breakdown of
DMT in the digestive tract.
Research suggests that hallucinogens work at least partially by temporarily disrupting
communication between brain chemical systems throughout the brain and spinal cord