Drugs Flashcards
Define Psychoactive Drugs
Drugs or other substances that act upon the Central Nervous System and effect brain functions including – perception, moods, thinking and behavior are altered
What are the legal psychoactive drugs?
Caffeine: Found in coffee, tea, and energy drinks, it’s a widely consumed stimulant.
Nicotine: Present in tobacco products, though its use is heavily regulated.
Alcohol: A depressant that’s legal for adults over 21.
Cannabis: Legal for medical or recreational use in many states, though still federally restricted.
Kratom: A plant-based substance legal in some states, often used for its stimulant or sedative effects.
Kava: A root-based drink known for its calming effects, legal in most places.
Dextromethorphan: Found in cough syrups, it can have psychoactive effects in high doses.
What are examples of psychoactive drugs?
Psychoactive drugs are substances that affect the brain and alter mood, perception, or behavior. Examples include:
Caffeine: Found in coffee, tea, and energy drinks.
Alcohol: A depressant widely consumed in beverages.
Nicotine: Present in tobacco products.
Cannabis: Used recreationally or medicinally in many places.
Antidepressants: Like SSRIs, prescribed for mental health conditions.
Stimulants: Such as amphetamines, often used to treat ADHD.
Hallucinogens: Like LSD or psilocybin (magic mushrooms).
Opioids: Such as morphine or codeine, used for pain relief.
Some are legal and regulated, while others are controlled or illegal.
What are some effects of psychoactive drugs?
Psychoactive drugs interact with the brain and central nervous system to alter mood, perception, cognition, and behavior. Here’s a general overview of their effects:
- Stimulants (e.g., caffeine, nicotine, amphetamines): Increase alertness, energy, and focus. They can also elevate heart rate and blood pressure.
- Depressants (e.g., alcohol, benzodiazepines): Slow down brain activity, leading to relaxation, reduced anxiety, and drowsiness. Overuse can impair coordination and judgment.
- Opioids (e.g., morphine, oxycodone): Relieve pain and induce euphoria, but carry a high risk of dependence and respiratory depression.
- Hallucinogens/ psychedelics (e.g., LSD, psilocybin): Distort perception and can cause vivid visual and auditory hallucinations. They might also lead to changes in thought patterns or emotions.
- Cannabis: Can produce relaxation, mild euphoria, and altered sensory perception. Some users may experience paranoia or anxiety.
- Antidepressants or mood stabilizers: Aim to improve mood and emotional balance for those with specific mental health conditions. They usually have subtler, long-term effects.
These effects can vary based on the substance, dosage, individual physiology, and environment.
What are Hallucinogens?
Drugs that alter perceptions of the external environment and inner awareness – induce sensory and perceptual distortions; skewed sense of time. Do not appear to have the same potential for abuse as other drugs
They distort perceptions, alter mood and thinking
List some Hallucinogens
Marijuana
LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide): SA agonist
Mescaline: SA agonist
PCP (Phencyclidine) : aka angle dust
Ketamine : (anesthetic for animals)
Plant base: Peyote, Psilocybin
MDMA (Ectasy)
What are the effects of using LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide)
LSD can produce psychotic reactions, especially in people who are psychologically unstable.
Who discovered LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide)
Albert Hofmann, a Swiss chemist
What did Hofmann’s team do?
- Hofmann’s team isolated, named and synthesized the principal psychedelic mushroom compounds psilocybin and psilocin.
- The first to synthesize, ingest, and learn of the psychedelic effects of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD).
- He spent years investigatingLSD’s hallucinogenic propertiesin the belief that the drug would one day be useful in the therapeutic treatment of schizophrenics and other psychiatric patients.
What are the effects of alcohol and other depressants
- Suppress or decrease central nervous system activity– slow down the body’s physiological and mental processes
- Approximately 16 million Americans are physically dependent upon or abuse alcohol
- These drugs serve as agonists of the GABA neurotransmitter system, has a quieting effect on the brain
- These types of drugs are often prescribed to treat Anxiety, muscle spasms, seizures, and insomnia
Name some depressants
Alcohol
Barbiturates
Benzodiazepines
Inhalants
Tranquilizers
What does alcohol cause?
- Feelings of Euphoria
- Feelings of sedation
- Decrease reaction
- Lowers alertness
- Loss of balance/coordination
- Reduces behavioral control
- Fetal alcohol spectrum syndrome
- Fetal alcohol syndrome
What do stimulants do?
Excite or increase overall levels of neural activity and speed up physiological and mental processes
Name some stimulants
- Caffeine
- Nicotine
- Amphetamines (Adderall, Dexedrine)
- Methamphetamines
- Cocaine
- Methcathinones
What do stimulants do?
- Euphoria (euphoric high)
- Feeling of intense pleasure
- Feeling alert
Repeated use = adverse effects:
* Anxiety, headaches, insomnia
* Nausea, hallucinations, paranoia
* Elevated heart rate and blood pressure
* Altered brain functions
* Many of these drugs act as agonists of the DA neurotransmitter system; blocking the reuptake in the neuronal synapse (cocaine) and or/stimulating its release (amphetamines)
What are the effects of caffeine
- Most commonly used stimulant
- High levels: insomnia, agitation, muscle twitching, nausea, arrhythmia, death
*
What are the effects of nicotine?
- Legal use of nicotine generates many more deaths and much more public health spending than all other drugs combined (including alcohol).
- Highly addictive
- Increased heart disease, stroke, varied cancers
- Used widely and publicly contributes to the impression that it is not really a drug.
- Agonizes Ach and other neurotransmitter systems.
What are Opioids?
- Analgesic properties to relieve pain, suppress cough; produce feelings of euphoria
- Drugs/narcotics that suppress pain and response to stimulation and mimic the brain’s endorphins
Name the differnt types of Opioids
- Opium (Natural Opioid)
- Synthetic:
Methadone
Fentanyl - Semi- Synthetic Opioids:
Morphine
Heroin (euphoria to agitation)
Codeine
Hydrocodone
Oxycodone
What is the major issues with psychoactive drugs?
Some psychoactive drugs are highly addictive - psychological and physical
What is Drug Abuse?
Inappropriate recurrent use of a drug or drugs that results in physical, mental, emotional or social impairment – creates a disruption in academic, social, or occupational functioning and/or create legal or psychological problems
What is a Psychological dependence and addiction?
An emotional need that is independent of physical need; often feel they cannot function without continued use to relieve stress, for example.
What are the effects of Physical dependence and addiction?
Changes in normal body functions that occur after repeated use. User will experience withdrawal from the drug upon cessation of use.
What is Tolerance?
Tolerance is linked to physiological dependence; reduced effectiveness after repeated use
