Drugs and Alcohol Flashcards
Pharmacological Properties
Overall effects of a drug on a persons behaviour, psychology, and chemistry (eg. composition)
Dose-Response Function
Relationship between the amount of drug taken and intensity and type of resulting effect (eg intensity)
Time-Action Function
Relationship between the time elapsed since the drug was taken and the intensity of its effects (eg lag time)
Drug History
Past or habitual usage may impact the tolerance, peaks, and longevity of the drugs (eg first time or not)
Route of Administration
Method of intaking drug
Physical Factors
weight (greater in skinny over fat people), personal metabolic rates, pregnancy, M vs F, genetics
psychological factors
Social settings influencing experience and effect of drug
Effects of Cocaine: Central Nervous System
Suppressed desire for food, sex, sleep
Can cause strokes, seizures, and neurological damage
Effects of Cocaine: Cardiovascular System
Increased blood pressure from constricted blood vessels
Irregular heartbeat and damaged tissues
Effects of Cocaine: Respiratory System
Freebasing (smoking crack) can cause lung damage
Overdose can lead to respiratory arrest (stopped breathing for prolonged period)
Effects of Cocaine: Reproductive System
M: Erectile, ejaculatory, and sperm dysfunction
F: miscarriage
Effects of Cocaine: Nose
Damage mucous membrane
Effects of Cannabis: Brain & CNS
Dulled sensory and cognitive skills (changed brain chemistry)
Alters motor coordination
Difficulty concentrating, attention to detail, and learning new info
Effects of Cannabis: CVS
Increases heart rate and blood pressure
Decreased blood flow to limbs (amputation in extreme cases)
Effects of Cannabis: Respiratory System
Damages lungs (50% more than tobacco)
Cause lung cancer
May damage throat from inhalation
Effects of Cannabis: Reproductive System
Women = impaired ovulation and pregnancy irregularities
Men = Sexual dysfunction and irregular sperm
Positives of Cannabis: Brain & CNS
Increased sense of euphoria
Minimizes headaches and cancer spread
Positives of Cannabis: Vision
Reduces intraocular pressure, helps with glaucoma
Positives of Cannabis: Digestive System
Combats nausea from chemotherapy and helps minimize vomitting
Helps restore appetite in people who have lost weight due to cancer or AIDS
Positives of Cannabis: Muscular System
Helps calm spasms from spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, and possibly epilepsy
Acute Effects of Alcohol: CNS
Impaired reaction time, motor coordination, judgement and sedation
High dose can cause coma and death
Acute Effects of Alcohol: Senses
Less acute vision, smell, taste, and hearing
Acute Effects of Alcohol: Stomach
Nausea, inflammation, and bleeding
Acute Effects of Alcohol: Skin
Flushing, sweating, heat loss and hypothermia
Formation of broken capillaries
