Drugs in substance abuse (toxicology) Flashcards
Acute Toxicity
Occurs within minutes to hours of a single exposure episode of a toxin.
Typically, unintentional poisonings in children and intentional drug overdoses in adolescents or adults (suicide attempts or drug abuse) are acute episodes).
Chronic Toxicity
Typically occurs from multiple or long-term exposure to toxins. The amount may not be toxic with an acute exposure, but the chronic exposure may lead to accumulation or toxin-induced conditions that decrease elimination.
Exposures in the occupational setting, from environmental contamination, or from long-term drug abuse can lead to chronic toxicity.
Substance Abuse
Produces acute and chronic toxicity.
Acute: management of substance abuse cases generally follows the same guidelines as management of poisonings and overdoses. A challenge in treating patients during acute drug overdose is determining the possible agents taken and possible adulterants (e.g. talc, strychnine, other drugs) or contaminants.
Chronic: can foster dependence, which often leads to withdrawal symptoms on stopping use and the need for detoxification programs, long-term behavioral counseling, and drugs to produce aversion to or substitution for drug-taking behaviours.
Drug Screening
A drug screen is a qualitative test used to determine the presence of a specific substance or group of substances; it is also called a toxicology screen or tox screen. Urine is a typical specimen.
Duration of Detectability for Urine Screens (rough guide)
Amphetamine —————–2-3 days
Cocaine metabolites——–2-3 days; up to 8 days heavy use
Marijuana metabolites——1-7 days; 1 month with chronic moderate to heavy use
Opiate metabolites———-1-3 days
Phencyclidine (PCP)———7-14 days
Substance: Androgenic anabolic steroids
Slang: Roids
Methods of Abuse: (orally, injected) typically in cycles of weeks or months known as “cycling”, users often combine several different types of steroid known as “stacking”
Major or Unique Health Effects:
Substance: Barbiturates
Slang: Barbs, downers
Methods of Abuse: (ingestion, injection)
Major or Unique Health Effects:
Substance: Cocaine
Slang: Snow, crack, rock
Note: Crack is the street name given to cocaine that has been processed from cocaine-hydrochloride to freebase for smoking
Methods of Abuse: (sniffing, snorting, injecting, smoking [of freebase and crack cocaine], poorly absorbed orally)
Major or Unique Health Effects:
Substance: Dextromethorphan
Slang: DXM, DM, robo, velvet, rojo
Methods of Abuse: (orally, snorting) liquid, powdered form has led to repackaging as capsules or tablets
Major or Unique Health Effects:
Substance: Ethanol
Slang: Various alocoholic drinks and therefore names
Methods of Abuse: (ingestion)
Major or Unique Health Effects:
Substance: GHB (γ-hydroxybutyrate)
Slang: Liquid ecstasy, soap, easy lay, Georgia home boy, somatomax, scoop, grievous, bodily harm
Methods of Abuse: (ingestion)
Major or Unique Health Effects:
Substance: Heroin
Slang: smack, H, skag, junk
Methods of Abuse: (injection, snorting, smoking)
Major or Unique Health Effects:
Substance: Inhalants
Slang: “sniffing”, “huffing”
Methods of Abuse: (inhaled via sniffing/huffing)
Major or Unique Health Effects:
Substance: Injected drugs
Slang: “Shooting up”, “mainlining”
Methods of Abuse: (injection)
Major or Unique Health Effects:
Substance: Ketamine
Slang: K, special K, cat, valium, vitamin K
Methods of Abuse: (injection, snorting)
Major or Unique Health Effects:
Substance: LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide)
Slang: Acid, L, blotter, cubes, sugar, dots
Methods of Abuse: (ingestion) by adding LSD to an absorbent (blotter) paper squares/dots/sugar cubes
Major or Unique Health Effects:
