Drugs of Abuse Flashcards
Why do people abuse drugs?
(1) To Feel Good Novel 1. Feelings 2. Sensation 3. Experiences & share them (experimenting: mid-late high school/university years)
(2) To Feel Better Self-medicating to lessen 1. Anxiety 2. Worries 3. Fears 4. Depression 5. Hopelessness
Goal for abuse?
Get a “quick fix”
Routes of Administration
- IV
- Inhalation (smoking)
- Insufflation (snorting)
- Oral - not common b/c takes a long time and high rate of metabolism in gut & liver
Could use topical - but mainly to bust the patch
Which routes of administration are the most intoxicating?
- IV & smoking
2. Snorting
Placebo Effect
30-50%
Feel effect without getting the “high”
Friend vodka story
Origin of Cocaine?
Derived from coca plant (South America) in high mountains
Natives -> chewed plant, stimulant
-Inc breathing/O2 intake -> good b/c low O2 in mountains
-Dec appetite -> didn’t need to feed as often
Origin of Coca Cola
Cocaine in Coke
- 9g in 1st version
- removed by early 1900’s
Cocaine use in the early 1900’s?
Local anesthetic (like Lidocaine)
- Sold over the counter
- Put on kids teeth (numb the A for toothache)
- Cops put drugs on gums to see if it was Cocaine (went numb)
Mechanism of action of Cocaine?
Blocks dopamine reuptake transporters (blocks pore)
Inc. dopamine in the cleft = inc. signalling (stimulant)
@ high doses = also blocks reuptake of serotonin & NA
Action of Cocaine? (STEAMS)
- SNS activation (NA response increased)
- Inc T (hyperthermia)
- Inc. euphoria
- Inc. alertness
- Inc. mental awareness
- Dec sweating
Adverse effects of Cocaine? (Acute - PHATAD, LT - CASR)
Acute
- Paranoia
- Hypertension (Inc. BP)
- Anxiety
- Tachycardia (Inc. HR)
- Agitation
- Dyspnea (slowed breathing)
LT
- Cardiac arrhymias (fatal)
- Seizures
- Respiratory failure
Cocaethylene
Active metabolite of cocaine in the presence of alcohol
- Greater potency to dopamine transporters
- Less potency to serotonin & NA transporters
- Contributes to cardiotoxicity of cocaine
Cocaine vs. Crack
- Form
- Melting Point
- Solubility
Form:
- Co: white powder (HCl salt), typically smoked or IV
- Cr: free base form of cocaine, white rocks (makes crackle sound when produced), heat + mix cocaine, NaHCO3 (baking powder) + water
Melting Point
- Co: unstable at high T, no high if smoked
- Cr: vaporizes @ 90oC, can be smoked
Solubility - both = IV injected
- Co: H2O soluble, IV injected easily
- Cr: not H2O soluble, use lemon juice + vinegar to dissolve
- *Corrode veins**
Major Side Effects of Opioid Use
- Nausea
- Respiratory depression dangerous
- Constipation
How do opioids cause severe constipation?
Bind to opioid receptors in the gut, bowel stretches
Intestine responds to stretch
Causes blockage of the intestines -> dec longitudinal motion (propulsive contractions, inc non-propulsive/nonproductive contractions