Exam 2 Flashcards
Coca Bush
A flowering bush that stands 3-6 feet high and yields approx.. 4 ounces of waxy leaves that are about 1% cocaine by weight.
Process of making Cocaine
- It takes 500-550kg leaves to make 1 kilo of paste
- 2.5 kilos of paste to make one kilo of cocaine
- The paste is treated with ether, acetone, and hydrochloride acid to make 1 kilo of cocaine hydrochloride. `
Cocaine’s Impact on Neurotransmission
Binds to specific receptor sites on the brain that trigger the release of dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine, thus activating the sympathetic nervous system. Acts on the hypothalamus to decrease appetite and need for sleep.
High of Cocaine
High in 2 minutes, lasts for 10 minutes, high subsides after 20 minutes and is gone by 30 minutes
Effects of cocaine
Increased alertness, excitation, euphoria, high pulse rate, high blood pressure, insomnia, weight loss, and hypersensitive stress system.
The underlying effect of Cocaine
Cocaine short-circuits reward pathways of the brain; impairs the function of and damage to the brain.
Crack
Cocaine cooked in a mixture of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and water becoming hard from dry heat.
Typically smoked in a glass pipe.
Differences between cocaine and crack
Coke is for the rich and crack is for the poor. Cack high is very intense and addictive, coke is more psychologically addictive than physical.
Speedballing
Mixing Cocaine or crack with heroin
Cocaine bugs
Itchiness coming from withdrawal
Amphetamines
Synthetic drugs with a high that lasts for hours. Lab-made. Crushed, dissolved, and mainlined.
Methamphetamine (speed, crank, crystal)
A very fast-acting substance with a high potential for abuse.
Amphetamines vs. Cocaine
Amphetamines are much easier to produce and the effects last longer.
Meth tolerance
Tolerance does not develop to all effects at the same rate, and each high is not as intense as the last high. Withdrawal can be almost immediate
Meth effects on the brain
Elevates dopamine levels and blocks the reuptake of dopamine, serotonin, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and glutamate. Increases sensitivity to glutamates in the reward system. Inhibits MAO and continually stimulates CNS. Rish can last 5-30 minutes but high can go from 4 to 16 hours.
Bath Salts
Synthetic derivatives of cathinone, a CNS stimulant found in Khat. Typically snoted or ingested.
Khat
Stimulant cultivated as a shrub,
Yaba
A mix of meth and caffeine
Nicotine
Cigarettes, chew, vaping… etc…
Absorbed through the skin and mucosal lining of the mouth and nose by inhalation into the lungs
Effects of Nicotine
The brain is swamped by a “spike” and also exerts a sedative effect.
Tolerance and withdrawal of Nicotine
repeated exposure results in tolerance
Nicotine is very, very addictive.
Dangers of Nicotine
440,000 people die annually from the deadly effects of tobacco smoke- accounts for 1/3 of all cancers and 90% of lung cancer
Nicotine is a vasoconstrictor (constricts blood vessels), causes the heart to work harder to maintain a sufficient level of oxygen
Exited delirium
A condition that manifests as a combination of delirium, psychomotor agitation, anxiety, hallucinations, speech disturbances, disorientation, violent and bizarre behavior, insensitivity to pain, superhuman strength, and elevate body temperature.
SSRIs
Antidepressants selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
Theses medications that prevent the reuptake of certain excitatory neurotransmitters, allowing the neurotransmitters to stay in the synaptic space longer, making it more likely that the next neuron will fire.