PHARM - Drug Assignments (Test 3) Flashcards
Common streetnames for crack/cocaine
- snow
- Devil’s dandruff
- Hannah montana
- blow
- soft white
- hard white
- yayo
- 8ball
- star-spangled powder
- rock
- nose beeres
What’s the difference between crack and cocaine?
- crack is a derivative of cocaine - achieved through a cooking process
- crack: rock form
- cocaine: powder form
What does crack look like?
- rock form; ranging in colour from clear white to off white, varied in shape and size
- At its natural form, it comes from a plant (chewable)a
What does cocaine look like?
- white powder - looks similar to baking soda and other white powders
- can look flaky depending ona additives
- In the market today, it is a fine white powder
How is crack cocaine used?
- Crack: smoked (crackpipe)
-
Cocaine: snorted, injected, smoked (rare)
- may be swallowed to boost high
How is cocaine manufactured?
1) Cocaine comes from dried leaves of coca plant Erythroxylum
2) Leaves are mulched & binding agent like cement is sprinkled over it
3) Mixed with gasoline, ammonia, sulfuric acid, sodium permanganate, caustic soda and others to produce a paste
4) Paste is extracted and heated until most of the water is evaporated
5) Crushed and sold, may be mixed with other stuff then grinded it to turn into a powder
How is cocaine manufactured?
made by cooking cocaine powder with baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) then breaking it into small pieces called rocks (name comes from the fact that it cracckles when heated and smoked)
Benefits of cocaine?
- local anesthestic
- vasoconstrictive properties
- ^ both used for head and neck surgeries
- in coca cola as a “tonic” back in the day
Retail value of crack and cocaine
Crack:
- 0.1g (rock): $10-25
- 0.1 - 0.25g: $40
Cocaine: 1/8th oz/3.5 g (8 ball): $120-150+
Demographics use for crack/cocaine
- 58% of crack/cocaine use is male
- highest use if 20-24 age group
- use in Canadian population is ~2%
Effects of crack/ccoaine on body, and time it takes for the drug to kick in via intranasal (snorting), injection, and smoking.
Intranasal/snorting: takes effect within a few minutes, lasts 15-30 min
Injection: produces a rush felt in 30-45 secs, lasts 10-20 mins
Smoking: causes high within seconds, last only 5-10 mins
Effects: cocaine binds to dopamine transporter, blocking the removal of dopamine from synapse so it accumulates in the synapse to produce an amplified signal to receiving neurons - causes “euphoria”
Short term effects of crack/cocaine
- Short acting stimulant
- Euphoric “high” feeling - can induce hallucinations, huge mood swings, panic, and paranoia
- Restlessness & aggression, violence
- Dry mouth, loss of appetite, sweating, increased HR
- Long “low crash” follows - associated with strong cravings & depressive episodes
- May also experience tremors, vertigo, and muscle twitches
Long term effects of crack/cocaine
- Increased anxiety, nervousness and psychosis
- Breathing problems and lung damage: “Crack Lung”
- Difficulty sleeping, weight loss
- Nose Bleeds
- damage the nasal septum (sinus infections and loss of smell)
- Infections with injections (used needles) or with impurities of the drug
- Debt & difficult social relationships
Withdrawal symptoms of crack/cocaine
- Significant fatigue and depression
- Agitation
- Intense cravings
- Anxiety
- Nausea
- Insomnia & nightmares
- Hallucinations
- Excessive sweating
Long term use of crack cocaine can dause dangers to the body including:
- Can cause blood vessels to thicken and constrict, reducing flow of oxygen to the heart
- Can cause heart muscle to work harder (risk of heart attack and stroke)
- Raises BP which can weaken blood vessels in the brain to bursta
Overdose of crack/cocaine leads to:
- Seizures and heart failure
- Weak breathing and/or respiratory arrest
- Also mixing cocaine with other substances such as alcohol, fentanyl, and heroin increases dangers and risk of overdose
CBT
- Psychotherapy approach to help with substance abuse
- Helps with identifying negative and self-deprecating thoughts and aims to improve self-control, form good coping strategies, increased awareness
- Includes:
- Functional analysis: identifying thoughts and feelings and circumstances leading to substance use + consequences of behaviour; provides insight to better understand a person’s history and relate tx around these issues
- Skills training: developing coping skills, providing education, substituting habits with positive action plans
MDMA stands for
methylenedioxymethamphetamine