Routes of Use and Stimulants Flashcards
Routes of Use (Slowest to Fastest)
- Chewing
- Drinking/eating
- Rubbing
- Snorting
- Shooting
- Smoking
- Inhaling
Kinetics
speed of on-/offset of a drug, fast kinetics -> increase in addictiveness
Dynamics
efficacy of drug (maximum effect it can produce), high efficacy -> increased addictive potential
Why does route of use (or kinetics and dynamics) matter?
methods like chewing and eating have to be metabolized in the liver first thus they take longer to reach the brain and produce an effect
Cocaine - What is it
- psychoactive component of coca plant
- chewing not (as) addictive
- snorted, rubbed, injected
Cocaine - Neurochemistry
- inhibits reuptake of serotonin, dopamine and noradrenalin (TRI - Triple Reuptake Inhibitor)
- leads to higher self-interest, aggressiveness, and risk-taking behavior
Cocaine - Harm
- highly addictive
- OD: constricted blood vessels (-> heart attack), seizures, rupture of the aorta
- regular use: psychosis (-> formication; ants under skin)
Crack
- cheaper version, not synthesized
- more harmful in terms of crime and more addictive because of kinetics (smoking crack vs. snorting coke)
Why is Ritalin (methylphenidate) not as addictive as cocaine?
Kinetics (-> taken in pill form); despite being chemically similar to cocaine and even more potent it takes much longer than cocaine to reach the brain
Why does Ritalin help against ADHD?
- Hypothesis: ADHD patients have too many dopamine transporters -> dopamine fired into synapse is sucked back in before it can have an effect
- Ritalin blocks dopamine transporters thus attention is increased
Drugs and Performance
- Physical performance is increased with steroids (muscle growth, strength), amphetamines (wakefulness), and alcohol (calming effect)
- Cognitive performance increased by using stimulants i.e. modafinil to stay awake longer in or der to study/work
Article - What are legal highs?
- drugs classified as novel psychoactive substances
- compounds designed to mimic existing drugs (by tweaking their chemical structure)
Article - Stimulant NPS
mimic the effect of MDMA, cocaine and amphetamines; act as RIs or active releasers, serotonergic more similar to MDMA and dopaminergic more similar to cocaine
Article - Cannabinoid NPS
SCRAs have similar effects but are much more harmful than cannabis, major psychoactive component is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) a partial agonist for cannabinoid receptors, lacks cannabinidol (antipsychotic and anxiolytic)
Article - Hallucinogenic NPS (Dissociatives)
i.e. “Mexxy” act similar to ketamine or PCP, produce a dissociative state (out of body, time warp), have the same risks (psychosis, catatonic state)
Article - Hallucinogenic NPS (Psychedelics)
same effects as illegal psychedelics, act on 5-HT2A-receptor (possibly on 5-HT1A as well), some act as stimulants as well thus have additional risks associated with traditional stimulants
Article - Depressant NPS (Benozodiazepines)
act similar to traditional benzos, act on GABA receptor thus enhancing inhibitory signalling in CNS, longer duration than traditional benzos
Article - Depressant NPS (Opioids)
i.e. novel fentanyls (cheap heroin replacement), exert euphoric effects on pre-synaptic µ-opioid receptors, similar risks as traditional opioids
Article #2 -What is Mephedrone
- MDMA replacement after ban, aka bath salts
- based on khat, similar effects as MDMA and amphetamine
- one of the most used emergent psychoactive substances
- acts as monoamine transporter substrate (monoamine reuptake inhibitor, similar to MDMA)
Article #2 - Behavior under the influence of Mephedrone
- Desired: stimulated mood and sex drive
- Undesired: altered level of consciousness, hyperthermia, tachycardia, addiction, decreased locomotor behavior
- > no chewing off faces (associated with poly drug use or underlying mental disorder)
