Topic 10 & 11: Substance Abuse & Addiction Flashcards
alcohol is often…
*used in combination with other substances
marijuana
*Recreational use
*Legalized in some states
*Medicinal use
*Legalized in several states
*Use remains federally prohibited
nicotine
*Historic trends continue:
*cigarettes
* pipes
*chewing tobacco
*Newer trend:
*e-Cigarettes (“vaping”)
opioids
*Includes prescription pain relievers & heroin
*Opioid overdose is at epidemic levels (A leading cause of death in the U.S.)
*Women dying of heroin overdose has tripled
prescription abuse
*Opioids
*Sedatives (e.g., benzodiazepines)
*Stimulants
medications that fall under the opioid class
*hydrocodone (e.g., Vicodin),
*oxycodone (e.g., OxyContin, Percocet),
*Hydromorphone (Dilaudid)
*morphine (e.g., Kadian, Avinza),
*codeine, and related drugs.
Dependence/Addiction and changes in the brain
The most important structural or architectural change takes place in the circuitry of the brain — particularly in the wiring of the reward pathway
withdrawal symptoms may occur if drug use is suddenly reduced or stopped are…
restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, cold flashes with goose bumps (“cold turkey”), and involuntary leg movements.
the 4 Cs of addiction
*Compulsive behavior (finding & taking the substance)
*Cravings
*Chronic, relapsing brain disorder
*Cognitive impairment
How do drugs work in the brain to produce pleasure?
Most drugs of abuse directly or indirectly target the brain’s reward system by flooding the circuit with dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter present in regions of the brain that regulate movement, emotion, cognition, motivation, and feelings of pleasure. The overstimulation of this system, which rewards our natural behaviors, produces the euphoric effects sought by people who abuse drugs and teaches them to repeat the behavior.
Alcohol and other CNS depressants act on what NT
GABA
tolerance can lead to
dependence, then addiction, then overdose
Client -Centered Care:Assessment for Substance Abuse
1.Clarify presenting signs
2.Assess for withdrawal
3.Assess for overdose
4.Assess for self-harm potential
5.Evaluate physiologic response
6.Explore individual’s interest in taking action
7.Assess knowledge of community resources
Since the brain is not fully developed until the mid-20s…
early drug abuse negatively impacts brain development.
Identification & Reporting in Healthcare
-Reporting an impaired colleague is a peer responsibility (mandated reporter)
-Clear documentation by co-workers is crucial & mandatory
you as the nurse can repot alcohol abuse about a colleague, but interventions is the responsibility of
the nurse manager and administrators
If an impaired nurse remains in the practice situation and no action is taken by the nurse manager, the information must be…
taken to the next level in the chain of command
alternative-to-discipline (ATD) programs
Alcohol is the most teratogenic substance during
pregnancy
*Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)
*Life-long effects (mental retardation, delayed growth and development, and distinctive facial abnormalities)
breastfeeding considerations for alcoholics
alcohol and aging
tolerance for alcohol is DECREASED due to:
*Slower emptying of stomach
*Slower metabolism (including hepatic)
*Increased sensitivity to alcohol in the brain
Decline in lean muscle mass and increased fatty tissue contribute to…
increased blood alcohol levels (BALs).
*Changes in the response to alcohol include: (older adults)
*Headaches
*Reduction in mental abilities
*Memory losses or lapses
*Feelings of malaise instead of well-being
older adults have decreased liver enzymes which
decrease the ability or break down alcohol, making higher BAL than in younger people
alcohol should not be mixed with
Antidepressants and tranquilizers because they further depress the CNS
Toxicity of other drugs (e.g., acetaminophen (Tylenol)) is enhanced by
alcohol-associated malnutrition.
Physiologic Effects of Alcohol
*Brain Function
*Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)
*Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy
*Arrhythmias
*Hypertension
Alcohol can cause your neurotransmitters to relay information too slowly, so you feel..
extremely drowsy
Alcohol related disruptions to the neurotransmitter balance also can trigger mood and behavioral changes, including…
depression, agitation, memory loss, and even seizures.
what NT is susceptible to even small amounts of alcohol, and what does it affect
glutamate
-glutamate affects memory
what NT does alcohol affect that sparks feeling of relaxation and euphoria
serotonin
alcohol damages liver function which can lead to
hepatic encephalopathy
s/s of hepatic encephalopathy
- Sleep disturbances
- Mood and personality changes
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Shortened attention span
- Coordination problems, including asterixis, which results in hand shaking or flapping
- Coma
- Death
Doctors can help treat hepatic encephalopathy with
compounds that lower blood ammonia concentrations and with devices that help remove harmful toxins from the blood.
Fetal Alcohol Syndromes
a medical condition in which body deformation or facial development or mental ability of a fetus is impaired because the mother drank alcohol while pregnant
Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy
Long term heavy drinking weakens the heart muscle, causing a condition called alcoholic cardiomyopathy. A weakened heart droops and stretches and cannot contract effectively. As a result, it cannot pump enough blood to sufficiently nourish the organs.
Symptoms of cardiomyopathy include
shortness of breath and other breathing difficulties, fatigue, swollen legs and feet, and irregular heartbeat. It can even lead to heart failure
Arrhythmias
Both binge drinking and long term drinking can affect how quickly a heart beats.
Strokes
A stroke occurs when blood cannot reach the brain.
Both binge drinking and long term heavy drinking can lead to strokes even in people without coronary heart disease
Hypertension
Chronic alcohol use, as well as binge drinking, can cause high blood pressure, or hypertension.
Alcohol affects all organ systems
*Alcohol is a CNS depressant
*Wernicke’s Encephalopathy
*Korsakoff’s Psychosis
*Esophagitis
*Pancreatitis
*Alcohol-induced hepatitis
*Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)
*Wernicke’s Encephalopathy
*Confusion, abnormal eye movement (nystagmus) and unsteady gait (ataxia)
*Korsakoff’s Psychosis
*Chronic condition
*Inability to learn new information, short-term and long-term memory problems
*Consequence of untreated Wernicke’s encephalopathy is
Korsakoff’s Psychosis
late effects of alcoholism
*Cirrhosis
*Jaundice
*Esophageal varices
*Ascites
*Hepatomegaly
*Splenomegaly
*Edema
*Spider angiomas
*Anemia/Thrombocytopenia
*Coagulation disorders
*Peripheral neuropathy
*thiamine (B1) deficiency is caused by
*Wernicke-Korsakoff’s syndrome
treatment for thiamine (B1) deficiency
*thiamine for B1 replacement, magnesium sulfate, folic acid & multivitamin