Week 12 Chapter 10 Substance Use Disorders Stimulants (Caff)

Question 1

What are Stimulants?

Answer 1

Stimulants such as caffeine & amphetamines, are substances that act on the brain & the sympathetic nervous system to increase motor activity & alertness.

Question 2

The first amphetamine, benzedrine, was synthesized in 1927. What was it originally used for?

Answer 2

Benzedrine was used as an inhalant to relieve stuffy noses. However the public soon liked its stimulating effects and doctors were soon prescribing it (& other amphetamines) to relieve mild depression and appetite. It was also supplied to soldiers in WWII to ward off fatigue

Question 3

How do amphetamines work?

Answer 3

Amphetamines, such as benzedrine, dexedrine & methedrine produce their effects by causing the release of norepinephrine & dopamine, & blocking the reuptake of these neurotransmitters.
Amphetamines are taken orally or injected and can be addictive.

Question 4

What are the symptoms for someone using amphetamines?

Answer 4

• Heightened wakefulness
• inhibited intestinal functioning leading to reduced appetite (hence used in dieting)
• Heart rate quickens, blood vessels in skin & mucus membrane constricts
• The person becomes euphoric, alert, outgoing, with seemingly boundless energy & self-confidence
• Larger doses can led to nervousness, agitation, confusion, heart palpitations, headaches, dizziness, sleeplessness
• Heavy users can become suspicious & hostile - potentially dangerous to others (similar to the paranoia seen in schizophrenia)

Question 5

What type of tolerance is built up for someone using amphetamines?

Answer 5

Tolerance to amphetamines develops rapidly so more of the drug is needed to produce effects.

• As tolerance increases, some users might stop taking pills and begin injecting methedrine (a strong amphetamine).
• Users may repeatedly inject methedrine to maintain euphoria and energy for days, only to crash exhausted & depressed for several days, then start the cycle again.

Question 6

Methamphetamine use skyrocketed in the 1990’s. What are some of the demographics of users, & other details about it?

Answer 6

• Men tend to use more Methamphetamine than women (in contrast to other amphetamine’s which is about equal)
• Methamphetamine is taken orally or intravenously. It is often snorted (intranasally)
• In a crystal clear form Methamphetamine is often referred to as ‘ice’ or ‘crystal meth’.
• Craving for Methamphetamine is particularly strong, often lasting several years after the drug is discontinued.
• Tolerance * withdrawal stages are similar to other amphetamines
• Chronic use of Methamphetamine can damage the brain, particularly the dopamine system & hippocampus
• often poor performance on memory tests
• lower activation in several brain areas

Question 7

What are two stimulants used for manufacturing Methamphetamine available over the counter?

Answer 7

• Ephedrine and

* Pseudoephedrine

Question 8

What is Cocaine made from ?

Answer 8

Cocaine is an alkaloid first extracted from the leaves of the coca shrub in the mid-1800’s when it was used as a local anesthetic

Question 9

What forms does Cocaine often get used in?

Answer 9

Crack was derived from cocaine in the mid 1980’s. Crack is a rock-crystal form that is heated, melted & smoked
Crack is much cheaper than cocaine.

Question 10

Aside from being an anesthetic (pain reduction agent), what other effects does cocaine have on the user?

Answer 10

Cocaine acts rapidly on the brain, blocking the reuptake of dopamine in mesolimbic areas.

• Cocaine yields pleasurable states because dopamine left in the synapse facilitates neural transmission.
• Cocaine can increase sexual desire & produce feelings of self-confidence, well-being,
• indefatigability.

Question 11

What does someone going through a cocaine overdose experience?

Answer 11

• heightened irritability
• Impaired social relations
• paranoid thinking
• disturbances in eating & sleeping

Question 12

Do people develop a tolerance to cocaine? &

is it difficult to go through cocaine withdrawal?

Answer 12

Many cocaine users also develop a tolerance requiring larger doses to have same effect whilst others become very sensitive to small amounts of cocaine, sometimes leading to death.
*Stopping cocaine appears to cause severe withdrawal symptoms

Question 13

What does cocaine use have on physiology?

Answer 13

Cocaine is a vasoconstrictor causing the blood vessels to narrow.
As users take larger doses of purer forms of cocaine they are more often rushed to emergency due to overdose or heart attack
Cocaine also increases a persons risk of stroke & suffering cognitive impairment

Question 14

How does a user take cocaine?

Answer 14

Cocaine is usually snorted, smoked in pipes or cigarettes, swallowed, rubbed on gums, or injected. Some heroin users mix the 2 drugs.

• In the 1970’s a component of cocaine was freed or separated by heating it with ether - the ‘base’ or ‘freebase’ produces very powerful effects as it is absorbed so rapidly
• Freebase is usually smoked in a water pipe or sprinkled in a marijuana or tobacco cigarette.
• Base is absorbed straight into the lungs & carried into the brain in a few seconds, where it induces a 2 minute high followed by restlessness and discomfort