Week 3c: Specific Drugs Flashcards
1
Q
10 Mild & Moderate effects of Psychostimulants
MAHIMAHI ST
A
- Motor excitement; restlessness
- Anger: verbal aggression
- Heightened energy
- Increased sexual interest
- Mood Amplification; both euphoric and dysphoric
- Anorexia: mild to moderate
- Hyperactive ideation
- inflated self-esteem
- Sleep disturbance, insomnia
- Talkativeness: pressure of speech
2
Q
9 Severe effects of Psychostimulants
PREDDICTT
A
- Possible extreme violence
- Rambling, incoherent speech
- Extreme energy or exhaustion
- Delusions of grandiosity
- Disjointed sexual interest
- Irritablity, hostility, anxiety, fear, withdrawal
- Compulsive motor stereotypes
- Total anorexia
- Total insomnia
3
Q
Effects of Alcohol
A
CNS Depressant / Sedative Hypnotic
- Toxic drug. Both irritating & sedative properties. Can negatively effect every human tissue.
- Easily crosses placenta in pregnant women (FAS)
Major Effects
- Dependent on individual (amount, set/setting, body size, past experience/expectation)
- Generally reduces physical coordination, mental agility, alters perception
- Acts on the cerebellum
4
Q
Alcohol Effects on Brain
A
- Amnesia (Blackouts/hippocampus)
- Brain damage (usually motor areas)
- Permanent memory loss or confusion
- If depression of breathing center → death
5
Q
Alcohol on Heart and Blood Vessels
A
- Heart muscle becomes weaker and expands. Heart disease
- High blood pressure
- Peripheral blood vessels are dilated by alcohol
- Related Ills; liver, heart, gastric, sexual (impotence, disrupted ovaries)
- Sobering up; only time will work
- Tolerance; develops with frequent use
- Fetal Alcohol Syndrome = 3rd leading cause of birth defects
- distorted facial features (upper lip)
- other abnormalities; heart defects & limb deformities
- neurocognitive disability
- Twice the chance of premature death
6
Q
Alcohol on Peripheral Nerves
PPUGGL
A
- pancreatitis (very painful)
- peptic ulcer
- usually legs; optic nerves can also be damaged
- gastrointestinal Tract
- gastritis
- liver damage
7
Q
Alcohol Withdrawal
A
Very strong withdrawal syndromes; people can die
Stage 1
- 6-12 hours after last dink
- lasts 3-5 days
- Psychomotor agitation, anxiety, insomnia, decreased appetite, gastrointestinal disturbances, elevated heart rate & BP, sweating, tremors (shakes)
Stage 2
- usually within 24 hours after last drink, may occur up to 3 days later
- occurs in 25% of untreated alcoholics
- as stage 1 but may also; convulse, hallucinate, disorientate (delirium tremens), panic attack
8
Q
Barbiturates
A
CNS Depressant / Sedative Hypnotics
- Previously widely prescribed to decrease CNS activity
- Medical use: induce sleep, reduce pre-menstrual tension, motion sickness, epilepsy, relieve withdrawal from alcohol; counteract overdose of stimulant (mostly replaced by benzodiazepines)
- Tolerance develops; use increases without physician’s knowledge
- Major effects and withdrawal same as alcohol
- Long-term use decreases REM sleep
- Often used with other drugs
9
Q
Tranquilizers (Benzodiazapines)
A
CNS Depressant / Sedative Hypnotics
- Minor tranqs = anti-anxiety agents (abuse potential) Xanax.
- Major tranqs = antipsychotics can produce Parkinson’s-like symptoms (no abuse potential)
- Medical Use; treat tension, insomnia, anxiety, agitation; prescriptions in decline due to abuse potential
- Major effects: Relaxation, possible loss of inhibition. High dose lead to alcohol intoxication-like effects
- Tolerance develops with regular use - Dependence & withdrawal: infrequent; psychological dependence can develop
10
Q
Amphetamines
A
CNS Stimulant: Major Effects
- increase blood pressure, heart rate, respiration
- wide pupils
- depressed appetite
- decrease fatigue, sleepiness, boredom
- increased awareness
- slight euphoria
- increased talkativeness
- reduced nausea
- dry mouth
Abuse by athletes
- appetite-suppression attractive to make weight class
- diminishes pain threshold:
- athletes can continue to compete despite injury
- ~75% of trained athletes showed improvements in performance
afteradministration of amphetamines (in one study). - BUT increased body temperature and/or increased aggression could lead to disastrous results
Chronic Abuse
- Withdrawal: fatigue, increased appetite, prolonged sleep, muscle pain, severe depression.
- Psychological dependence > physical
- Dehydration, weight loss, vitamin deficiency
- damage to the brain
- prevents saliva production (“Meth Mouth”)
- often polydrug users → deadly
11
Q
Crystal Meth
A
CNS Stimulant (5)
- Synthetic (added methyl group makes it cross the brain barrier)
- Methamphetamine = methylated amphetamine
- methyl group makes it more soluble
- easily/quickly gets into the brain via smoking
- Enters the brain more rapidly than any other CNS stimulant
- “rush”/euphoria; release of neurotransmitters in the brain
- Use becomes compulsive VERY quickly
- death usually from cardiovascular problems
Identify Meth Use by (4)
- Agitation, pressured speech, increased activity but decreased appetite
- Sudden or violent behaviour, paranoia, insomnia, hallucinations
- Dilated pupils, compulsive grooming
- Chronic use leads to profound depression & cravings, premature aging
12
Q
MDMA / Ecstasy
A
CNS Stimulant: Developed in 1914. Not illegal until 1985. Produces energizing and euphoric effects
- Modifies light & tactile sensitivity (raves). Physical: stimulates (jaw clenching & other negatives)
- high doses paranoia
- psychological effects on mood, emotion,
- sex drive** → BUT inhibits orgasm & erection
- → ‘mood enhancing stimulant’ or ‘hug drug’
- → very reinforcing (feelings of increased self-esteem)
13
Q
Cocaine
A
CNS Stimulant
- Obtained from leaves of S. American shrub Erythroxylon coca
- 500 lb. coca leaves=“500=1 lb. cocaine
- Practice chewing coca leaves ~5000 years ago to reduce hunger & increase energy
- 1850s: German chemists isolated cocaine
- Use became popular as doctors and scientists lauded its properties (Freud)
- → later recognized addictive properties
- 1886: Coca Cola introduced
- contained caffeine and cocaine
- marketed as an alternative to alcohol
Abuse: About 10-15% of initial users become abusers
- stimulating, euphoric, confidence-enhancing effects powerful reinforcers in early stages
- BUT controlled/impulsive use often → compulsive use
- user may switch to crack smoke, freebasing, or IV injection which have greater abuse potential
- Heavy, regular use → severe depression and anxiety; damage to nasal cavity; heart arrhythmia
- no overt physical withdrawal
14
Q
Nicotine
A
CNS Stimulant: Tobacco — dried leaves of Nicotiana tabacum plant
- 1828: Nicotine isolated from tobacco
- 1 of ~4,000 compounds released by burning
- highly toxic, colourless, volatile alkaloid; not well absorbed from digestive tract
- addictive (reinforcing) component in cigarettes (& others)
- Also carbon monoxide and tar
- One of the most widely used psychoactive drugs
- Number of smokers expected to increase to 1.6 billion by 2025 due to growth in adult population + increased use
- Smoking leading cause of preventable death → 4.3 million worldwide die/year due to cigarettes
- Average starting age declining
- Earlier start → harder to quit
- As education increases, smoking decreases
- Athletes abuse nicotine/tobacco via chewing tobacco: Develop dependence/withdrawal
Behavioural Effects (8)
- Mild euphoria
- Reduced appetite
- Increased energy (mild)
- Improved attention/cognition
- Heightened arousal
- HR increases by 5-40 BPM
- BUT reduced stress/anxiety
- Nesbitt’s paradox: those shocked show more arousal (heart rate) but less emotion (blunted).
Withdrawal (6)
- Craving
- Difficulty concentrating
- Irritability
- Restlessness
- Anxiety
- Hunger/Weight gain
15
Q
Marijuana / Cannabis
A
Cannabinoid
Medical Use
- Research limited on effectiveness but can’t deny some of benefits for medical conditions
- but do we know risks? Addiction, anxiety, psychosis…
- Financial & future implications: legalization could provide “cash crop” for government
- BUT threat to big pharmaceutical companies
- Cancer? Lollipops, vaporizing… reduce harmful effects of smoking
- Marijuana use
- Teenagers see it as less harmful
- Adult “resumers”
18
Q
Caffeine
A
CNS Stimulant: Naturally occurring. Major source coffee beans; seeds of plant Cofea Arabica. Chronic use → tolerance to subjective effects, sleep disrupted, cardiovascular/respiratory effects
Effects
- Increased arousal, decreased fatigue
- High doses → tension and anxiety
- Increases attention and improves concentration
- Some benefit of caffeine to athletic performance
- Increased blood pressure, respiration rate
- Enhanced water excretion (diuresis)
- Chronic caffeine → tolerance and dependence
