Medicine and illegal Drugs

What are Drugs?

A Drug is any chemical substance that cause a change in a persons physical or psychological state.

A substance can make a person feel good or make them stop feeling bad. The chemical substance in drugs may have effects on perception, consciousness, personality and/or behavior.

5 Ways Drugs enter the body.

-Ears, eyes, nose-Transdermal patches (absorbed through the skin then into the bloodstream).- Smoked or Inhaled- Injected- Orally swallowed

Have you ever taking medicine before?

• How did it affect your body?

• What do you know about illegal drugs? Why do some people take them?

Using Drugs as Medicine

Medicine – any drug that is used to cure, prevent, or treat illness or discomfort.- Instructions are very important

What are the differences and similarities between:• prescription medicine?• Over-the- counter medicine?

List some examples ?

When taken both at the same time the expected effect can be different, which is known as drug interaction.

Side Effects and Drug Allergies

• Side effects: dry mouth, drowsiness, or a headache. Others can be nausea, hair loss, dizziness, and exhaustion.- Most packages list the side effects- Anything unexpected contact your doctor

• Drug Allergy: a bad reaction to a specific medicine.- Minor = Rash, Major = inability to breath- Be sure to let your doctor know what you are allergic to before he prescribes you a medicine.

• What is tolerance?

• What is an overdose? What can it result in?

The Food and Drug Administration

1. Scientists Develop or discover a new drug

2. Scientists test the drug on animals3. If safe testing begins on healthy

humans.4. Drug is then tested on a human with

the disorder5. Drug creators apply to the FDA for

approval.6. FDA reviews the research and either

APPROVES OR REJECTS.• Sometimes, drugs that have been approved have to be recalled.

Drug Abuse and Addiction

What is Drug addiction?

- Can start off as recreational use, which can lead to addiction and dependence. Needing the drug in order to function.

• Physical Dependence?

• Psychological Dependence?

• Withdrawal ?- Symptoms: anxiety, fever, cramps,

nausea, seizures.- depression, nervousness,

sleeplessness, irritability.

Drug Addiction and Relationships

• Close friends• Families• Girlfriend, boyfriend

• Many times when a person has an addiction to drugs that persons family and friends are usually affected more than anyone else is, including the attic.

School Problems Due to Drug Addiction

• Difficulty focusing• Grades become to drop• Failure• Expulsion• Repeat grade• Not getting into college• Not getting a job

The Cost of Drug Addiction• Drugs can become very expensive• Hundreds of dollars EACH DAY• To support their habit they need to find other ways

to get money because they cannot keep a job.

In 2004, 32% of prisoners in state prisons said that they were under the influence of drugs when they committed the crimes for which they were serving time.

Stimulants • Stimulants – any drug that increases the body’s

activity. These type of drugs cause your heart rate and breathing to speed up.

• Other symptoms are: Feeling awake and alert.

• Types: caffeine, cocaine, crack cocaine, and methamphetamine.

• Can cause you to stay awake for days at a time.

Crack and Crack Cocaine• Cocaine – powerful drug (stimulant) made from coca

plant. Cocaine comes in a white powder and inhaled through the nose.

• Crack Cocaine (ROCK) – cocaine that is altered or cooked into a different form, which can be smoked. Effects are more intense and do not last as long as cocaine.

• Euphoria – physical and mental sense of well-being. (exaggerated state of mind)

• Due to the short lived effects of both drugs people must use the drug often to make the effects last.

Methamphetamine• A stimulant that is synthetic and comes in rock form.

• Street Names: Meth, Crystal, Crystal Meth

• Ways that it is used: smoked, injected or inhaled.

• Effects will last for hours and is extremely addictive. • Short term-effects: euphoria, decreased appetite,

increased body temperature.• Permanent kidney damage, and/or liver damage,

brain damage, death.

Depressants (Sedatives) • Any drug that decreases activity in the body.

• HR and breathing slows down. BP also drops. Mild relaxation and deep sleep.

• Types: Tranquilizers – mild depressants help treat anxiety.

- Hypnotics – very powerful depressants

• Addictive• Overdose – can cause coma, death and brain damage.• Interact strongly with alcohol causing severe effects.

Rohypnol• Very powerful depressant and are small and white

tablets, which last for 8 hours.

• Street names: Roach, roofies, or rope.

• Effects: sleepiness, slurred speech, impaired judgment, difficulty walking, loss of muscle control. Effects become increased when mixed with alcohol.

• Blackout – is the inability to remember anything that happened while under the drugs effects.

Marijuana • Dried flowers and leaves of the Cannabis plant.

Can possibly be the most popular drug abused.

• Street names: Grass, weed, pot, dope, Mary Jane, green, bud and reefer.

• Effects of marijuana? • Most of the time it is smoked, but can be mixed

with food and eaten.

• THC – chemical substance in marijuana. Levels of THC may vary based on the plant.

Long – Term Effects of Marijuana

• Decreases ability to think and concentrate• Decreases desire and energy.

• Because it is smoked marijuana use can have similar effects as smoking cigarettes.

• Chronic bronchitis• Respiratory problems.

What are Opiates?• Any drug that is produced from the milk of the

opium poppy (flower from Europe and Asia).

• Extremely addictive (quickly addictive)• STRONG HIGH• Develops a strong tolerance• Hardest addiction to break• Intense withdrawals: cramps, vomiting, muscle

pain, shaking, chills, panic attacks.

Types of Opiates • Prescription Opiates: used to heal pain, treating coughs and

intestinal problems. These can be abused leading to addiction with failure of following a doctors instructions.

• Heroin: can be the most powerful and addictive opiate. Made from Morphine.

- Inhaled, smoked,- Most popular way to take it is to inject it.

• Effects: euphoria, sleepiness, warm feeling in the skin, shallow breathing and nausea.

• Using dirty needles can lead to diseases such as hepatitis or HIV.

Hallucinogens• A drug that causes a person to Hallucinate. What

does is mean to Hallucinate? “Trip”??• Common Hallucinogens: LSD, acid, Mushrooms,

PCP, angel dust, Peyote, mescaline.

• Flashbacks – hallucinogen’s effects happen again long after the drug was originally taken. (days, week, years).

Inhalants

• Inhalant – any drug that are inhaled and absorbed into the bloodstream through the lungs.

• Common Inhalants: household cleaners, spray paint, glue, freon, nitrous oxide (Whip-its).

• Short Term effects, but extremely dangerous. Oxygen flow to your brain is replaced by another chemical. This can result in death and brain damage.

Designer Drugs• A Drug that is produced by making a small

chemical change to a drug that already exists.

• Unpredictable effects

Types of Designer Drugs• Ecstasy – Common name give to the stimulant chemical

MDMA. - X, XTC, E - Pill form, but can be snorted- Lasts for 4 – 6 hours (Increased energy, tingling in the

skin, sensitivity to touch)

• GHB – a drug that is made from the anesthetic GBL. (an ingredient to pesticides)

- Outlawed in 2000- - Clear colorless liquid that looks like water, also looks like

white powder.- Loss of consciousness and can die

Designer Drugs• Ketamine – a powerful drug that is closely related

to hallucinogen PCP (angel dust).- Special K, K, Kit Kat, Vitamin K

• Users experience dissociation – separation from reality. They also experience numbness, inability to move and loss of memory.

Staying Drug Free• Reason’s for staying Drug free can vary based on the

person, but some can be true for everybody.1. Staying healthy2. Staying in control3. Making good decisions4. Staying out of jail5. Saving your money

REFUSING DRUGS: “NO, THANK YOU”If NO doesn’t work what are some excuses or reason you would use?** Avoid pressure situations altogether!!

Getting Help• Knowing when you need help and realizing you

have a problem is the first step. Treatment cannot start until a person recognizes they have a problem.

• Helping someone else you may feel or know has a drug problem. INTERVENTION – is a gathering in which the people who are close to a person who is abusing drugs try to get the person to accept help by relating stories of how his or her drug problem has affected them.

• Counseling can allow a drug user to discuss his or her emotional problems with someone who is trained.

Getting Help• What is a treatment center?• Detoxification is the process by? This can be a

very long and painful process. What type of symptoms can a person feel during this period?

• Support Groups are a group of people who have undergone the same or very similar problems. Other than the user who else may need support?

• Recovery is NEVER one step it is a difficult lifelong process that has to be ongoing.