Warning Signs

DEPRESSANTS:     

 Narcotic/Opioid                                Sedative/Hypnotic    

STIMULANTS  

GENERALLY PRESCRIBED  For:

● Management of acute or chronic pain

● Post surgical pain relief     ● Relief of cough and diarrhea  (codeine)

● Sleep Disorders ● Epilepsy   ● Acute stress  reactions

● Anxiety    ● Tension ● Panic attacks ● Muscle Relaxants  ● Seizures

● Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

● Narcolepsy    ● Obesity  ● Milder Stimulants- Lose Weight

NONMEDICAL USE:

Deaden emotional pain, get a rush, induce euphoria, and prevent withdrawal symptoms.

• To relieve agitation, induce mild euphoria, lower inhibitions.

• Blackouts & suicide attempts.

Surge of pleasure, rush or flash, burst of energy.

● To stay awake    ● Euphoric Effect   ● Anorexia

DRUGS CAUSING  SIMILAR  EFFECTS

With the exception  of pain relief  & cough suppression,  most CNS depressants (like alcohol benzodiazepines  & heroin) have similar effects: slowed breathing, tolerance & dependence.

Alcohol, sleeping  pills, and GHB.

Very similar to the emotional and physical effects of alcohol.

Methylphenidate and dexmethylphendiate, phentermine, benzphetamine,

phendimetrazine,  cocaine, crack, methamphetamine,  khat.

SIGNS OF ABUSE

Pinpoint(constricted) pupils, droopy eyelids,  sunken eyes,  sluggishness, slurred speech, depressed  reflexes,  confused,  suppressed  cough, constipationed, slow pulse,  low blood pressure  & shallow breathing, dryness of mouth, euphoria.  ● Initial euphoria is followed by a period of sedation, known in street  terms as “nodding off.”

Typically normal pupil size, thick slurred speech, disorientation, uncoordinated,

drowsiness, drunken behavior without odor of alcohol. And impairs memory, awareness, and judgment.

Large (dilated) pupils, nervousness,  insomnia, talkative, grinding teeth (bruxism),

runny nose, anxiety, over confident, aggressive,  paranoid, loss of appetite, body tremors, violent, euphoria, increased in pulse rate & blood  pressure.

SHORT-TERM USE

Alleviates pain, causes drowsiness, constipation, depressed  respiration (depending on dosage), can’t concentrate & apathetic.

A “sleepy” & uncoordinated feeling during the 1st few days; as the body becomes tolerant to the effects, these feelings diminish.

Elevated blood pressure,  increased heart rate, increased respiration, suppressed appetite, sleep deprivation.

LONG-TERM USE: Tolerance,
tissue dependence, addiction

• Severe constipation, women’s period delayed, sexual desire dulled.

• Heavier users- eyelids droop and the head nods forward, coordinating slowed.

• Benzodiazepines: impair the ability to learn new information.

• Disrupts the transfer of information from short to long-term memory.

• Heart disease, mental imbalances, paranoid, aggressive,  twitching, malnutrition, psychotic, deplete energy sources & severe depression.

• Can lead to feelings of hostility or paranoia.

WITHDRAWAL

• Flu-like symptoms,  muscle cramps, dilated pupils, coughing, high blood pressure, rapid pulse, diarrhea, sweating, runny nose, anxiety, severe depression, nausea.

• Almost opposite symptoms as if using depressants.

• Mood swings  and sleep  problems  typically  last  for three  to six months  but can last up to 18 months.          ●Almost never life threatening.

• Headaches, tremors, muscles twitching, nausea and vomiting, anxiety, restlessness, yawing, inability to focus, sleep disturbance, dizziness, delirium, convulsions, possible death.

• Addicted patients should undergo medically supervised  detoxification because the treatment dose must be gradually tapered.

• Agitation, increased body temperature,  hallucinations, convulsions, apathy, long periods of sleep, depression, disorientation & possible death.

• Severe depression  can last for days or weeks or occasionally months.

• Causes physical and emotional depression, extreme irritability, nervousness,  lack of energy, anhedonia (loss of ability to experience pleasure) and craving.

• Produces symptoms similar to depressant  drug use.

SIGNS OF OVERDOSE

• Slow and shallow breathing,  clammy skin, convulsions, coma, possible death.

• Shallow respiration,  clammy skin, dilated pupils, weak and rapid pulse, coma, possible death.

• Agitation, high body temperature,  irregular heartbeat,   hallucinations, seizure, convulsions, possible death.

HOW the Drug EFFECTS
the BODY

• Body becomes insensitive to pain and a decrease in blood pressure,  pulse & respiration. 

 ●  a single dose can be lethal to an inexperienced user.

• Opioids affect many organs & tissues in every part of the body especially used in excess.

• Depress the overall functioning of the central nervous system-CNS.

• CNS depressants  slow brain activity through actions on the GABA system, producing a calming effect.

• Can stay in the body for weeks.

• Constricts blood vessels, increases heart rate, and raises blood pressure  & body temperature, speeds up respiration, suppresses appetite.

• Cardiovascular failure or lethal seizures.

• Enhances brain activity, causing an increase in alertness,  attention, & energy.

POLY DRUG EFFECTS

• Alcohol is especially dangerous when mixed with drugs. Alcohol slows  the heart & respiratory system,  changes the way messages travel in the brain.

• Alcohol can also intensify  the effects of drugs  in the body. Mixed with opioid painkillers, alcohol can slow breathing, causing respiratory  failure & death.

• Often use in conjunction with other drugs.     ● Using CNS depressants with these other substances, particularly alcohol, can slow both the heart and respiration and may lead to death.

• If more than one depressant drug is used (poly drug) the combination can cause a much greater  reaction than simply the sum of the effects. (Synergistic effect).

• If a depressant & stimulant are mixed it can cause unexpected & possible life-threatening cardiovascular effects.

● Cocaine and stimulants taken simultaneously increase the risk for heart attack & stroke.

• Alcohol can also intensify  the effects of drugs  in the body. Mixed with CNS depressants  such as Valium and Xanax, alcohol can slow breathing, causing respiratory failure and death.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Tolerance to some actions of opioids can be so high that a undredfold increase in dose is required to produce the original effect.

• The body becomes more sensitive to pain because the body produces fewer of its own painkillers.

• Many diagnoses of dementia are actually due to overuse of benzodiazepines.

• Should be used as short  term and for specific conditions, not as long-term medication.

Stimulants, such as dextroamphetamine  (Dexedrine and Adderall) & methylphenidate (Ritalin and Concerta), have chemical structures similar to a family of key brain neurotransmitters called monoamines.

Illegal or Not legitimate for medical use

Heroin- Slangs: Smack, junk, tar, Mexican brown, cheese, China White, Harry, skag, Rufus, Perze,”H”, horse, dava, boy Vick, Vic, Watson 387

RESOURCES: Book: Uppers, Downers, All Arounders Websites: USDOJ, FDA, NIDA, DEA, SAMHSA, DrugAbuse, GetSmartAboutDrugs, Synopsis of Psychiatry

Banned in the U.S.- Flunitrazepam-Rohypnol®(Slangs: Circles, Forget Pill, La

Rocha, Lunch Money Drug, Mexican Valium, Pingus,  R2, Reynolds, Roach, Roofies, Rophies). Rohypnol is now made as an oblong olive green tablet with a speckled blue core that when dissolved in light-colored drinks will dye the liquid blue.

• Methamphetamine- No Trade Name (Slangs Crank, Ice, Crystal meth, yellow rock, Yaa baa, glass) Forms: Powder & Crystal

• Cocaine- Slangs: coke, blow, toot, snow, nose

• Crack Cocaine-Slangs:crack,base,rock, bassay, boulya, pasta, Eve, thizz.