Medicine and Illegal Drugs Click to add subtitle StimulantsAny drug that increases the body’s activity. – Stimulants cause heart rate and breathing to speed up. – User feels awake & alert (possibly for days) Types: caffeine, cocaine, crack cocaine, & methamphetamine. Cocaine & Crack Cocaine Cocaine Crack Cocaine Cocaine – Powerful drug (stimulant) made from the 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. • Both cocaine and crack cocaine cause intense euphoria- physical and mental sense of wellbeing (exaggerated state of mind). • Due to the short lived effects of both drugs people must use the drug often to make the effects last. High lasts about 10-15 minutes followed by physical illness and depression. • Addiction can lead to overdose which results in heart attacks or strokes (brain damage or death) • Prolonged cocaine snorting can cause scabs to form on your mucus membranes, damage your nasal septum and eventually make your nose collapse Methamphetamine Methamphetamine • A stimulant that is synthetic and comes in a 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, liver damage, brain damage, death. • Meth users pick at their skin and rot their teeth. Depressants DepressantsAny drug that decreases activity in the body. - Also known as sedatives. – Heart Rate & Breathing slows down – Blood Pressure drops – Mild relaxation – Deep sleep – Very addictive Types of depressants: • Tranquilizers – mild depressants that help treat anxiety. • Barbiturates – makes you drowsy and sleepy. Also used to treat seizures • Hypnotics – very powerful depressants, causes sleep • Overdose can cause coma, death and brain damage. • Interacts strongly with alcohol causing severe effects. Rohypnol An extremely powerful hypnotic depressant. Rohypnol: • Small white tablets, lasts for 8 hours • Street names: roofies, roach, rope • Effects: sleepiness, slurred speech, impaired judgment, difficulty walking, loss of muscle control, and BLACKOUT. Effects are increased when mixed with alcohol. • Blackout – is the inability to remember anything that happened while under the drugs effects. • Known as the “date rape drug” Marijuana Dried flowers & leaves of the Cannabis plant. Marijuana: • Most abused drug. • Known as the “Gate Way Drug” • Street names: Grass, weed, pot, dope, Mary Jane, green, bud, and reefer. • Most of the time it is smoked, but it can be mixed with food and eaten. • THC – (tetrahydrocannabinol) 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. – “Lethargic” • Because it is smoked marijuana use can have similar effects as smoking cigarettes. – Chronic bronchitis – Respiratory problems – Circulatory problems Opiates Any drug that is produced from the milk of the opium poppy plant (grows in Europe & Asia) Opiates • • • • • Extremely addictive (quickly addictive) STRONG HIGH Develops a strong tolerance Hardest addiction to break Intense (painful) withdrawals symptoms: cramps, vomiting, muscle pain, shaking, chills, panic attacks. Types of Opiates • Prescription Opiates: Used to treat pain, coughs, and intestinal problems. These can be abused leading to addiction with failure of following a doctors instructions. Types of Opiates • Heroin: – The most powerful and addictive opiate. – Made from Morphine. – Inhaled through nose, smoked, or injected (most popular way to take it is to inject it). Effects of Heroin: • Euphoria, sleepiness, warm feeling in the skin, shallow breathing, and nausea. • Infections of the heart, liver disease, and lung disease • Using dirty needles can lead to diseases such as hepatitis or HIV.