Individual Drug Info

Individual Drug Info
Winter 2014
Similar Properties Across Drugs
—  Withdrawal
(physical dependence)
—  Psychological dependence
—  Tolerance
Differences
—  Forms
—  Availability
—  DEA
Schedule
—  Effects
◦  Acute
◦  Chronic
◦  Overdose
— 
Photo, originally taken by Thoric, available to
use in the public domain
METHAMPHETAMINE
Methamphetamine
— 
— 
— 
Famous/notorious for laboratory production, short-term dopamine
effects & long-term effects
Stimulant (blood pressure, heart rate, alertness)
DEA: Schedule II substance (Desoxyn: ADD, narcolepsy, weight
control)
Methamphetamine acute effects
Intense high/euphoria
◦  May last up to 12 hours (longer than cocaine)
◦  Meth Inside and Out video describing effects
§  Energetic, talkative, excitable
§  Insomnia
§  Increased heart rate, blood pressure
§  Sweating
§  Dry mouth
§  Jaw clenching
§  Nausea, vomiting
§  Comparison: meth vs cocaine,Brookhaven National Laboratory, 2008
Overdose
—  DAWN: “stimulants including amphetamines and methamphetamine”
led to 93,562 emergency department visits in 2009
§ 
Methamphetamine chronic effects
— 
Chronic users may experience hallucinations, rage, paranoia, heart “
meth mouth;” damage to dopamine-, serotonin-containing nerve cells
◦ 
◦ 
◦ 
◦ 
Crank Bugs (Meth Project)
Meth Mouth (Meth Project)
Ashley’s Story (Meth Project)
Research supports both brain damage as well as lack of brain damage
Methamphetamine
Chronic Effects
Before & After Photos
Before and After Photos
3 Years and 5 months after starting meth
Meth Awareness Prevention Project: http://www.mappsd.org/Faces%20of%20Meth.htm
Before and After
17 months after starting meth
Meth Awareness Prevention Project: http://www.mappsd.org/Faces%20of%20Meth.htm
Before and After
3 months later
Meth Awareness Prevention Project: http://www.mappsd.org/Faces%20of%20Meth.htm
LSD
• 
LSD
Albert Hoffman: “Last Friday,
April 16,1943, I was forced to
interrupt my work in the laboratory
in the middle of the afternoon and
proceed home, being affected by a
remarkable restlessness, combined
with a slight dizziness. At home I lay
down and sank into a not unpleasant
intoxicated-like condition,
characterized by an extremely
stimulated imagination. In a
dreamlike state, with eyes closed (I
found the daylight to be unpleasantly
glaring), I perceived an
uninterrupted stream of fantastic
pictures, extraordinary shapes with
intense, kaleidoscopic play of colors.
After some two hours this condition
faded away.”
LSD
Schedule I hallucinogen synthesized in 1930s
•  Manufacturing secretive: Nick Sand (National Geographic, 3:39)
•  LSD acute effects
•  Visual hallucinations (images, color, light)
•  Altered perception of senses
•  “Seeing sounds, hearing colors”
•  Color, size of objects
•  Altered perception of time, depth
•  Potential anxiety/panic
•  Experiences can vary widely
•  Serotonin receptors may be excited or inhibited
•  LSD experimentation on British soldiers (YouTube.com)
Overdose
◦  Thought to be rare, but some individuals may not respond well, or
may experience problems if drug is different than LSD
◦  DAWN: 4,028 emergency department visits in 2009
• 
LSD
—  Chronic
effects may involve flashbacks
◦  Sudden onset of abnormal perceptions
◦  Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder
–  Visual images remain longer than in consciousness
–  Dr. Henry Abraham (Tufts University) blog
3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine
MDMA
MDMA
• 
• 
• 
Molly, Ecstasy, Thizz
Synthetic drug
Stimulant and
hallucinogenic
properties
MDMA
Acute effects:
◦ 
◦ 
◦ 
◦ 
◦ 
Euphoria
Feelings of empathy/warmth toward others
Jaw clenching
Increased heart rate, blood pressure, perceived energy
Common “rave” or similar environment can lead to excessive physical
activity, dehydration, increased body temperature
◦ 
◦ 
◦ 
◦ 
Blurred vision/involuntary eye movement
Effects will vary since formula is not standardized or regulated
Effects will vary based on the synthetic nature of substance
MDMA-assisted therapy (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic
Studies, video; 0-2:00; 14 subjects, per website)
Overdose
◦  DAWN: 17,865 emergency department visits in 2008
MDMA
— 
Chronic effects
◦  Depression
◦  Anxiety
◦  Sleep issues
◦  Effects controversial, per Carl Hart, Columbia University (YouTube)
◦  Well-circulated animal studies showing neuron damage
Synthetics are currently popular
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
2C-I, MDMA, bath salts, synthetic cannabis
Lower price (think about economy’s influence)
Drug popularity changes with time (synthetics were popular in
1970s)
Health-related issues will subsequently ebb and flow as drugs move
in and out of favor
That acknowledged, some can be devastating: Krokodil (CBS, 2013)
CANNABIS
Cannabis
— 
Cannabis sativa
◦  Different subspecies/
varietals used for clothing
vs drug use
— 
— 
— 
Active ingredient: THC
DEA: Schedule I
Despite state regulations,
marijuana still federally illegal
Medical cannabis
(12/13/13, source: procon.org)
Alaska (98)
Montana (04)
Arizona (10)
Nevada (00)
California (96)
New Hampshire (13)
Colorado (00)
New Jersey (10)
Connecticut (12)
New Mexico (07)
Delaware (11)
Oregon (98)
Hawaii (00)
Rhode Island (06)
Illinois (13)
Vermont (04)
Maine (99)
Washington (98)
Michigan (08)
Washington, DC (10)
Cannabis
Acute effects
—  THC acts on cannabinoid receptors, increases dopamine, serotonin
—  Increases appetite
—  Euphoria, may be followed by sedation/relaxation
—  Dizziness, lack of coordination
—  Eyes glazed, red
—  Short-term memory issues
—  ASAP Science: Your Brain on Marijuana (via YouTube)
Overdose
—  Doesn’t generally doesn’t occur
◦ 
◦ 
◦ 
◦ 
— 
— 
Large amount required
Smoking a lot may induce sleepiness
Eating too much may trigger nausea, vomiting
Q13 News story, Michigan
Mixing any chemical substances can potentially cause a problem
DAWN: Over 400,000 emergency department visits, 2011
Cannabis
Chronic effects
—  Respiratory distress
—  Mood swings
—  Impaired memory (potential hippocampus
damage)
—  Loss of motivation, sex drive
—  2011 NIMH/NIDA study
◦  Daily use may reduce brain receptor number
◦  Receptors regenerated with cessation
◦ 
Society of Nuclear Medicine. "Chronic marijuana smoking affects brain chemistry, molecular imaging shows."
ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 13 June 2011. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110606131705.htm>.
Heroin
Heroin
Narcotic
—  Synthesized from morphine in late
1800’s
— 
◦  Morphine synthesized from opium poppy
◦  Heroin 10x more powerful than morphine
◦  Was thought to be less addictive
◦  After many people became addicted, heroin
was outlawed in 1920’s
◦  Drug Ads (wings.buffalo.edu)
— 
Schedule I
Heroin Availability
DEA reports most
heroin in US comes
from Mexico
—  At left, estimates of
heroin production in
Mexico, metric tons
— 
(USDOJ)
Heroin
Acute effects
—  Euphoria
—  Slow, shallow respiration
—  Analgesia
—  Skin flushing/redness
—  Stupor
—  Dry mouth
—  Nausea/vomiting
Overdose
—  Frequently occurs when mixing with other substances
—  DAWN: 258,482 emergency department visits, 2011
Heroin: Chronic Effects
Respiratory
problems
—  Collapsed veins from
injection
—  High rate of injection
use leads to
increased disease
transmission risk
— 
MUSHROOMS
Mushrooms
Psilocybin/psilocin are two
active psyhoacticve
substances found in “magic
mushrooms”
Couple dozen species
—  Taken orally
—  Recognized for centuries
Probably used in religious rites
—  Hallucinogen
—  Schedule I
— 
Mushrooms
— 
Acute effects:
◦ 
◦ 
◦ 
◦ 
◦ 
◦ 
— 
Relaxation
Altered perception of reality
Altered perception of time
Sense of connection to others/universe
Visual hallucinations (images, color, light)
Potential for anxiety and subsequent panic, heart rate & blood
pressure increase
Chronic effects:
◦  A “bad trip” may trigger fear
◦  Hallucinogens may exacerbate mental illness
— 
Being investigated as treatment for OCD, depression,
smoking cessation
◦  Johns Hopkins Psilocybin Cancer Project (via YouTube, 0:30-4:03)
4-iodo-2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine
2C-I
2C-I
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
2,5-dimethoxy-4iodophenethylamine
“Smiles”
Synthetic substance
Usually inhaled or
taken orally; may also
be taken via blotter
paper
Stimulant &
hallucinogenic
properties
Schedule I
2C-I
• 
• 
• 
• 
Impacts dopamine &
serotonin
Onset of effects may not
be immediate, triggering
overdose
Little information on
brain impact
Additives, chemical
changes make drug
unpredictable, similar to
bath salts
2C-I
Short-term effects:
—  Stimulant effects on heart rate, blood
pressure
—  Potential gastrointestinal effects (nausea,
indigestion)
—  At higher doses, hallucinogenic effects
—  Very little known about chronic effects