Drugs and your health

Chapter 15 pages 451-479

The role of medicine• Medicines are available in a variety of forms to

prevent diseases, fight infection, and provide pain relief.

• Medications can be taken orally, inhaled, or by injection.– Vaccines are medicines that prevent diseases. They are

made from preparations of dead or weakened germs, which cause the immune system to produce antibodies.

– Antibiotics are medicines that reduce or kill harmful bacteria in the body.

– Pain relievers are sold in the largest abundance and are used to treat headaches, toothaches, and muscular pain.

– Other medicines are used to treat people with certain other types of health problems or conditions.

Prescription and OTC Medicines

• Prescription medicines are medicines that can be sold only with a written order from a physician. (figure 15.3, page 457)

• Over-the-counter (OTC) Medicines are safe enough to be taken without a written order from a physician. (figure 15.4, page 457)

• Tolerance means that a person’s body becomes used to the effect of a medicine and needs greater amounts of it to be effective.

Stimulants• Stimulants are drugs that speed up the

body’s functions. They cause the blood pressure to rise, increase breathing, and make the heart beat faster.

• Amphetamines are drugs prescribed to stimulate the central nervous system.– Doctors sometimes prescribe them to

treat narcolepsy, however they are highly addictive.

– Users may become dependant.

• Cocaine: A powerful, illegal stimulant. Its abuse has become a major health problem in our society.

• Cocaine creates a feeling of exhilaration and a burst of energy, followed by depression as the drug wears off. Users take more of the drug to combat the depression, which causes them to become dependant on it.

• Cocaine is injected into the bloodstream, sniffed, or smoked.

• Crack Cocaine is a concentrated form of cocaine that is smoked. It produces an intense high only for a few seconds, followed by an intense low that leaves users craving more.

• Crack is one of the most dangerous and addictive drugs in the U.S. today.

Depressants

• Depressants are drugs that slow down the body’s functions and reactions. Commonly called sedatives, these medications reduce blood pressure and slow down the heart and breathing rate.

• They are sometimes prescribed to relieve anxiety, nervousness, and sleeplessness, but they are frequently abused.

Main kinds of depressants• Tranquilizers: When used in prescribed amounts, can help

a person relax without making him less alert. • Barbiturates: Powerful sedatives that are used for medical

purposes.• Hypnotics are very strong drugs that bring on sleep and

reduce anxiety.• Abuse of depressants causes physical harm. When

combined with alcohol, depressants are deadly.• Figure 15.8; page 463• Narcotics are prescription medicines that are used to

relieve pain. Morphine and Codeine are both very strong prescription medications used to treat pain, but they are so strongly addictive, their sale and use is closely controlled by law.

Heroin • An illegal drug that is made from

morphine and is highly addictive. It is most commonly injected. Heroin users that are injected by needle run the risk of becoming infected by HIV. (figure 15.9, page 464)

Marijuana

• Marijuana is the most commonly used street drug. • Marijuana is usually smoked, but it is sometimes mixed

with food and its effects are immediate.• Marijuana contains 421 different chemicals including THC

(tetrahydrocannabinol), the main mind altering ingredient. • Hashish: A more powerful drug derived from the same

plant, which contains greater concentrations of THC.• Effects of Marijuana: figure 15.10, page 465

Hallucinogens• Hallucinogens are drugs that distort moods,

thoughts, and senses. They affect the cerebrum, the part of the brain that controls the intellect and perception, the nervous system, and they increase heart rate and respiratory rates.

PCPPhencyclidine, or PCP, is a powerful

and dangerous hallucinogen whose effects last a long time.

When PCP is used regularly, the effects may come and go for up to a year.

Common names are angel dust, lovely, loveboat, hog, and killer weed.

PCP causes loss of coordination, as well as increases in heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature.

LSD• Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is a

hallucinogen which affects the areas of the brain that control vision and balance.

• This drug often distorts perceptions of sound and color.

• It increases blood pressure and heart rate, and causes chills, nausea, tremors, and sleeplessness.

• Common names for LSD are acid, white lightning, sugar cubes, and micro dots.

• Common forms are tablets, liquid, squares, soaked on paper.

• Figure 15.11, page 467

Other hallucinogens and designer drugs

• Mescaline: The hallucinogenic ingredient in peyote.

• Psilocybin: The hallucinogenic ingredient that is found in the Psilocybe mexicana mushroom.

• Inhalants: Substances whose fumes are sniffed and inhaled to give a hallucinogeniclike high.

• Designer drugs are drugs that are made from chemicals that resemble illegal substances.– Ecstasy, or MDMA, is one of the most popular

designer drugs.

Reasons to be drug free

• You will have better concentration.• You will have more natural energy.• You will be in control of your feelings and actions.• You will make better decisions.• You will not impair your judgment and do something that you will

regret.• You will be able to focus on improving your talents and enjoying your

interests.• You will not waste money.• You will not be afraid of possible flashbacks for years to come.• You respect yourself too much to take drugs.