PSY 4325 TTU exam 2

Which neurotransmitter do narcotics mimic?

dopamine

mainlining

inject (a drug) intravenously

Heroin

is classified as a Schedule I drug - Illicitly used more than any other drug of abuse in the United States (except for marijuana) until 20 years ago, when it was replaced by cocaine

Withdrawal symptoms of Alcohol

nausea, sweating,anxiety

Antipsychotic (drug)

used to treat psychotic disorders

Side Effects of Therapeutic Doses of Amphetamines

• Abuse and addiction • Cardiovascular toxicities - Increased heart rate - Elevated blood pressure - Damage to blood vessels

Withdrawal Symptoms of Heroin

• After the effects of the heroin wear off, the addicts have only a few hours in which to find the next dose before severe withdrawal symptoms begin. • A single "shot" of heroin lasts 4 to 6 hours. • Withdrawal symptoms: runny nose, tears, minor stomach cramps, loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, chills, fever, aching bones, and muscle spasms.

Alcohol as a Drug

• Alcohol is a psychoactive drug that is a CNS depressan -causes severe dependence

Nutrition Value of Alcohol

• Alcoholic beverages have no vitamins, minerals, protein, or fat—just a large amount of carbohydrates and associated calories

Major Stimulants

• All major stimulants increase alertness, excitation, and euphoria; thus, these drugs are referred to as "uppers." - Schedule I ("designer" amphetamines) - Schedule II (amphetamine, cocaine, methylphenicate-Ritalin)

Physiological Effects of Xanthines

• CNS effects - Enhances alertness, causes arousal, diminishes fatigue • Adverse CNS effects - Insomnia, increase in tension, anxiety, and initiation of muscle twitches - Over 500 milligrams: panic sensations, chills, nausea, clumsiness - Extremely high doses (5 to 10 grams): seizures, respiratory failure, and death

Minor Stimulants

• Caffeine is the most frequently consumed stimulant in the world. - It is classified as a xanthine (methylxanthine) - It is found in a number of beverages - Also found in some OTC medicines and chocolate

Physiological Effects of Xanthines (continued)

• Cardiovascular effects - Low doses: Heart activity increases, decreases, or does nothing - High doses: Rate of contraction of the heart increases, minor vasodilation in most of the body, cerebral blood vessels are vasoconstricted • Respiratory system effect - Can cause air passages to open and facilitate breathing

Major Known Components of Alcoholism

• Craving: A compulsion to drink alcohol even during inappropriate times (e.g., while driving, working, at a formal event) • Very impaired or loss of control: Inability to limit drinking once begun • Physical dependence: Withdrawal symptoms when attempting to abstain (e.g., nausea, sweating, anxiety) • Tolerance: Need to increase usage to achieve the effect, the "buzz" from alcohol

Opioid Side Effects

• Drowsiness • Respiratory depression • Nausea/vomiting • Inability to urinate • Constricted pupils • Constipation • Physical dependence and withdrawal

Pharmacological Effects of Cocaine

• Enhanced activity of the catecholamine and serotonin transmitters • Blocks the reuptake of these substances following their release from neurons • The summation of cocaine's effects on dopamine, noradrenaline, adrenaline, and serotonin is to cause CNS stimulation - Cardiovascular system - Local anesthetic effect

Cocaine Administration

• Form of administration important in determining intensity of cocaine's effects, its abuse liability, and likelihood of toxicity. - Orally: Chewing of the coca leaf - Inhaled: Into the nasal passages ("snorting") - Injected: Intravenously - Smoked: Freebasing, crack; crack babies

Approved Uses of Amphetamines

• Narcolepsy • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) • Weight reduction

Heroin Combinations

• Pure heroin is a white powder. • More than 90% of world's heroin is from Afghanistan. • Heroin is usually "cut" (diluted) with lactose. • When heroin first enters the US, it may be 95% pure; by the time it is sold, it may be 3% to 70% pure. • If users are unaware of the variance in purity and do not adjust doses accordingly, results can be fatal. • Heroin has a bitter taste and is often cut with quinine, which can be a deadly adulterant. • Heroin plus the artificial narcotic fentanyl can be dangerous due to its unexpected potency. • Heroin is most frequently used with alcohol.

Methods of Administration For Heroin

• Sniffing the powder • Injecting it into a muscle (intramuscular) • Smoking • Mainlining (intravenous injection) - Fear of contracting HIV from IV heroin use has contributed to the increase in smoking or snorting heroin. Many who start by smoking or snorting progress to IV administration due to its more intense effects

Pharmacological Effects

• The most common clinical use of the opioid narcotics is as analgesics to relieve pain. • The opioid narcotics relieve pain by activating the same group of receptors that are controlled by the endogenous substances called endorphins. • Activation of opioid receptors blocks the transmission of pain through the spinal cord or brain stem but can also reduce the effects of stress.

What Are Narcotics?

• The term narcotic currently refers to naturally occurring substances derived from the opium poppy and their synthetic substitutes. • These drugs are referred to as the opioid (or opiate) narcotics because of their association with opium. • The term narcotic has been used to label many substances, from opium to marijuana to cocaine.

Women and Alcohol

• Women possess greater sensitivity to alcohol, have a greater likelihood of addiction, and develop alcohol-related health problems sooner than men (e.g., stomach cancer, cirrhosis of the liver). • Three major reasons why women are more sensitive to the effects of alcohol: 1. Body size (men generally larger than women) 2. Women absorb alcohol sooner—women possess more body fat and body fat does not dilute alcohol 3. Women possess less of a metabolizing enzyme that gets rid of (processes out) alcohol

The principle side effects of opioid narcotics, besides their abuse potential, include:

- Drowsiness, mental clouding - Respiratory depression - Nausea, vomiting, and constipation - Inability to urinate - Drop in blood pressure

(how) Amphetamines can be taken

- Orally - Intravenously (speed freak) - Smoked (ice)

Amphetamine's causes

-Cause dependence due to their euphoric properties and ability to mask fatigue. -can be legally percrisbed

MDMA (Ecstasy)

-most popular of the designer amphetamines • It enhances sensory input and is referred to as an entactogen (a combination of psychedelic and stimulant effects) and it releases both serotonin and dopamine. • While dependence can occur, it tends to be unusual. • Withdrawal includes depression and sleep disruption that can last for days.

Cocaine

-simiular to amphetamines but acts mainly to stimulate the CNS, or Central Nervous System, thereby causing a feeling of euphoria -it is highly addictive

Benzedrine(type of amphedimine)

1932 Benzedrine inhalers became available as a nonprescription medication & became widely abused for their stimulant action. • Widely used in World War II to counteract fatigue. • Other users: Korean War soldiers, truck drivers, homemakers, high achievers under pressure (as performance-enhancers).

Psychodrama:

A family therapy in which significant inter- and intra-personal issues are enacted in a focused setting using dramatic techniques.

Disinhibitor:

A psychoactive chemical that depresses thought and judgment functions in the cerebral cortex, which has the effect of allowing relatively unrestrained behavior (as in alcohol inebriation)

Pseudointoxication:

Acting inebriated even before the quantity consumed produces its effects

Defining Alcoholism

Alcoholism is a state of physical and psychological addiction to a psychoactive substance known as ethanol

Anxiolytic (drug)

An anxiolytic is a medication or other intervention that inhibits anxiety.

What percentage of BAC (blood alcohol content) is lethal

BAC produced depends on • Presence of food in the stomach • Rate of alcohol consumption • Concentration of alcohol • Drinker's body composition Unless a person has developed a very high tolerance for alcohol, a BAC rating of 0.20% represents very serious intoxication. In general most first-time drinkers are unconscious by about 0.15%. A range of 0.35% to 0.40% usually represents potentially fatal alcohol poisoning.

Drunken comportment:

Behavior exhibited while under the direct influence of alcohol determined by the norms and expectations of a particular culture

Behavioral stereotypy

Behavioral stereotypy: Meaningless repetition of a single activity (when taking amphedimines like OCD meds)

Summary of the Effects of Amphetamines

Body: increased heartbeat,increased blood pressure, decreased appetite, increased breathing rate, inability to sleep, sweating, dry mouth, muscle twitching, convulsions, fever, chest pain, irregular heartbeat, death due to overdose Mind: decreased fatigue, increased confidence, increased feeling of alertness, restlessness, talkativeness, increased irritability, fearfulness, apprehension, distrust of people, behavioral stereotypy, hallucination, psychosis

"Speedballing."

Heroin combined with cocaine

Hypnotic (drug)

Hypnotic or soporific drugs, commonly known as sleeping pills, are a class of psychoactive drugs whose primary function is to induce sleep and to be used in the treatment of insomnia, or surgical anesthesia. This group is related to sedatives

Popular Amphetamines

MDMA (Ecstasy) Ritalin (to treat ADHD)- very dangous and can cause dependence

Alcohol Abuse Among College Students

Males binge drink more than females. • For binge drinkers, the impact on impaired academic performance is just as great for women drinkers. • Being white, involved in athletics, or a resident of a fraternity or sorority made it more likely that a student would be a binge drinker.

Xanthines are

Methylated xanthines (methylxanthines), which include CAFFEINE, aminophylline, IBMX, paraxanthine, pentoxifylline, theobromine, and theophylline, affect not only the airways but stimulate heart rate, force of contraction, and cardiac arrhythmias at high concentrations.

How Amphetamines Work

Synthetic chemical similar to the natural neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine, dopamine, and epinephrine Amphetamines can cause - "Fight-or-flight" effect, a response to crisis - Alertness - Anxiety, severe apprehension, or panic - Potent effects on dopamine in the reward center of the brain

sedative

a drug taken for its calming or sleep-inducing effect.

Analgesic(drug)

aka a painkiller is any member of the group of drugs used to achieve analgesia, relief from pain. Analgesic drugs act in various ways on the peripheral and central nervous systems

" set and setting"

can often overshadow the pharmacological effects of most drugs, including alcohol. - Set: An individual's expectation of what a drug will do to his/her personality - Setting: The physical and social environment where most drugs, including alcohol, are consumed