Drug News |
 Club drug safety needed
Covington County has more than its fair share of illegal drug use and abuse, which ...
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Meth tightens toxic grip on girls
Sitting in a circle in a basement classroom at the Turning Point girls' residence, five ...
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ECSTASY DEPLETES BRAIN OF MOOD CHEMICAL
Using the recreational drug Ecstasy reduces the amount of a brain chemical that controls mood, ...
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Ecstasy side effects 'not minor'
The effects of the drug ecstasy cannot be dismissed as minor, according to an intensive ...
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Italy's Docs Failing to Report Adverse Drug Side Effects
FLORENCE (Reuters Health) - Many Italian doctors are not reporting on adverse reactions in patients, ...
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OxyContin's deadly side effects
Health professionals warn Western Michigan University students about the dangers of a new drug that's ...
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Mother of two withdrawals from meth in jail cell
HOPKINSVILLE, Ky. - The physical withdrawal from methamphetamine wasn't so bad. It was knowing what ...
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Panhandle woman gets 10 years for hubby's honeymoon drug death
SHALIMAR -- A bride has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for the honeymoon ...
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Drug Facts
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Today Ecstasy is most often distributed at late-night parties called "raves", nightclubs, and rock concerts.
The designer drug "Ecstasy," or MDMA, causes long-lasting damage to brain areas that are critical for thought and memory, according to new research findings in the June 15 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience.
Alcohol is a DOWNER that reduces activity in the central nervous system. The alcohol intoxicated person exhibits loose muscle tone, loss of fine motor coordination, and often has a staggering "drunken" gait.
Cocaine's immediate physical effects include raised breathing rate, raised blood pressure and body temperature, and dilated pupils.
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Cocaine
Side Effects 
Cocaine is
derived from the leaves of the coca bush, which grows in South America. Widespread
use and addiction led to government efforts against cocaine in the early 1900s.
The danger associated with cocaine was ignored in the 1970s and early 1980s,
and cocaine was proclaimed by many to be safe. With the accumulating medical
evidence of cocaine's deleterious effects and the introduction and widespread
use of cocaine, the public and government have become alarmed again about its
growing use. To many Americans, especially health care and social workers who
deal with cocaine users and have witnessed the personal and societal devastation
it produces, cocaine addiction is, by far, the most serious drug problem in
the United States.
Cocaine side
effects include but are not limited to:
- Changes in blood
pressure
- heart rates
- breathing rates
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Anxiety
- Convulsions
- Insomnia
- Loss of appetite
leading to malnutrition and weight loss
- Cold sweats
- Swelling and bleeding
of mucous membranes
- Restlessness and
anxiety
- Damage to nasal
cavities
- Damage to lungs
- Possible heart
attacks, strokes, or convulsions
Even
though the public is often regaled with highly publicized accounts of
deaths from cocaine, many still mistakenly believe the drug, especially
when sniffed, to be nonaddictive and not as harmful as other illicit drugs.
Cocaine's immediate physical effects include raised breathing rate, raised
blood pressure and body temperature, and dilated pupils.
By causing the coronary
arteries to constrict, blood pressure rises and the blood supply to the
heart diminishes. This can cause heart attacks or convulsions within an
hour after use. Chronic users and those with hypertension, epilepsy, and
cardiovascular disease are at particular risk. Studies show that even
those with no previous heart problems risk cardiac complications from
cocaine. Increased use may sensitize the brain to the drug's effects so
that less of the substance is needed to induce a seizure. Those who inject
the drug are at high risk for AIDS and hepatitis when they share needles.
Allergic reactions to cocaine or other substances mixed in with the drug
may also occur.
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