Drugs Addiction

About heroin

Heroin is the most often illegally taken drug of opiates. It evokes heavy forms of physical and psychic addiction very fast. Several injections of this drug are enough for a human to have addiction to and strive to take this drug further. So-called “street- heroin” is sold in form o white or brown powder.

Real content of heroin in this mixture always is not known because pure heroin is mixed with sugar, starch or dried milk. Also heroin may be mixed with other strong medicines such as benzodiazepine, barbiturates. Since heroin user does not know real content of the mixture bought and taken, he/she incurs high risk of overdosing and death.

Other narcotic and psychotropic agents

Name:

Cocaine

Synonyms:

crack (base – cocaine used for smoking)

Administration ways: 

inhalation, smoking and intravenous injections.

Signs of intake:

  • excitement, euphoria
  • feeling of power and superiority
  • absence of tiredness
  • reduced need of sleep
  • nervousness, feeling of anxiety, panic attacks
  • acute psychosis with hallucinations

Adverse consequences:

  • depression, paranoia, psychosis, inclination to suicide
  • cerebral haemorrhage, cardiac infarction, nasal septum perforation, “crack lung”, obliterating bronchitis, impotence.

Name:

Ecstasy

Synonyms:

MDMA

Administration ways: 

peroral in form of tablets.

Signs of intake:

  • excitement, absence of tiredness
  • visual impairment
  • high blood pressure

Adverse consequences:

  • probable lethal outcome due to hyperthermia (high temperature), physical overload and dehydration (dewatering)
  • long intake leads to depression and recurrent hallucinations.

Name:

LSD

Synonyms:

“acid”

Administration ways:

usually peroral in form of tablets or so-called “marks” – pieces of blotting-paper sodden with the drug which stick to oral cavity mucous membrane

Signs of intake:

  • tachycardia, high temperature
  • euphoria, psychic excitement, aggressiveness, suicidal thoughts
  • hallucinations

Adverse consequences:

  • depression
  • recurrent hallucinations
  • inclination to suicide

Name:

Marijuana

Synonyms:

hashish, anasha, plan

Administration ways:

usually marijuana is smoked, besides, cannabis may be chewed and made as tea.

Signs of intake:

  • marijuana produces stimulating, adative and hallucinogenic effects. Intensity of all effects depends on dose
  • typical are: mydriatic pupils, eye reddening, glare look, hypergaiety and laugh for no reason, incoherent speech, slight disorders of movement co-ordination, sometimes hallucinations
  • typical is acute increase of appetite – “adephagia”.

Adverse consequences:

  • chronic tiredness and sleepiness
  • emotional disorders, depression, suicidal attempts, dementia (weak-mindedness)
  • for men typical are reduced sexual attraction, reduced potency and feeling of sexual satisfaction
  • for women – absence of menstruation, sterility.

Name:

Amphetamines

Synonyms:

pervitin, preluden, phenmetrasin etc.

Administration ways: 

peroral, intravenous, inhalation (breathing in)

Signs of intake:

  • state of high capacity for work and activity
  • low tiredness, insomnia
  • palpitations
  • absent appetite, stomach aches.

Adverse consequences:

  • acute psychosis accompanied by vivid hallucinations
  • cerebral haemorrhage
  • cardiac rhythm disorders dangerous for life
  • developed addiction.

Name:

Barbiturates

Synonyms:

barbamyl, phenobarbital, reladorm, cyclobarbital

Administration ways:

peroral, intravenous

Signs of intake:

  • sleepiness
  • slowed speech
  • impaired balance and co-ordination of movements
  • inhibited psychic reactions, hallucinations.

Adverse consequences:

  • development of pronounced addiction accompanied by heavy (to the extent of lethal outcome) abstinent disorders
  • typical are: development of toxic encephalopathy manifesting by inhibited psychic processes, rapid fatigability, impossible concentration of attention
  • acute psychosis accompanied by vivid hallucinations
  • cerebral haemorrhage
  • overdosing with lethal outcome is often

Name:

Anabolic steroids

Administration ways: 

peroral, injections

Signs of intake:

  • high arterial blood pressure, impaired hepatic functions, jaundice
  • in women – virilizing type alopecia; diminished breast size, amenorrhoea
  • in men – testicle atrophy

Adverse consequences:

  • injection administration way may be the cause for HIV infection (HIV viruses) or hepatitis
  • in man – possible development of impotence

Name: 

Volatile organic compounds

Synonyms:  

clues, aerosols, certain solvents

Administration ways:

inhalation

Signs of intake:

  • euphoria, disorientation, vertigo, convulsions, memory impairment
  • possible sudden death due to disordered cardiac rhythm or respiratory depression

Adverse consequences:

  • memory impairment and impaired ability to concentrate attention
  • psychoses with or without hallucinations
  • encephalopathy
  • depression

Name:

Benzodiazepines

Synonyms:

phenasepam, rhodedorm, relanium, elenium

Administration ways:

peroral, injection

Term: benzodiazepines means a wide range of drugs differing from each other by duration and speed of effect beginning and strength of effect. 

Signs of intake:

  • sleepiness, slackness
  • mental confusion
  • hallucinations
  • muscle weakness

Adverse consequences:

  • quite fast development of psychic and physical addiction
  • heavy abstinence accompanied by feeling of anxiety, sleeplessness, ravings, convulsive attacks.
Addiction
Detoxication
Naltrexone
Rehabilitation