Like anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder. But unlike anorexia, a person who has bulimia eats a lot of food in a very short period of time, called binging, and then tries to get rid of the food by purging to keep themselves from gaining weight.
Purging is done in one of two ways. The person can either make himself throw up after eating a large quantity of food, or take laxatives or other drugs to help speed up their bowel movement so that the food they ate will not be absorbed by the large and small intestine. Other drugs are sometimes used to speed up the metabolism to an unhealthy rate as a way to burn calories.
Like anorexia, bulimia affects mostly women and young girls. But approximately 10% of all people with bulimia are male. People who are bulimic can become very adept at hiding their disease from friends and family members. In fact, they may go to great measures not only to lose weight but to hide how they are losing weight.
Many, but not all, people who are anorexic are also bulimic. However, the main difference between anorexia and bulimia is that people with anorexia avoid all high-calorie foods and are obsessed with exercise. It is a struggle for them to put food into their mouths and they view it almost as a poison.
A person with bulimia will eat high-calorie foods and in large quantities. But instead of letting the body digest the food, they will immediate throw up or take laxatives so the body does not absorb any of the food. They do this in the hopes that they will not gain weight.
It is sometimes harder to diagnose a person with bulimia because they don't always lose as much weight as the person who is anorexic. In fact, a person who is bulimic isn't necessarily too thin at all, making it difficult for people around that person to suspect that there is even a problem.
Unlike a person with anorexia, who uses food as a means of control, someone who is suffering from bulimia is more likely to feel they are not in control of their behavior. Because of this they are more likely to admit there is a problem and seek help for it.
To further complicate a diagnosis of bulimia, only about half of the women who suffer from bulimia will have irregular menstrual cycles, one of the symptoms a doctor will use as a gauge for whether a person has an eating disorder. Nearly all women with anorexia will exhibit interruption in their menstrual cycle.
Because people with bulimia regularly vomit to purge their food, they will have a foul smell to their breath and often times will cover it up with mints or excessive brushing of their teeth. However, even with this, the acid from their stomach will make their breath foul. To combat this, a person with bulimia will make frequent trips to brush their teeth or rinse their mouth with mouthwash and consciously make time for this ritual as part of their normal day.
On a psychological level, people with bulimia are like people with anorexia in that many times they'd rather die than gain weight and be fat. But because their body image is so poor, they might wear baggy clothes and keep from looking into mirrors at all costs to avoid looking at themselves.
Another problem associated with bulimia is tooth decay and gum disease. Because vomit is acidic, acid exposure to the gums and teeth on a daily basis will cause decay. A doctor will take all this and more into consideration when diagnosing bulimia.
"I was cursed with big hips," Carol, a woman who was bulimic in her teens, said. "I was fine when I was in junior high school, but when I hit high school my body changed so much that I didn't know what happened to me. Since I'm adopted, I couldn't go to my mother and say, 'where did these hips come from?' and I'm not sure it would have mattered if she'd had an answer for me."
Carol, like many teenage girls who go through puberty quickly, detested her body when it started to develop.
"I hated my body. I mean, who wants great birthing hips when you're 14? I sure didn't. All I knew is that I'd gone from a size 4 to a size 12 in what felt like overnight. I was into sports so it wasn't like I was sitting on the couch all day when I wasn't in school. I was active. But because I was active in sports, I was always eating on the run.”
Carol, like many girls with bulimia, started to vomit to get rid of the food she ate as a way to keep her weight down. "I got really good at running to the girl's room between classes. It got so that I didn't even have to stick my fingers down my throat to throw up. All I had to do was lean over the toilet and it came up."
What finally made Carol see her doctor wasn't her bulimia at all. "To be in sports you needed to have a physical exam. My stomach had been giving me some grief and I told the doctor. He ordered a bunch of tests, which showed my potassium level was low, putting me at risk for having a massive heart attack. One thing led to another and he told me point blank that I had to go into treatment for bulimia or I could die."
Luckily for Carol, that and the threat of being pulled from sports was enough to scare her into going into treatment. But the effects of the bulimia on her body were long-lasting.
"I still have trouble with my intestines and I have scarring in my esophagus from all the vomiting I did for the years I was bulimic. It sometimes makes it hard to eat because food will feel like it is getting stuck in my throat."
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
What is Anorexia?
It can strike fear into the heart of any parent to see your child wasting away before your very eyes because they just won't eat. It's not a matter of the child being a picky eater. It's that they look at food as being the enemy. Unlike most parents who reprimand their children for eating too much junk food, a parent with a child who has an eating disorder ends up praying that their child will eat enough morsels of food to keep their body alive.
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that is characterized by a person with extreme low body weight and a distorted psychological body image of themselves. People who have anorexia and bulimia are terrified to eat food for fear they will gain weight. Many times, they get to the point where they'd choose death over getting fat.
You could argue that most teenagers in America have a poor body image and are afraid to eat because they won't look good in a pair of jeans or their bathing suit at the beach. These teenagers don't have anorexia nervosa. That is just normal adolescence.
But when a teenager or an adult looks at their body in the mirror and sees a fat person when the rest of the world sees skin and bones reminiscent of a skeleton, there's a problem.
Anorexia is more than just a problem with not eating food. In fact it goes much deeper, affecting a person's psychological outlook of themselves. Where a person who overeats might think about food more than the average person, a person with anorexia also thinks about food but focuses their thoughts on how they can limit it, hide it, even though they know they need food to stay alive.
Psychologists believe that people with anorexia use food as a way of controlling their life, to ease tension, to deal with anger they may feel, or as a way of coping with anxiety that is plaguing them. It really has nothing to do with the food itself. Starvation and excessive-compulsive tendencies to lose weight and exercise are just symptoms of a bigger problem.
Ninety-five percent of all people with anorexia nervosa are female. Because the majority of people with anorexia nervosa are female, it is thought of as a girl's disease. But boys and men can also be affected by anorexia. In fact, the number of young boys who are becoming anorexic is rising.
Whether male or female, all people who have anorexia exhibit the same behavior and characteristics.
Low body weight for her or his height and body frame
Unable to keep a normal body weight
Exhibits an intense fear of gaining weight even when the body is already too thin
Holds on to the belief that she or he is fat even when very thin or skeletal
Misses three menstrual periods in a row (for girls or women who have already started to have their menstrual cycle)
If you fear that someone you love is suffering from anorexia nervosa, it is imperative that you get them to see a doctor immediately so they can begin treatment. Even if it turns out that they are not anorexic, it is better to be safe than sorry.
The earlier a person is diagnosed and begins treatment, the better their chances are to prevent long-term medical damage to their body.
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that is characterized by a person with extreme low body weight and a distorted psychological body image of themselves. People who have anorexia and bulimia are terrified to eat food for fear they will gain weight. Many times, they get to the point where they'd choose death over getting fat.
You could argue that most teenagers in America have a poor body image and are afraid to eat because they won't look good in a pair of jeans or their bathing suit at the beach. These teenagers don't have anorexia nervosa. That is just normal adolescence.
But when a teenager or an adult looks at their body in the mirror and sees a fat person when the rest of the world sees skin and bones reminiscent of a skeleton, there's a problem.
Anorexia is more than just a problem with not eating food. In fact it goes much deeper, affecting a person's psychological outlook of themselves. Where a person who overeats might think about food more than the average person, a person with anorexia also thinks about food but focuses their thoughts on how they can limit it, hide it, even though they know they need food to stay alive.
Psychologists believe that people with anorexia use food as a way of controlling their life, to ease tension, to deal with anger they may feel, or as a way of coping with anxiety that is plaguing them. It really has nothing to do with the food itself. Starvation and excessive-compulsive tendencies to lose weight and exercise are just symptoms of a bigger problem.
Ninety-five percent of all people with anorexia nervosa are female. Because the majority of people with anorexia nervosa are female, it is thought of as a girl's disease. But boys and men can also be affected by anorexia. In fact, the number of young boys who are becoming anorexic is rising.
Whether male or female, all people who have anorexia exhibit the same behavior and characteristics.
Low body weight for her or his height and body frame
Unable to keep a normal body weight
Exhibits an intense fear of gaining weight even when the body is already too thin
Holds on to the belief that she or he is fat even when very thin or skeletal
Misses three menstrual periods in a row (for girls or women who have already started to have their menstrual cycle)
If you fear that someone you love is suffering from anorexia nervosa, it is imperative that you get them to see a doctor immediately so they can begin treatment. Even if it turns out that they are not anorexic, it is better to be safe than sorry.
The earlier a person is diagnosed and begins treatment, the better their chances are to prevent long-term medical damage to their body.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
GHB: A deadly, addictive drug
"Hillory J. Farias was 17 years old when someone slipped the deadly drug GHB into her soda. Hillory never drank, never participated in any drug use. She was very well respected by all of her classmates. She was going to be a senior in high school, she didnt attend her prom, and she never had a date."
"We learned that Kyle had never heard of GHB until only a few weeks prior to his death. Apparently a fellow classmate introduced him and other students to GHB as a safe supplement, which supposedly aids in muscle development and is used as a sleep aid, not as the potentially deadly drug that it is. We feel that it is our obligation as parents to expose GHB for what it is, something deadly. Kyle was a quality young man with a promising and bright future, and if this tragedy happened to him, it could happen to anyone."
The heart-breaking accounts of young people who died from GHB, like those above, are displayed at the Web site for Project GHB at http://www.projectghb.org/. Project GHB, a nonprofit group based in Pasadena, Calif., was formed two years ago to raise awareness about this dangerous, illegal drug known as gamma hydroxybutyrate, or GHB. The message is simple: GHB is a deadly drug.
No one knows how many deaths can be attributed to GHB. But Trinka Porrata, director of the Project GHB helpline, has documented 225 deaths in the last two years. Many go undetected and unreported, she said, because coroners don't know to test for the drug and the Drug Enforcement Agency no longer tracks such deaths. Porrata, who served as a member of the Los Angeles Police Department for 25 years, calls GHB the worst drug she's ever witnessed.
"GHB is the most dangerous drug because of misinformation about it on Web sites and because people can die so easily from it," she said. "It has a steep dosage curve. One dose for a 150-pound woman might kill a 300-pound man. It's unpredictable."
GHB belongs to the drug category called "club drugs," a group that is used for its intoxicating effects at nightclubs, raves, and other party settings. The category includes MDMA (ecstasy) and LSD. While MDMA has captured much of the headlines during the past two years, hospital emergencies involving GHB have quietly surpassed those from MDMA nationally, said Carol Falkowski, director of Research Communications at Hazelden and a drug trend researcher.
GHB is often mixed into bottles of spring water or other beverages, alcoholic and nonalcoholic. Onset of effects occurs within 15 minutes and lasts three to six hours, said Falkowski. In low doses, GHB creates feelings of relaxation, depresses breathing and heart rate, and slows motor coordination. In higher doses, it produces sleep and a semiconscious state. Adverse overdose reactions can include vomiting, loss of consciousness, seizure-like activity, respiratory arrest, coma, and death.
GHB is also given to people without their knowledge to facilitate sexual assaults. The federal law enacted in 2000 to regulate GHB was named after Hillory Farias (mentioned above) and Samantha Reid. Health enthusiasts are attracted to the drug, and GHB has been used as a murder weapon in several states, including Florida, where a man was accused of drugging his wife with GHB and making it look like a suicide.
"The biggest secret is that GHB is highly addictive," said Porrata. "It's popular among bodybuilders, actors, businessmen on the go, and others who are told it's a sleep aid or workout aid. But people taking it every day are at great risk for becoming addicted. Once hooked, GHB addicts take the drug around the clock, every two to three hours, to avoid the unpleasant and rapid onset of withdrawal.
"GHB is the hardest drug to detoxify," added Porrata. "It takes 10 to 14 days to detox and the individual can't do it alone."
GHB addicts who miss a dose or try to stop will experience increasing blood pressure and heart rate, soaring anxiety levels, sleeplessness, hallucinations (which usually start within a few days after the last dose), and bizarre behavior. Withdrawal from the drug requires medical assistance and should involve prolonged follow-up with counseling. Addiction treatment and aftercare are essential or relapse is almost guaranteed, added Porrata. Suicide is a concern given the intense depression during and after detoxification. The Project GHB Addiction Helpline provides information to the addict, family members and treatment centers unfamiliar with GHB withdrawal.
For more information on GHB, visit http://www.projectghb.org/ or call Project GHB at 626-577-5204.
More information is also available at the National Institute on Drug Abuse Web site at http://www.drugabuse.gov/.
--Published May 6, 2002
________________________________________
Alive & Free is a health column that provides information to help prevent substance abuse problems and address such problems. It is created by Hazelden, a nonprofit agency based in Center City, Minn., that offers a wide range of information and services on addiction. For more resources, email or call Hazelden at 800-257-7810 (outside the US 651-213-4200).
"We learned that Kyle had never heard of GHB until only a few weeks prior to his death. Apparently a fellow classmate introduced him and other students to GHB as a safe supplement, which supposedly aids in muscle development and is used as a sleep aid, not as the potentially deadly drug that it is. We feel that it is our obligation as parents to expose GHB for what it is, something deadly. Kyle was a quality young man with a promising and bright future, and if this tragedy happened to him, it could happen to anyone."
The heart-breaking accounts of young people who died from GHB, like those above, are displayed at the Web site for Project GHB at http://www.projectghb.org/. Project GHB, a nonprofit group based in Pasadena, Calif., was formed two years ago to raise awareness about this dangerous, illegal drug known as gamma hydroxybutyrate, or GHB. The message is simple: GHB is a deadly drug.
No one knows how many deaths can be attributed to GHB. But Trinka Porrata, director of the Project GHB helpline, has documented 225 deaths in the last two years. Many go undetected and unreported, she said, because coroners don't know to test for the drug and the Drug Enforcement Agency no longer tracks such deaths. Porrata, who served as a member of the Los Angeles Police Department for 25 years, calls GHB the worst drug she's ever witnessed.
"GHB is the most dangerous drug because of misinformation about it on Web sites and because people can die so easily from it," she said. "It has a steep dosage curve. One dose for a 150-pound woman might kill a 300-pound man. It's unpredictable."
GHB belongs to the drug category called "club drugs," a group that is used for its intoxicating effects at nightclubs, raves, and other party settings. The category includes MDMA (ecstasy) and LSD. While MDMA has captured much of the headlines during the past two years, hospital emergencies involving GHB have quietly surpassed those from MDMA nationally, said Carol Falkowski, director of Research Communications at Hazelden and a drug trend researcher.
GHB is often mixed into bottles of spring water or other beverages, alcoholic and nonalcoholic. Onset of effects occurs within 15 minutes and lasts three to six hours, said Falkowski. In low doses, GHB creates feelings of relaxation, depresses breathing and heart rate, and slows motor coordination. In higher doses, it produces sleep and a semiconscious state. Adverse overdose reactions can include vomiting, loss of consciousness, seizure-like activity, respiratory arrest, coma, and death.
GHB is also given to people without their knowledge to facilitate sexual assaults. The federal law enacted in 2000 to regulate GHB was named after Hillory Farias (mentioned above) and Samantha Reid. Health enthusiasts are attracted to the drug, and GHB has been used as a murder weapon in several states, including Florida, where a man was accused of drugging his wife with GHB and making it look like a suicide.
"The biggest secret is that GHB is highly addictive," said Porrata. "It's popular among bodybuilders, actors, businessmen on the go, and others who are told it's a sleep aid or workout aid. But people taking it every day are at great risk for becoming addicted. Once hooked, GHB addicts take the drug around the clock, every two to three hours, to avoid the unpleasant and rapid onset of withdrawal.
"GHB is the hardest drug to detoxify," added Porrata. "It takes 10 to 14 days to detox and the individual can't do it alone."
GHB addicts who miss a dose or try to stop will experience increasing blood pressure and heart rate, soaring anxiety levels, sleeplessness, hallucinations (which usually start within a few days after the last dose), and bizarre behavior. Withdrawal from the drug requires medical assistance and should involve prolonged follow-up with counseling. Addiction treatment and aftercare are essential or relapse is almost guaranteed, added Porrata. Suicide is a concern given the intense depression during and after detoxification. The Project GHB Addiction Helpline provides information to the addict, family members and treatment centers unfamiliar with GHB withdrawal.
For more information on GHB, visit http://www.projectghb.org/ or call Project GHB at 626-577-5204.
More information is also available at the National Institute on Drug Abuse Web site at http://www.drugabuse.gov/.
--Published May 6, 2002
________________________________________
Alive & Free is a health column that provides information to help prevent substance abuse problems and address such problems. It is created by Hazelden, a nonprofit agency based in Center City, Minn., that offers a wide range of information and services on addiction. For more resources, email or call Hazelden at 800-257-7810 (outside the US 651-213-4200).
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Inhalant abuse by young people is preventable
When Eric was 14, a friend showed him how to inhale fabric protector. Eric then showed his younger brother and another friend how to do it. "I inhaled chemicals until first my mom caught me inhaling gas and then my dad caught me sniffing leather protector," said Eric. At age 18, Eric is now in treatment for his addiction to alcohol and marijuana.
Inhalants are breathable chemicals that produce a mind-altering effect. They include solvents, paint, glue, fuels, nail polish, hair spray, felt-tip markers, butane, air fresheners, fabric protectors, whipped creme propellant, spray paint and many other chemical products.
Inhaling the vapors, or using a lot over a short period of time, may result in losing touch with one's surroundings, a loss of inhibition, violent behavior, unconsciousness or death. Inhaling highly concentrated amounts of chemicals can lead to heart failure within minutes of sniffing. Severe cardiac arrhythmia is the most common cause of sudden death from inhalants.
Inhalant abuse can cause long-term physical damage to the brain, nerve cells, heart, liver, kidneys, throat, nasal passageways and lungs. Psychological damage can include depression, anxiety, withdrawal, severe mood swings and mental slowness.
Why would anyone inhale such dangerous substances? Children often start chemical use with inhalants because these substances are available, convenient, legal, and they can sober up within minutes.
According to Mark Groves, an inhalant prevention specialist, about 1,400 household products sold over the counter at grocery and hardware stores can be inhaled.
Young people, especially those between the ages of 7 and 17, are most likely to abuse inhalants.
Twenty one percent of eighth graders have used inhalants at least once in their lifetime, according to the 1997 Monitoring the Future drug-use survey, and 12 percent of eighth graders said they had used inhalants in the past year.
Inhalant use often begins when children learn from friends or an older sibling. If children learn very early that they like a certain smell, something as seemingly harmless as fruit-smelling markers, and even feel good when smelling it, they may continue to inhale that and other substances. Early use of inhalants can indicate problem use later in life and may serve as a gateway drug to other harmful substances.
Because each inhalant has a legitimate use and because it's hard to police the misuse of these chemicals, education seems to be the best means of prevention. Groves suggests that "parents start teaching their children very early, at ages 4 and 5, that these substances are poisons and explain why they are dangerous."
Groves offers tips for parents to prevent inhalant abuse:
• Look for teachable moments. When children mention that gas smells good, teach them that gas or other chemicals should never be inhaled.
• Don't shut children out by simply saying something is "bad for you." That kind of response often invites indifference, or worse, rebellion.
• Educate yourself and then give your children concrete information; talk about dangerous behavior, such as inhalant use, and explain the consequences.
• Help your children develop refusal skills, or how they can say no.
• Listen to your children; talk with them to learn what pressures they are exposed to and what they are thinking and feeling.
• Ask questions of your children and their friends: Where are you going? Who will you be with?
Establish firms rules of behavior and set and enforce consequences for unacceptable behavior.
Some signs of inhalant use include chemical smell on breath; chemical stains on skin and clothing; sores around the mouth and nose; runny nose; nose bleeds; headaches and nausea; slurred speech; chronic cough; and sudden changes in mood and behavior. Parents can also watch for empty containers of white-out, plastic bags and butane lighters as signs of potential inhalant abuse. Also, secretive or other unusual behavior by your child and his or her friends may tip off inhalant use.
To receive a copy of a "A Parents' Guide to Preventing Inhalant Abuse" or for more information about inhalant abuse, contact the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition in Austin, Texas, at (800) 269-4237 or visit http://www.inhalants.org/.
--Published March 30, 1998
________________________________________
Alive & Free is a health column that provides information to help prevent substance abuse problems and address such problems. It is created by Hazelden, a nonprofit agency based in Center City, Minn., that offers a wide range of information and services on addiction. For more resources, email or call Hazelden at 800-257-7810 (outside the US 651-213-4200).
Inhalants are breathable chemicals that produce a mind-altering effect. They include solvents, paint, glue, fuels, nail polish, hair spray, felt-tip markers, butane, air fresheners, fabric protectors, whipped creme propellant, spray paint and many other chemical products.
Inhaling the vapors, or using a lot over a short period of time, may result in losing touch with one's surroundings, a loss of inhibition, violent behavior, unconsciousness or death. Inhaling highly concentrated amounts of chemicals can lead to heart failure within minutes of sniffing. Severe cardiac arrhythmia is the most common cause of sudden death from inhalants.
Inhalant abuse can cause long-term physical damage to the brain, nerve cells, heart, liver, kidneys, throat, nasal passageways and lungs. Psychological damage can include depression, anxiety, withdrawal, severe mood swings and mental slowness.
Why would anyone inhale such dangerous substances? Children often start chemical use with inhalants because these substances are available, convenient, legal, and they can sober up within minutes.
According to Mark Groves, an inhalant prevention specialist, about 1,400 household products sold over the counter at grocery and hardware stores can be inhaled.
Young people, especially those between the ages of 7 and 17, are most likely to abuse inhalants.
Twenty one percent of eighth graders have used inhalants at least once in their lifetime, according to the 1997 Monitoring the Future drug-use survey, and 12 percent of eighth graders said they had used inhalants in the past year.
Inhalant use often begins when children learn from friends or an older sibling. If children learn very early that they like a certain smell, something as seemingly harmless as fruit-smelling markers, and even feel good when smelling it, they may continue to inhale that and other substances. Early use of inhalants can indicate problem use later in life and may serve as a gateway drug to other harmful substances.
Because each inhalant has a legitimate use and because it's hard to police the misuse of these chemicals, education seems to be the best means of prevention. Groves suggests that "parents start teaching their children very early, at ages 4 and 5, that these substances are poisons and explain why they are dangerous."
Groves offers tips for parents to prevent inhalant abuse:
• Look for teachable moments. When children mention that gas smells good, teach them that gas or other chemicals should never be inhaled.
• Don't shut children out by simply saying something is "bad for you." That kind of response often invites indifference, or worse, rebellion.
• Educate yourself and then give your children concrete information; talk about dangerous behavior, such as inhalant use, and explain the consequences.
• Help your children develop refusal skills, or how they can say no.
• Listen to your children; talk with them to learn what pressures they are exposed to and what they are thinking and feeling.
• Ask questions of your children and their friends: Where are you going? Who will you be with?
Establish firms rules of behavior and set and enforce consequences for unacceptable behavior.
Some signs of inhalant use include chemical smell on breath; chemical stains on skin and clothing; sores around the mouth and nose; runny nose; nose bleeds; headaches and nausea; slurred speech; chronic cough; and sudden changes in mood and behavior. Parents can also watch for empty containers of white-out, plastic bags and butane lighters as signs of potential inhalant abuse. Also, secretive or other unusual behavior by your child and his or her friends may tip off inhalant use.
To receive a copy of a "A Parents' Guide to Preventing Inhalant Abuse" or for more information about inhalant abuse, contact the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition in Austin, Texas, at (800) 269-4237 or visit http://www.inhalants.org/.
--Published March 30, 1998
________________________________________
Alive & Free is a health column that provides information to help prevent substance abuse problems and address such problems. It is created by Hazelden, a nonprofit agency based in Center City, Minn., that offers a wide range of information and services on addiction. For more resources, email or call Hazelden at 800-257-7810 (outside the US 651-213-4200).
Monday, June 21, 2010
Education, awareness is key to preventing inhalant abuse
One out of every five students in America has used an inhalant to get high by the time he or she reaches the eighth grade. Parents don't know that inhalants -- cheap, legal and accessible household products -- are as popular among middle school students as marijuana. And even fewer parents know the deadly effects the poisons in these products have on the brain and body when inhaled or huffed.
"It's like playing Russian roulette," said Harvey Weiss, executive director of the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition (NIPC). "The user can die the first, 10th or 100th time a product is misused as an inhalant."
Because prevention through education has proven to work against this popular form of substance abuse, the NIPC has developed National Inhalants & Poisons Awareness Week (March 19-25) to help increase understanding about the use and risks of inhalants.
"Many parents are uncomfortable broaching the topic of inhalants with their kids, and they often deny that their child might use inhalants," said Dr. H. Westley Clark, director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. "A lot of children are experimenting, so if you assume it's not your kid, you'd better check. Inhalants are in everyone's house, so watch your child. Watch for changes in behavior -- personality changes, change in gait, chemical breath, secretive and isolated behavior -- that may signal inhalant use."
Some common questions and answers regarding inhalants, as provided by NIPC, follow:
What is inhalant use? Inhalant use refers to the intentional breathing of gas or vapors with the purpose of reaching a high. Inhalants are legal, everyday products that have a useful purpose, but can be misused. You're probably familiar with these substances -- paint, glue, and others. But you probably don't know that there are more than 1,000 products that are very dangerous when inhaled -- things such as felt tip markers, spray paint, air freshener, butane, and even cooking spray.
Who is at risk? Inhalants are an equal opportunity method of substance abuse. Statistics show that young, white males have the highest usage rate. Hispanic and American Indian populations also show high rates of use.
What can inhalants do to the body? Nearly all abused products produce effects similar to anesthetics, which slow down the body's function. Varying upon level of dosage, the user can experience slight stimulation, feeling of less inhibition, or loss of consciousness. The user can also die from Sudden Sniffing Death Syndrome. Other effects include damage to the heart, kidney, brain, liver, bone marrow and other organs. Inhalants are physically and psychologically addicting and users suffer withdrawal symptoms.
What can I do if someone I know is huffing and appears in a state of crisis? The best thing to do is remain calm and seek help. Agitation may cause the huffer to become violent, experience hallucinations, or suffer heart dysfunction that can cause sudden death. Make sure the room is well ventilated and call emergency medical technicians. If the person is not breathing, administer CPR.
Once recovered, seek professional treatment and counseling.
What should I tell my child or students about inhalants? It is never too early to teach your children about the dangers of inhalants. Don't just say "not my kid." Inhalant use starts as early as elementary school and is considered a gateway to further substance abuse. Parents often remain ignorant of inhalant use or do not educate their children until it is too late. Inhalants are not drugs. They are poisons and toxins and should be discussed as such. There are, however, a few age-appropriate guidelines that can be useful when educating your children. Education and strategies specific for 4-7, 7-10, 10-14 and 14-18 year-old age-groups are suggested, with all emphasizing the importance of oxygen to life function. A Tips for Teachers section details specific strategies for each age-group on the NIPC Web site.
For more information on how you and your community can learn more about inhalants, call NIPC at 800-269-4237 or visit its Web site at http://www.inhalants.org/
--Published March 13, 2000
________________________________________
Alive & Free is a health column that provides information to help prevent substance abuse problems and address such problems. It is created by Hazelden, a nonprofit agency based in Center City, Minn., that offers a wide range of information and services on addiction. For more resources, email or call Hazelden at 800-257-7810 (outside the US 651-213-4200).
"It's like playing Russian roulette," said Harvey Weiss, executive director of the National Inhalant Prevention Coalition (NIPC). "The user can die the first, 10th or 100th time a product is misused as an inhalant."
Because prevention through education has proven to work against this popular form of substance abuse, the NIPC has developed National Inhalants & Poisons Awareness Week (March 19-25) to help increase understanding about the use and risks of inhalants.
"Many parents are uncomfortable broaching the topic of inhalants with their kids, and they often deny that their child might use inhalants," said Dr. H. Westley Clark, director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. "A lot of children are experimenting, so if you assume it's not your kid, you'd better check. Inhalants are in everyone's house, so watch your child. Watch for changes in behavior -- personality changes, change in gait, chemical breath, secretive and isolated behavior -- that may signal inhalant use."
Some common questions and answers regarding inhalants, as provided by NIPC, follow:
What is inhalant use? Inhalant use refers to the intentional breathing of gas or vapors with the purpose of reaching a high. Inhalants are legal, everyday products that have a useful purpose, but can be misused. You're probably familiar with these substances -- paint, glue, and others. But you probably don't know that there are more than 1,000 products that are very dangerous when inhaled -- things such as felt tip markers, spray paint, air freshener, butane, and even cooking spray.
Who is at risk? Inhalants are an equal opportunity method of substance abuse. Statistics show that young, white males have the highest usage rate. Hispanic and American Indian populations also show high rates of use.
What can inhalants do to the body? Nearly all abused products produce effects similar to anesthetics, which slow down the body's function. Varying upon level of dosage, the user can experience slight stimulation, feeling of less inhibition, or loss of consciousness. The user can also die from Sudden Sniffing Death Syndrome. Other effects include damage to the heart, kidney, brain, liver, bone marrow and other organs. Inhalants are physically and psychologically addicting and users suffer withdrawal symptoms.
What can I do if someone I know is huffing and appears in a state of crisis? The best thing to do is remain calm and seek help. Agitation may cause the huffer to become violent, experience hallucinations, or suffer heart dysfunction that can cause sudden death. Make sure the room is well ventilated and call emergency medical technicians. If the person is not breathing, administer CPR.
Once recovered, seek professional treatment and counseling.
What should I tell my child or students about inhalants? It is never too early to teach your children about the dangers of inhalants. Don't just say "not my kid." Inhalant use starts as early as elementary school and is considered a gateway to further substance abuse. Parents often remain ignorant of inhalant use or do not educate their children until it is too late. Inhalants are not drugs. They are poisons and toxins and should be discussed as such. There are, however, a few age-appropriate guidelines that can be useful when educating your children. Education and strategies specific for 4-7, 7-10, 10-14 and 14-18 year-old age-groups are suggested, with all emphasizing the importance of oxygen to life function. A Tips for Teachers section details specific strategies for each age-group on the NIPC Web site.
For more information on how you and your community can learn more about inhalants, call NIPC at 800-269-4237 or visit its Web site at http://www.inhalants.org/
--Published March 13, 2000
________________________________________
Alive & Free is a health column that provides information to help prevent substance abuse problems and address such problems. It is created by Hazelden, a nonprofit agency based in Center City, Minn., that offers a wide range of information and services on addiction. For more resources, email or call Hazelden at 800-257-7810 (outside the US 651-213-4200).
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Drug Czar warns: Pushers move to PC to reach teens
Chances are good that when we think of teens scoring drugs, we envision little bags of mysterious substances being sold to them in back alleys by shady characters. We probably don't think of home computers in our own warm and sunny homes.
But U.S. "Drug Czar" John P. Walters, director of National Drug Control Policy, recently warned, "The pusher has moved to the PC. With one click of the mouse, teens can enter a virtual world of drugs. The Internet can teach teens how to buy or make drugs, how to use different drugs and other products to get high, and how to beat drug tests."
Carol Falkowski, director of Research Communications at Hazelden Foundation, agrees. "What young people once discovered by trial and error on street corners, they can now learn on cyber street corners," she said. "Recipes for making methamphetamine reside on numerous Web sites--about 54,000, according to a recent Web search. A similar search yielded 28,000 sites for making crack cocaine. Directions for concocting other mood-altering drugs are widespread as well."
Falkowski added there are also a number of "rogue" and illegitimate Web sites that sell numerous prescription medications to people who have never seen a doctor.
There is no doubt that young people are technologically savvy. Teenage Research Unlimited says that 90 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds use the Internet, and of that number, half use it daily. In addition, they say that about 19 million teens instant message, and 60 percent of our nation's teens have their own cell phone.
In July, Walters hosted a roundtable discussion with adolescents in drug treatment to talk about the role technology played in their own substance abuse. Teens told Walters about ordering "legal marijuana" on the Internet and also finding out how to grow marijuana themselves, how to make it more potent, and how to crush pills to get high. One young man told of searching online to find ways to detoxify so his drug tests would show up clean when his parents insisted on drug testing him. Cell phones have also become handy tools in getting drugs because dealers' names can be hidden in the phone's address book, and calls can be made in secret. Text messaging allows a further way to communicate discreetly without being overheard or seen using a phone.
In 2005, the Pew Internet and American Life Project reported that 64 percent of online teens say that most of them do things on the Internet they would not want their parents to know about. They have even developed a secret language to warn friends of parental monitoring. POS, for example, means "parent over shoulder." PIR means "parent in room." KPC reassures a friend that the sender is "keeping parents clueless."
"Emoticons" are acronyms or character symbols that enable teens to communicate with each other on the Internet in shorthand that might look like Sanskrit to unknowing parents. Symbols like %\ tell a friend the sender is hung over, and #-) means they're "wiped out" because they partied all night.
Likewise, there are a host of secret phrases and symbols to connote something about drugs or sex.
To help keep their teens safe, Walters suggests that parents:
Learn about the digital devices their teens use. Visit their Web pages or blogs to know who is in their cell phone contact list.
Limit the time teens spend online and put computers in a common area of the house so parents can more easily monitor their use.
Set limits on which Web sites, chat rooms, games or blogs teens can and cannot visit, and discuss the consequences for breaking these rules.
Falkowski, a drug trend expert, advises parents to steer their teens to reputable Web sites that provide up-to-date, science-based information about drugs and alcohol. She recommends the National Institute on Drug Abuse at www.drugabuse.gov, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism at www.niaaa.nih.gov, and the National Clearinghouse on Alcohol and Drug Information at www.ncadi.samhsa.gov.
In addition, parents can visit www.TheAntiDrug.com for a complete, easy-to-understand tutorial about modern technology, tips on decoding online lingo, and specific tools parents can use to monitor their teens' use of technology. The Web site also offers a parenting tips newsletter.
"Drug dealers lurk in chat rooms just like pedophiles, targeting teens with offers of drugs," said Walters. "To protect your teens in the digital world, go where they go. Do not let new technologies and innovations get in the way of good parenting."
--Published January 8, 2007
________________________________________
Alive & Free is a health column that provides information to help prevent substance abuse problems and address such problems. It is created by Hazelden, a nonprofit agency based in Center City, Minn., that offers a wide range of information and services on addiction. For more resources, email or call Hazelden at 800-257-7810 (outside the US 651-213-4200)
But U.S. "Drug Czar" John P. Walters, director of National Drug Control Policy, recently warned, "The pusher has moved to the PC. With one click of the mouse, teens can enter a virtual world of drugs. The Internet can teach teens how to buy or make drugs, how to use different drugs and other products to get high, and how to beat drug tests."
Carol Falkowski, director of Research Communications at Hazelden Foundation, agrees. "What young people once discovered by trial and error on street corners, they can now learn on cyber street corners," she said. "Recipes for making methamphetamine reside on numerous Web sites--about 54,000, according to a recent Web search. A similar search yielded 28,000 sites for making crack cocaine. Directions for concocting other mood-altering drugs are widespread as well."
Falkowski added there are also a number of "rogue" and illegitimate Web sites that sell numerous prescription medications to people who have never seen a doctor.
There is no doubt that young people are technologically savvy. Teenage Research Unlimited says that 90 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds use the Internet, and of that number, half use it daily. In addition, they say that about 19 million teens instant message, and 60 percent of our nation's teens have their own cell phone.
In July, Walters hosted a roundtable discussion with adolescents in drug treatment to talk about the role technology played in their own substance abuse. Teens told Walters about ordering "legal marijuana" on the Internet and also finding out how to grow marijuana themselves, how to make it more potent, and how to crush pills to get high. One young man told of searching online to find ways to detoxify so his drug tests would show up clean when his parents insisted on drug testing him. Cell phones have also become handy tools in getting drugs because dealers' names can be hidden in the phone's address book, and calls can be made in secret. Text messaging allows a further way to communicate discreetly without being overheard or seen using a phone.
In 2005, the Pew Internet and American Life Project reported that 64 percent of online teens say that most of them do things on the Internet they would not want their parents to know about. They have even developed a secret language to warn friends of parental monitoring. POS, for example, means "parent over shoulder." PIR means "parent in room." KPC reassures a friend that the sender is "keeping parents clueless."
"Emoticons" are acronyms or character symbols that enable teens to communicate with each other on the Internet in shorthand that might look like Sanskrit to unknowing parents. Symbols like %\ tell a friend the sender is hung over, and #-) means they're "wiped out" because they partied all night.
Likewise, there are a host of secret phrases and symbols to connote something about drugs or sex.
To help keep their teens safe, Walters suggests that parents:
Learn about the digital devices their teens use. Visit their Web pages or blogs to know who is in their cell phone contact list.
Limit the time teens spend online and put computers in a common area of the house so parents can more easily monitor their use.
Set limits on which Web sites, chat rooms, games or blogs teens can and cannot visit, and discuss the consequences for breaking these rules.
Falkowski, a drug trend expert, advises parents to steer their teens to reputable Web sites that provide up-to-date, science-based information about drugs and alcohol. She recommends the National Institute on Drug Abuse at www.drugabuse.gov, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism at www.niaaa.nih.gov, and the National Clearinghouse on Alcohol and Drug Information at www.ncadi.samhsa.gov.
In addition, parents can visit www.TheAntiDrug.com for a complete, easy-to-understand tutorial about modern technology, tips on decoding online lingo, and specific tools parents can use to monitor their teens' use of technology. The Web site also offers a parenting tips newsletter.
"Drug dealers lurk in chat rooms just like pedophiles, targeting teens with offers of drugs," said Walters. "To protect your teens in the digital world, go where they go. Do not let new technologies and innovations get in the way of good parenting."
--Published January 8, 2007
________________________________________
Alive & Free is a health column that provides information to help prevent substance abuse problems and address such problems. It is created by Hazelden, a nonprofit agency based in Center City, Minn., that offers a wide range of information and services on addiction. For more resources, email or call Hazelden at 800-257-7810 (outside the US 651-213-4200)
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Generation Rx: The alarming rise in prescription drug abuse
The abuse of prescription drugs by teens has become so prevalent that the Partnership for a Drug-Free America (PDFA) refers to this age group as "Generation Rx" in the summary of findings from its 2005 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study.
According to the recent study, nearly one in five teens in grades 7-12 (19 percent, or 4.5 million) say they've used prescription painkillers such as Vicodin or OxyContin or stimulants such as Ritalin to get high. One in ten (10 percent, or 2.4 million) report having abused cough medicine. According to the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, after marijuana, prescription drugs are the most commonly abused drug by teenagers.
"This seems to be more than just a craze of the moment," said Jim Steinhagen, executive director of Youth Services for Hazelden's Center for Youth and Families in Plymouth, Minn. "We started seeing more abuse of over-the-counter cough medicine about three years ago and now we're seeing greater abuse of prescription medications. When you start noticing more abuse over a sustained period of time, I'm afraid you're looking at a real trend."
Steinhagen said prescription drugs are popular because they are easy to get, they are perceived to be safe, and they do not have the stigma that other drugs like cocaine, heroin, or methampetamines have. "Peer group approval is a big factor. If 'everybody does it,' young people think it must be okay. They're not buying it on the street, so they think it must be safe. But just talk to a paramedic or a doctor who has treated a young person who has overdosed on over-the-counter or prescription medicines. These can be as life-threatening as heroin and need to be taken as seriously."
Taken appropriately, opioids such as OxyContin can relieve pain. Depressants like Xanax can help with anxiety or sleep disorders, and stimulants like Ritalin can help those who suffer from attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or narcolepsy. But taking these potent drugs without a doctor's supervision or mixing them with alcohol or other drugs can be dangerous and even lethal, as evidenced by the national increase in visits to hospital emergency departments for patients who overdosed on prescription drugs. When abused, the powerful chemicals contained in these drugs can adversely affect the brain, heart, or respiratory system, and repeated use can lead to addiction. Likewise, certain over-the-counter sleep aids, cough suppressants, antihistamines, and dimenhydrinates (such as Dramamine) can also be abused for their psychoactive effects and can produce dangerous health effects when mixed with alcohol.
The abuse of these drugs has become so popular that some teens get together for "pharming parties," where they pool the drugs they've stolen from home medicine cabinets or bring the drugs they've purchased from other kids or from the Internet.
"As times and technology change, kids are the first to know about it," said Steinhagen. "They communicate with each other in on-line chat rooms and share information about mixing drug 'cocktails' for a special kind of high that will be difficult for parents to detect."
Steinhagen said "what parents know about they can talk about," but unfortunately many parents are caught totally off guard when it comes to prescription drug abuse. "It doesn't smell and there may not be the clear signs parents would know to look for." He urges parents to trust their instincts.
"You may see the same kind of warning signs as for other drug abuse: changes in personality, greater mood swings, a change in friends, a drop or change in activities, decline in grades, absences in school, withdrawal, depression, etc. If you don't think you are getting the whole truth from your child, seek assistance from a school professional, a therapist, or a drug counselor. The worst thing you can do is nothing."
Fortunately, said Steinhagen, treatment works. He said the best treatment approach is a holistic model that focuses on all aspects of an individual's life and takes into account any accompanying mental health issues like ADHD, anxiety, or depression. "At Hazelden Center for Youth and Families we also see involvement of the family as a critical factor in treatment. Parents and guardians learn what the kids are learning about addiction. We also teach them how to change relationship dynamics and give them tools for supporting their child in recovery."
The Partnership for a Drug-Free America advises parents to educate themselves, communicate with their kids, and safeguard medications. These tips and other helpful information for adults and young people can be found at their Web site at http://www.drugfree.org/.
--Published July 10, 2006
________________________________________
Alive & Free is a health column that provides information to help prevent substance abuse problems and address such problems. It is created by Hazelden, a nonprofit agency based in Center City, Minn., that offers a wide range of information and services on addiction. For more resources, email or call Hazelden at 800-257-7810 (outside the US 651-213-4200).
According to the recent study, nearly one in five teens in grades 7-12 (19 percent, or 4.5 million) say they've used prescription painkillers such as Vicodin or OxyContin or stimulants such as Ritalin to get high. One in ten (10 percent, or 2.4 million) report having abused cough medicine. According to the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, after marijuana, prescription drugs are the most commonly abused drug by teenagers.
"This seems to be more than just a craze of the moment," said Jim Steinhagen, executive director of Youth Services for Hazelden's Center for Youth and Families in Plymouth, Minn. "We started seeing more abuse of over-the-counter cough medicine about three years ago and now we're seeing greater abuse of prescription medications. When you start noticing more abuse over a sustained period of time, I'm afraid you're looking at a real trend."
Steinhagen said prescription drugs are popular because they are easy to get, they are perceived to be safe, and they do not have the stigma that other drugs like cocaine, heroin, or methampetamines have. "Peer group approval is a big factor. If 'everybody does it,' young people think it must be okay. They're not buying it on the street, so they think it must be safe. But just talk to a paramedic or a doctor who has treated a young person who has overdosed on over-the-counter or prescription medicines. These can be as life-threatening as heroin and need to be taken as seriously."
Taken appropriately, opioids such as OxyContin can relieve pain. Depressants like Xanax can help with anxiety or sleep disorders, and stimulants like Ritalin can help those who suffer from attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or narcolepsy. But taking these potent drugs without a doctor's supervision or mixing them with alcohol or other drugs can be dangerous and even lethal, as evidenced by the national increase in visits to hospital emergency departments for patients who overdosed on prescription drugs. When abused, the powerful chemicals contained in these drugs can adversely affect the brain, heart, or respiratory system, and repeated use can lead to addiction. Likewise, certain over-the-counter sleep aids, cough suppressants, antihistamines, and dimenhydrinates (such as Dramamine) can also be abused for their psychoactive effects and can produce dangerous health effects when mixed with alcohol.
The abuse of these drugs has become so popular that some teens get together for "pharming parties," where they pool the drugs they've stolen from home medicine cabinets or bring the drugs they've purchased from other kids or from the Internet.
"As times and technology change, kids are the first to know about it," said Steinhagen. "They communicate with each other in on-line chat rooms and share information about mixing drug 'cocktails' for a special kind of high that will be difficult for parents to detect."
Steinhagen said "what parents know about they can talk about," but unfortunately many parents are caught totally off guard when it comes to prescription drug abuse. "It doesn't smell and there may not be the clear signs parents would know to look for." He urges parents to trust their instincts.
"You may see the same kind of warning signs as for other drug abuse: changes in personality, greater mood swings, a change in friends, a drop or change in activities, decline in grades, absences in school, withdrawal, depression, etc. If you don't think you are getting the whole truth from your child, seek assistance from a school professional, a therapist, or a drug counselor. The worst thing you can do is nothing."
Fortunately, said Steinhagen, treatment works. He said the best treatment approach is a holistic model that focuses on all aspects of an individual's life and takes into account any accompanying mental health issues like ADHD, anxiety, or depression. "At Hazelden Center for Youth and Families we also see involvement of the family as a critical factor in treatment. Parents and guardians learn what the kids are learning about addiction. We also teach them how to change relationship dynamics and give them tools for supporting their child in recovery."
The Partnership for a Drug-Free America advises parents to educate themselves, communicate with their kids, and safeguard medications. These tips and other helpful information for adults and young people can be found at their Web site at http://www.drugfree.org/.
--Published July 10, 2006
________________________________________
Alive & Free is a health column that provides information to help prevent substance abuse problems and address such problems. It is created by Hazelden, a nonprofit agency based in Center City, Minn., that offers a wide range of information and services on addiction. For more resources, email or call Hazelden at 800-257-7810 (outside the US 651-213-4200).
Monday, June 14, 2010
MYTHS AND FACTS ABOUT PRESCRIPTION AND OTC DRUGS
Repeat: RX and OTC drug abuse is increasing because kids believe they are safer than street drugs. So let’s take a look – right now -- at all the myths floating around about RX or OTC drugs.
Myth: If prescription or over-the-counter drugs can be used as medicine, they must be safer than street drugs.
Fact: Not true. Nearly all poison deaths in this country over a five-year period (1999-2004) were from drugs; most drug poisonings resulted from the abuse of prescription drugs and illegal drugs. These poisoning deaths went from 12,186 in 199to 20,950 in 2004 – a 62.5 percent change over five years.
Myth: Prescription drugs are not addictive.
Fact: Not true. Pain relievers like Vycodin, OxyContin, Percocet, Darvin and Codeine are highly addictive and life-threatening. What’s horrific about them is that they cause the user to have such painful and frightening withdrawal symptoms that the user sees no other way out but to keep using what they may know by then is destroying their health and their lives.
Myth: OTC drugs are not addictive. My mom uses flu medicine; my dad uses a popular night time sleep medicine.
Fact: Not true. When OTC drugs are used for the purposes for which they are intended with careful attention to the instructions for legitimate use, and knowledge of the user’s health history, they may not be dangerous, although some individuals may have unexpected, possibly dangerous sensitivity or allergy results. However, when they are NOT used properly for their intended medicinal purposes, they can be injurious or life-threatening. Even mothers and fathers can – and have – become dependant on these drugs.
Myth: If you only use prescription or OTC drugs once in a while, that’s okay.
Fact: Not true. Since all our body’s systems are a bit different, even one use of a strange drug can and has caused death and serious health problems. Teens who abuse RX drugs can suffer consequences including addiction, strokes, seizures, comas and even death. And one use can make you dependant on the drug.
How can RX or OTC drugs harm your body?
Narcotic pain relievers are not only highly addictive; stopping taking them causes some pretty drastic physical results. Withdrawal symptoms can include muscle and bone pain, insomnia, intense restless, diarrhea, vomiting and cold flashes.
Worse, youngsters are crushing time-released capsules like OxyContin, meant to be absorbed over a long period of time. And they are taking it all at once. Crushing, sniffing or injecting it causes the drug to enter the blood stream almost immediately and this can and has caused deaths. A price paid by not only the user, but everyone else in the user’s life.
Amphetamines like Ritalin, Adderall, Dexedrine, Focolin or Merida are not any safer. Not only can they be addictive, but abuse of them can cause feelings of paranoia, intense fear, and hostility which can lead to violence. High doses can cause heart attacks or seizures. Some fun, hey? Mix them with OTC decongestants and again, the heart is affected. Safe? Don’t you believe it.
And while teens abuse sedatives and tranquilizers to feel sleepy and less tense, or to relieve panic attacks, those feelings soon go away when their body becomes more tolerant to the drugs. So then you have a tense teen with panic attacks who is dependent on tranquilizers or sedatives and dealing with those feelings as well.
That sound funny? Not if it’s happening to you.
NOTE: Sedatives and/or tranquilizers can be deadly when combined with other prescription, some cold or allergy drugs, or alcohol.
Myth: If prescription or over-the-counter drugs can be used as medicine, they must be safer than street drugs.
Fact: Not true. Nearly all poison deaths in this country over a five-year period (1999-2004) were from drugs; most drug poisonings resulted from the abuse of prescription drugs and illegal drugs. These poisoning deaths went from 12,186 in 199to 20,950 in 2004 – a 62.5 percent change over five years.
Myth: Prescription drugs are not addictive.
Fact: Not true. Pain relievers like Vycodin, OxyContin, Percocet, Darvin and Codeine are highly addictive and life-threatening. What’s horrific about them is that they cause the user to have such painful and frightening withdrawal symptoms that the user sees no other way out but to keep using what they may know by then is destroying their health and their lives.
Myth: OTC drugs are not addictive. My mom uses flu medicine; my dad uses a popular night time sleep medicine.
Fact: Not true. When OTC drugs are used for the purposes for which they are intended with careful attention to the instructions for legitimate use, and knowledge of the user’s health history, they may not be dangerous, although some individuals may have unexpected, possibly dangerous sensitivity or allergy results. However, when they are NOT used properly for their intended medicinal purposes, they can be injurious or life-threatening. Even mothers and fathers can – and have – become dependant on these drugs.
Myth: If you only use prescription or OTC drugs once in a while, that’s okay.
Fact: Not true. Since all our body’s systems are a bit different, even one use of a strange drug can and has caused death and serious health problems. Teens who abuse RX drugs can suffer consequences including addiction, strokes, seizures, comas and even death. And one use can make you dependant on the drug.
How can RX or OTC drugs harm your body?
Narcotic pain relievers are not only highly addictive; stopping taking them causes some pretty drastic physical results. Withdrawal symptoms can include muscle and bone pain, insomnia, intense restless, diarrhea, vomiting and cold flashes.
Worse, youngsters are crushing time-released capsules like OxyContin, meant to be absorbed over a long period of time. And they are taking it all at once. Crushing, sniffing or injecting it causes the drug to enter the blood stream almost immediately and this can and has caused deaths. A price paid by not only the user, but everyone else in the user’s life.
Amphetamines like Ritalin, Adderall, Dexedrine, Focolin or Merida are not any safer. Not only can they be addictive, but abuse of them can cause feelings of paranoia, intense fear, and hostility which can lead to violence. High doses can cause heart attacks or seizures. Some fun, hey? Mix them with OTC decongestants and again, the heart is affected. Safe? Don’t you believe it.
And while teens abuse sedatives and tranquilizers to feel sleepy and less tense, or to relieve panic attacks, those feelings soon go away when their body becomes more tolerant to the drugs. So then you have a tense teen with panic attacks who is dependent on tranquilizers or sedatives and dealing with those feelings as well.
That sound funny? Not if it’s happening to you.
NOTE: Sedatives and/or tranquilizers can be deadly when combined with other prescription, some cold or allergy drugs, or alcohol.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
PRESCRIPTION/OTC DRUG ABUSE – HOME FREE?
When Anna Nicole Smith, a former Playboy Playmate, was found dead on Feb. 8, 2007 in Hollywood, Fla., wild stories of murder and medical negligence flew over the airwaves and ate up barrels of newspaper, magazine and tabloid ink. Ms. Smith, born Vickie Lynn Smith in Texas, was ultimately found by a coroner to have died of a toxic mix of prescription drugs.
Sadly, Ms. Smith’s beloved son, Daniel, died weeks earlier from a toxic combination of prescription drugs: methadone, used to treat heroin addiction, and the anti-depressants Zoloft and Lexapro. The toxic combination of prescription drugs caused the youth to have a fatal heart arrhythmia.
In the 1960s, when superstar Marilyn Monroe died in her California cottage, cries of murder rang out around the globe. Ms. Monroe was found to have died of a toxic overdose of prescription drugs.
Today, according to national studies, large numbers of teens are turning away from street drugs and using prescription (RX) and Over-the Counter (OTC) drugs to get high. Among young people ages 12-17, prescription drugs have become the second most abused illegal drug in America after marijuana.
Prescription and OTC drugs youngsters are illegally abusing include pain relievers Dilaudid, Lorcet, Lortab, OxyContin, Percocet, Percodan, Tylox, and Vicodi; Depressants (benzodiazepines, tranquilizers, barbiturates, sedatives) including Librium and Xanax; Stimulants Adderall, Concerta, and Ritalin.
The two most commonly abused prescription drugs by teens are Vicodin and OxyContin, both pain reliever narcotics and highly addictive. Withdrawal symptoms are said to be so painful that they push users to continue using.
Youngsters are also abusing cough medicines containing the active ingredient dextromethorphan, or DXM, for the explicit purpose of getting high. Their street slang names are currently “Dex” or “skittles.”
What is driving this increase in RX and OTC drug abuse?
YOUNGSTERS ARE CONVINCED THAT RX AND OTC DRUGS ARE A SAFER HIGH THAN STREET DRUGS.
Our kids, who usually know nada about chemical combinations, are only too willing to pop all kinds of RX or Over-The–Counter (OTC) drugs into their unsuspecting mouths.
Their naïve and life threatening assumption is that if drugs can be medicines or bought over the counter, they can’t be harmful. WRONG!
Heck, most of us adults don’t understand drugs any better. Many adults don’t think twice about drinking wine or other liquors and then sloshing down a prescription drug. Some of us land up in emergency rooms – if we are lucky. How can we expect more of a youth?
In a 2005 government study of emergency room drug and alcohol intervention, a startling fact emerged. While the total number of drug-related emergency room visits remained pretty much the same from 2004 to 2005, emergency visits involving the abuse (non-medical use) of prescription or OTC drugs increased from 495,732 to 598,542 in that same period.
“Teens and parents alike (my emphasis) have a false sense of security that these products can be safely abused because they are beneficial medicines found in the home. The sobering truth is that when medicines are abused, they can be every bit as dangerous, as addictive, and just as deadly as “street drugs,” said Steve Pasierb, president of the New York-based Partnership for Drug-Free America.
The Partnership’s recent study found that
1 in 5 teens has tried Vicodin, an addictive narcotic pain reliever
1 in 10 has tried OxyContin, another prescription narcotic
1 in 10 has used the stimulants Ritalin or Adderall for nonmedical purposes
1 in 11 teens admitted to getting high on cough medicine.
Source: Statistics above courtesy of Partners for a Drug Free America, www.drugfree.org
I know that numbers make readers’ eyes cross. They do mine. But when they are translated into children and young adults – yours and mine, I hope they come to life for all parents, teachers, sports’ coaches, preachers, school nurses -- anyone who sees young people each day. And I pray that youngsters abusing RX or OTC drugs get with it and decide to stay alive. Like my grandma always said, “You can lead a horse to water but he gets there faster if he really wants a drink.”
The most encouraging news about prescription abuse and OTC abuse is this: When parents talk to their families about how dangerous these drugs truly are, and how they are not to be used except with a genuine medical need, it works. According to government studies, kids who have parents who tell it like it is are 50 percent less likely to abuse RX or OTC drugs.
More good news is that it’s possible for parents and other adults to help turn the tide of this new drug abuse flood with three simple acts: Educate yourself about the dangers of medicine abuse and teach all youngsters that medicine abuse is NOT safer than illegal street drugs; communicate with youths the risks of intentionally abusing medicine to get high; and safeguard prescriptions and over-the-counter medicines that that are in your home. Throw out old ones (flushing them down the toilet is safest) or lock them up. Only adults should have the key to the “Lock box.”
Sound extreme? Sound like a lot of trouble? So are frightening, expensive emergency room visits – or heart wrenching funerals.
The pothead generation is fast becoming Generation RX. Prescription drug abuse, including OTC abuse, is now second only to marijuana, the most abused drug in America.
And The Worst News. Lots of kids get their prescription or OTC drugs with no pain, no strain, according to the youths themselves. The majority of kids get prescription drugs easily and for free, often from friends or relatives. Other youngsters say they buy them from friends or relatives while another 10 percent say they take them without asking.
And nightmare kinds of worst? Almost 40 percent of 14-20 year olds say it is easy to get prescription drugs online or by phone. More girls than boys claim the telephone route is easy.
Check it out: Google “non prescription vicodin” for an eye-opener. In the one site I checked out that offers vicodin there was lots of info about the quality of the drugs and lots of mention of the “membership fee” to “join” their service, but what I did not find was a request for a legitimate physician’s prescription. Is it any surprise that youthful abuse of these harmful and dangerous drugs has increased?
We can also thank all those lovely butterflies flitting over TV “dreams”, those cuddly couples on TV thanking OTC drugs or RX drugs for their romantic good nights.
We can wonder how many TV commercial “overtired moms and dads” who pop some liquid “nighty-night” drug and then demonstrate how happy they feel as they fall asleep are telling kids how to abuse drugs. How many commercials a day or evening promoting RX and OTC drugs do you think our kids see? NO, they don’t listen to those lengthy, scary and depressing side effects the government makes companies include in these promotions. Do you? Do I? Does anyone?
And here’s a knockout fact about accessibility: More teens have been offered prescription drugs than other illicit drugs, including marijuana.
Repeat: RX and OTC drug abuse is increasing because kids believe they are safer than street drugs. So Monday we'll take a look at all the myths floating around about RX or OTC drugs.
Sadly, Ms. Smith’s beloved son, Daniel, died weeks earlier from a toxic combination of prescription drugs: methadone, used to treat heroin addiction, and the anti-depressants Zoloft and Lexapro. The toxic combination of prescription drugs caused the youth to have a fatal heart arrhythmia.
In the 1960s, when superstar Marilyn Monroe died in her California cottage, cries of murder rang out around the globe. Ms. Monroe was found to have died of a toxic overdose of prescription drugs.
Today, according to national studies, large numbers of teens are turning away from street drugs and using prescription (RX) and Over-the Counter (OTC) drugs to get high. Among young people ages 12-17, prescription drugs have become the second most abused illegal drug in America after marijuana.
Prescription and OTC drugs youngsters are illegally abusing include pain relievers Dilaudid, Lorcet, Lortab, OxyContin, Percocet, Percodan, Tylox, and Vicodi; Depressants (benzodiazepines, tranquilizers, barbiturates, sedatives) including Librium and Xanax; Stimulants Adderall, Concerta, and Ritalin.
The two most commonly abused prescription drugs by teens are Vicodin and OxyContin, both pain reliever narcotics and highly addictive. Withdrawal symptoms are said to be so painful that they push users to continue using.
Youngsters are also abusing cough medicines containing the active ingredient dextromethorphan, or DXM, for the explicit purpose of getting high. Their street slang names are currently “Dex” or “skittles.”
What is driving this increase in RX and OTC drug abuse?
YOUNGSTERS ARE CONVINCED THAT RX AND OTC DRUGS ARE A SAFER HIGH THAN STREET DRUGS.
Our kids, who usually know nada about chemical combinations, are only too willing to pop all kinds of RX or Over-The–Counter (OTC) drugs into their unsuspecting mouths.
Their naïve and life threatening assumption is that if drugs can be medicines or bought over the counter, they can’t be harmful. WRONG!
Heck, most of us adults don’t understand drugs any better. Many adults don’t think twice about drinking wine or other liquors and then sloshing down a prescription drug. Some of us land up in emergency rooms – if we are lucky. How can we expect more of a youth?
In a 2005 government study of emergency room drug and alcohol intervention, a startling fact emerged. While the total number of drug-related emergency room visits remained pretty much the same from 2004 to 2005, emergency visits involving the abuse (non-medical use) of prescription or OTC drugs increased from 495,732 to 598,542 in that same period.
“Teens and parents alike (my emphasis) have a false sense of security that these products can be safely abused because they are beneficial medicines found in the home. The sobering truth is that when medicines are abused, they can be every bit as dangerous, as addictive, and just as deadly as “street drugs,” said Steve Pasierb, president of the New York-based Partnership for Drug-Free America.
The Partnership’s recent study found that
1 in 5 teens has tried Vicodin, an addictive narcotic pain reliever
1 in 10 has tried OxyContin, another prescription narcotic
1 in 10 has used the stimulants Ritalin or Adderall for nonmedical purposes
1 in 11 teens admitted to getting high on cough medicine.
Source: Statistics above courtesy of Partners for a Drug Free America, www.drugfree.org
I know that numbers make readers’ eyes cross. They do mine. But when they are translated into children and young adults – yours and mine, I hope they come to life for all parents, teachers, sports’ coaches, preachers, school nurses -- anyone who sees young people each day. And I pray that youngsters abusing RX or OTC drugs get with it and decide to stay alive. Like my grandma always said, “You can lead a horse to water but he gets there faster if he really wants a drink.”
The most encouraging news about prescription abuse and OTC abuse is this: When parents talk to their families about how dangerous these drugs truly are, and how they are not to be used except with a genuine medical need, it works. According to government studies, kids who have parents who tell it like it is are 50 percent less likely to abuse RX or OTC drugs.
More good news is that it’s possible for parents and other adults to help turn the tide of this new drug abuse flood with three simple acts: Educate yourself about the dangers of medicine abuse and teach all youngsters that medicine abuse is NOT safer than illegal street drugs; communicate with youths the risks of intentionally abusing medicine to get high; and safeguard prescriptions and over-the-counter medicines that that are in your home. Throw out old ones (flushing them down the toilet is safest) or lock them up. Only adults should have the key to the “Lock box.”
Sound extreme? Sound like a lot of trouble? So are frightening, expensive emergency room visits – or heart wrenching funerals.
The pothead generation is fast becoming Generation RX. Prescription drug abuse, including OTC abuse, is now second only to marijuana, the most abused drug in America.
And The Worst News. Lots of kids get their prescription or OTC drugs with no pain, no strain, according to the youths themselves. The majority of kids get prescription drugs easily and for free, often from friends or relatives. Other youngsters say they buy them from friends or relatives while another 10 percent say they take them without asking.
And nightmare kinds of worst? Almost 40 percent of 14-20 year olds say it is easy to get prescription drugs online or by phone. More girls than boys claim the telephone route is easy.
Check it out: Google “non prescription vicodin” for an eye-opener. In the one site I checked out that offers vicodin there was lots of info about the quality of the drugs and lots of mention of the “membership fee” to “join” their service, but what I did not find was a request for a legitimate physician’s prescription. Is it any surprise that youthful abuse of these harmful and dangerous drugs has increased?
We can also thank all those lovely butterflies flitting over TV “dreams”, those cuddly couples on TV thanking OTC drugs or RX drugs for their romantic good nights.
We can wonder how many TV commercial “overtired moms and dads” who pop some liquid “nighty-night” drug and then demonstrate how happy they feel as they fall asleep are telling kids how to abuse drugs. How many commercials a day or evening promoting RX and OTC drugs do you think our kids see? NO, they don’t listen to those lengthy, scary and depressing side effects the government makes companies include in these promotions. Do you? Do I? Does anyone?
And here’s a knockout fact about accessibility: More teens have been offered prescription drugs than other illicit drugs, including marijuana.
Repeat: RX and OTC drug abuse is increasing because kids believe they are safer than street drugs. So Monday we'll take a look at all the myths floating around about RX or OTC drugs.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
STIMULANTS: AMPHETAMINES AND METHAMPHETAMINES
Stimulants do just that: they stimulate the brain. They increase alertness, relieve fatigue, make the user feel stronger and more decisive and are often used for euphoric effects or to counteract the “down” feeling of tranquilizers or alcohol. The most commonly abused are cocaine, amphetamines, and methamphetamines. Cocaine, addressed earlier, is also considered a narcotic.
Amphetamines are sometimes prescribed by doctors for medical problems. This doesn’t make them any safer. Stimulants increase heart and respiratory rates, elevate blood pressure, dilate pupils, decrease appetite. High doses may cause rapid or irregular heartbeat, loss of coordination, or blurred vision, dizziness, an intense feeling of restlessness, anxiety, profuse sweating and delusions.
Street methamphetamine is called “speed,” “meth,” and “chalk.” Methamphetamine hydrochloride, clear chunky crystals resembling ice, which can be inhaled by smoking, is called “ice,” “crystal,” “glass,” and “tina.”
Because methamphetamine can be made with easy to find, inexpensive materials, the final product sold as "methamphetamine" may not be methamphetamine at all, but a highly altered chemical mixture with some stimulant-like effects. Uncertainties about the drug’s sources and ingredients make it especially difficult to determine its toxicity. There’s no way to predict the medical consequences and symptoms of overdose -- or poisoning.
Recently, law enforcement officials have seized new methamphetamine chemical “mixes” being used by drug dealers whose latest targets are new users 10 year olds and up. Today, drug pushers are mixing methamphetamines or heroin with flavored drink powders creating “starter drugs” with cute, harmless-sounding slang names. I mentioned “Strawberry Quick” earlier; however, flavors and colors they use vary: strawberry, chocolate, even candy ground up and mixed with dangerous illegal drugs. These Kiddie Killers are all finding their way to our youngest and most impressionable and most helpless children. Repeat: Ten years old and up. No matter what they are mixed with, methamphetamines and heroin are still highly dangerous, addictive, life-threatening drugs.
According to one of the most finite government annual surveys of school drug use, past year and past month methamphetamine use decreased among 10th-graders from 2005 to 2006. It decreased from 2.9 percent to 1.8 percent for past year; and decreased from 1.1 percent to 0.7 percent for the study’s past month.
Among 12th-graders, perceived risk of harm from trying crystal methamphetamine -- “ice” -- increased from 54.6 percent in 2005 to 59.1 percent in 2006.
In 2004, 1.4 million persons aged 12 or older (0.6 percent of the population) used methamphetamine in the past year, and 600,000 (0.2 percent) used it in the past month.
In 2004, an estimated 318,000 persons were new users of methamphetamine, having used it for the first time in the 12 months before the survey.
And The Worst News There is emerging evidence that methamphetamine is being administered increasingly via the intravenous route. Injecting this drug increases the user’s risk for indulging in both sexual and non-sexual acts that could increase his or her chance of contracting HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, and other infectious diseases.
Myths and facts about Methamphetamine
Myth: Using methamphetamine is like using diet pills. Everyone knows they are safe.
Fact: Not true. First of all, even diet pills whose production is monitored by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) can be very dangerous. Giga-jolts of the well-known stimulants caffeine or ephedrine can cause stroke or cardiac arrest when overused or used by people with sensitivity to them. Further, there is no way you can know what chemicals are in meth produced by an illegal drug lab. Methamphetamine is dangerous and addictive. From 1998 to 1999, deaths due to meth rose 38 percent.
Myth: Methamphetamine is less harmful than crack, cocaine, or heroin.
Fact: Not true. Some users get hooked the first time they snort, smoke, or inject meth. Because it can be made from lethal ingredients like battery acid, drain cleaner, lantern fuel, or antifreeze, there is a greater chance of having a heart attack, stroke, or serious brain damage with this drug than with other drugs. In 2002, meth led to 17, 676 emergency room visits.
Myth: Meth is the same as amphetamine.
Fact: Not true. Methamphetamine is chemically related to amphetamine but, at comparable doses, the effects of methamphetamine are much more potent, longer lasting, and more harmful to the central nervous system.
Myth: “Speed” makes you “sharp”.
Fact: Over “amping” on any type of speed is pretty risky. Creating a false sense of energy, these drugs push the body faster and further than it's meant to go. It increases the heart rate, blood pressure, and risk of stroke. It can also cause you to become paranoiac and violent.
Meth is extremely addictive - sometimes with just one use! It can cause convulsions, heart irregularities, high blood pressure, depression, restlessness, tremors, and severe fatigue. An overdose can cause coma and death. When you stop using meth, you may experience a deep depression. Ice causes a very jittery high, along with anxiety, insomnia, and sometimes paranoia.
In the short term, meth causes mind and mood changes such as anxiety, euphoria, and depression.
Long-term effects can include chronic fatigue, paranoid or delusional thinking, and permanent psychological damage.
Meth use can cause irreversible damage to blood vessels in the brain. Meth users who inject the drug and share needles are at risk for acquiring HIV/AIDS. An overdose of meth can result in heart failure.
Long-term physical effects such as liver, kidney, and lung damage may also kill you.
Recent studies in chronic methamphetamine abusers have also revealed severe structural and functional changes in areas of the brain associated with emotion and memory, which may account for many of the emotional and cognitive problems observed in chronic methamphetamine abusers.
Meth can cause aggression and violent or psychotic behavior.
Sources: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information, (NIDA), Monitoring the Future Survey,
Amphetamines are sometimes prescribed by doctors for medical problems. This doesn’t make them any safer. Stimulants increase heart and respiratory rates, elevate blood pressure, dilate pupils, decrease appetite. High doses may cause rapid or irregular heartbeat, loss of coordination, or blurred vision, dizziness, an intense feeling of restlessness, anxiety, profuse sweating and delusions.
Street methamphetamine is called “speed,” “meth,” and “chalk.” Methamphetamine hydrochloride, clear chunky crystals resembling ice, which can be inhaled by smoking, is called “ice,” “crystal,” “glass,” and “tina.”
Because methamphetamine can be made with easy to find, inexpensive materials, the final product sold as "methamphetamine" may not be methamphetamine at all, but a highly altered chemical mixture with some stimulant-like effects. Uncertainties about the drug’s sources and ingredients make it especially difficult to determine its toxicity. There’s no way to predict the medical consequences and symptoms of overdose -- or poisoning.
Recently, law enforcement officials have seized new methamphetamine chemical “mixes” being used by drug dealers whose latest targets are new users 10 year olds and up. Today, drug pushers are mixing methamphetamines or heroin with flavored drink powders creating “starter drugs” with cute, harmless-sounding slang names. I mentioned “Strawberry Quick” earlier; however, flavors and colors they use vary: strawberry, chocolate, even candy ground up and mixed with dangerous illegal drugs. These Kiddie Killers are all finding their way to our youngest and most impressionable and most helpless children. Repeat: Ten years old and up. No matter what they are mixed with, methamphetamines and heroin are still highly dangerous, addictive, life-threatening drugs.
According to one of the most finite government annual surveys of school drug use, past year and past month methamphetamine use decreased among 10th-graders from 2005 to 2006. It decreased from 2.9 percent to 1.8 percent for past year; and decreased from 1.1 percent to 0.7 percent for the study’s past month.
Among 12th-graders, perceived risk of harm from trying crystal methamphetamine -- “ice” -- increased from 54.6 percent in 2005 to 59.1 percent in 2006.
In 2004, 1.4 million persons aged 12 or older (0.6 percent of the population) used methamphetamine in the past year, and 600,000 (0.2 percent) used it in the past month.
In 2004, an estimated 318,000 persons were new users of methamphetamine, having used it for the first time in the 12 months before the survey.
And The Worst News There is emerging evidence that methamphetamine is being administered increasingly via the intravenous route. Injecting this drug increases the user’s risk for indulging in both sexual and non-sexual acts that could increase his or her chance of contracting HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, and other infectious diseases.
Myths and facts about Methamphetamine
Myth: Using methamphetamine is like using diet pills. Everyone knows they are safe.
Fact: Not true. First of all, even diet pills whose production is monitored by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) can be very dangerous. Giga-jolts of the well-known stimulants caffeine or ephedrine can cause stroke or cardiac arrest when overused or used by people with sensitivity to them. Further, there is no way you can know what chemicals are in meth produced by an illegal drug lab. Methamphetamine is dangerous and addictive. From 1998 to 1999, deaths due to meth rose 38 percent.
Myth: Methamphetamine is less harmful than crack, cocaine, or heroin.
Fact: Not true. Some users get hooked the first time they snort, smoke, or inject meth. Because it can be made from lethal ingredients like battery acid, drain cleaner, lantern fuel, or antifreeze, there is a greater chance of having a heart attack, stroke, or serious brain damage with this drug than with other drugs. In 2002, meth led to 17, 676 emergency room visits.
Myth: Meth is the same as amphetamine.
Fact: Not true. Methamphetamine is chemically related to amphetamine but, at comparable doses, the effects of methamphetamine are much more potent, longer lasting, and more harmful to the central nervous system.
Myth: “Speed” makes you “sharp”.
Fact: Over “amping” on any type of speed is pretty risky. Creating a false sense of energy, these drugs push the body faster and further than it's meant to go. It increases the heart rate, blood pressure, and risk of stroke. It can also cause you to become paranoiac and violent.
Meth is extremely addictive - sometimes with just one use! It can cause convulsions, heart irregularities, high blood pressure, depression, restlessness, tremors, and severe fatigue. An overdose can cause coma and death. When you stop using meth, you may experience a deep depression. Ice causes a very jittery high, along with anxiety, insomnia, and sometimes paranoia.
In the short term, meth causes mind and mood changes such as anxiety, euphoria, and depression.
Long-term effects can include chronic fatigue, paranoid or delusional thinking, and permanent psychological damage.
Meth use can cause irreversible damage to blood vessels in the brain. Meth users who inject the drug and share needles are at risk for acquiring HIV/AIDS. An overdose of meth can result in heart failure.
Long-term physical effects such as liver, kidney, and lung damage may also kill you.
Recent studies in chronic methamphetamine abusers have also revealed severe structural and functional changes in areas of the brain associated with emotion and memory, which may account for many of the emotional and cognitive problems observed in chronic methamphetamine abusers.
Meth can cause aggression and violent or psychotic behavior.
Sources: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information, (NIDA), Monitoring the Future Survey,
Monday, June 7, 2010
INHALANTS -- SNIFFING AND SNORTING
Even the most aware parents may miss the latest drug kids are abusing – because they are not one, but a laundry list of COMMON CHEMICALS being huffed, sniffed and snorted. Many are household chemicals found in most homes.
Inhalants are substances whose vapors can and ARE being inhaled to produce a mind-altering effect. Inhalants as a class of drugs share one main characteristic: They are rarely, if ever, taken by any route other than inhalation. That’s why kids refer to their use as “huffing.”
Inhalants’ street names are Glue, Kick, Bang, Sniff, Huff, Poppers, Whippets, or Texas Shoeshine. Inhalants include a large group of chemicals that are found in such household products as aerosol sprays, cleaning fluids, glue, paint, paint thinner, gasoline, propane, nail polish remover, correction fluid, and marker pens. None of these are safe to inhale--they can all kill you. What parent would suspect a can of whipped cream?
NOTE TO PARENTS: Chemicals like amyl nitrite and isobutyl nitrite (“poppers”) and nitrous oxide (“whippets”) are often sold at concerts and dance clubs. They can permanently damage your body and brain.
“The intentional misuse of commercial inhalants, like butane and toluene, can lead to death, addiction and other very serious health problems,” says Dr. Bertha Madras, Deputy Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.
“Store-owners, educators, medical professionals, parents, and especially young people enrolled in middle schools and high schools need to be aware of the dangers of misusing inhalants. Due to the fact that inhalants are generally legal, cheap, and available, young people are more at risk for inhalant misuse, and the dangers associated with that misuse, including brain damage, organ failure, cardiac arrest, convulsions, deafness, impaired vision, impaired motor skills, and loss of judgment. Even first time use of inhalants can lead to death. Now is the time to raise awareness of this national drug problem, and work to prevent our youth from the cycle of inhalant addiction.”
According to government studies, current trends are positive in two respects. Increasingly, young people surveyed see "great risk" in trying inhalants. At the same time, the percentage reporting inhalant abuse is declining
That said, I’m going to repeat: Even one percent is a major disaster if your child is in that percentage, isn’t it? And worse, studies show that inhalants are often among the first drugs that young children use. About 6 percent of children in the United States have tried inhalants by the time they reach fourth grade.
Together, data show that an estimated 1.1 million adolescents used inhalants in the past year, even though huffing can be fatal. If you believe these statistics are optimistic, I have a bridge in Brooklyn I’ll sell you cheap.
Inhalant abusers can sniff or snort fumes from containers, spray aerosols directly into the nose or mouth, "huff" fumes from an inhalant-soaked rag stuffed into the mouth, sniff fumes from substances sprayed into a paper or plastic bag, or even inhale from balloons filled with nitrous oxide. The quick high from inhalants lasts only a few minutes, so abusers often inhale repeatedly over several hours-a practice that can cause unconsciousness and even death.
Inhaled chemicals are rapidly absorbed through the lungs into the bloodstream and quickly distributed to the brain and other organs. Within seconds of inhalation, the user experiences intoxication along with other effects similar to those produced by alcohol. Alcohol-like effects may include slurred speech, an inability to coordinate movements, euphoria, and dizziness. In addition, users may experience lightheadedness, hallucinations, and delusions.
Signs include chemical odors on the breath or clothes, paint or other stains on skin or clothes, slurred speech and drunk or disoriented appearance, nausea or lack of appetite, and inattentiveness and lack of coordination.
Myths and facts about inhalants
Myth: They must be safe because everyone has them in their house.
Fact: No, they are not safe. They can kill you first time used. Household or other common chemicals have been designed for external use. When they are inhaled into the body, they are extremely dangerous.
Myth: A little won’t harm you.
Fact: One “huff” can kill you. Or the 10th. Or the 100th.
Even if you have huffed before without experiencing a problem, there's no way of knowing how the next huff will affect you.
Myth: Well, it only makes me high; it doesn’t affect anyone else.
Fact: Inhalants affect your brain and can cause you to suddenly engage in violent, or even deadly, behavior. You could hurt yourself or the people you love.
The most serious hazard for inhalant abusers is a syndrome called "sudden sniffing death." A single, prolonged session of inhalant use can produce rapid and irregular heart rhythms, heart failure, and death. It can happen within minutes and can strike an otherwise healthy young person. But inhalant abuse can cause death in other ways, too – by asphyxiation, suffocation, or choking.
Chronic exposure to inhalants causes widespread and long-lasting damage to the nervous system and other vital organs. The toxic chemicals damage parts of the brain that control learning, movement, vision, and hearing. Damage to the heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys may be permanent.
Listed below are some of the chemicals being inhaled and how they affect the body:
Amyl nitrate, butyl nitrate, street slang “poppers”, “video head cleaner”. Sudden sniffing death syndrome, suppressed immunologic function, injury to red blood cells interfering with oxygen supply to vital organs.
Benzene, fond in gasoline. Bone marrow injury, impaired immunologic function, increased risk of leukemia, reproductive system toxicity.
Butane, propone, found in lighter fluid, hair and paint sprays. Sudden sniffing death syndrome via cardiac effects, serious burn injuries because of its flammability.
Freon, which is used as a refrigerant and aerosol propellant. Sudden sniffing death syndrome, respiratory obstruction and death from sudden cooling/cold injury to airways, liver damage.
Methylene chloride, found in paint thinners and removers, degreasers. Reduction of oxygen-carrying capacity of blood, changes of the heart muscle and heartbeat.
Nitrous Oxide called “laughing gas” hexane. Death from lack of oxygen to the brain, altered perception and motor coordination, loss of sensation, limb spasms, blackout caused by blood pressure changes, depression heart muscle functioning.
Toluene. Found in paint thinners, paint removers, correction fluid. Causes brain damage, impaired walking, impaired cognition, impaired coordination, limb spasms, hearing and vision loss, heart and liver damage.
Trichloroethylene, found in antigreasant and spot removers. Causes sudden sniffing death syndrome, hearing and vision damage, cirrhosis of the liver and reproductive complications.
Source: SAMHSA, the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information and the National Center for Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI)
For more information about inhalants and other drugs, call SAMHSA’s National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information 800-729-6686
Inhalants are substances whose vapors can and ARE being inhaled to produce a mind-altering effect. Inhalants as a class of drugs share one main characteristic: They are rarely, if ever, taken by any route other than inhalation. That’s why kids refer to their use as “huffing.”
Inhalants’ street names are Glue, Kick, Bang, Sniff, Huff, Poppers, Whippets, or Texas Shoeshine. Inhalants include a large group of chemicals that are found in such household products as aerosol sprays, cleaning fluids, glue, paint, paint thinner, gasoline, propane, nail polish remover, correction fluid, and marker pens. None of these are safe to inhale--they can all kill you. What parent would suspect a can of whipped cream?
NOTE TO PARENTS: Chemicals like amyl nitrite and isobutyl nitrite (“poppers”) and nitrous oxide (“whippets”) are often sold at concerts and dance clubs. They can permanently damage your body and brain.
“The intentional misuse of commercial inhalants, like butane and toluene, can lead to death, addiction and other very serious health problems,” says Dr. Bertha Madras, Deputy Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.
“Store-owners, educators, medical professionals, parents, and especially young people enrolled in middle schools and high schools need to be aware of the dangers of misusing inhalants. Due to the fact that inhalants are generally legal, cheap, and available, young people are more at risk for inhalant misuse, and the dangers associated with that misuse, including brain damage, organ failure, cardiac arrest, convulsions, deafness, impaired vision, impaired motor skills, and loss of judgment. Even first time use of inhalants can lead to death. Now is the time to raise awareness of this national drug problem, and work to prevent our youth from the cycle of inhalant addiction.”
According to government studies, current trends are positive in two respects. Increasingly, young people surveyed see "great risk" in trying inhalants. At the same time, the percentage reporting inhalant abuse is declining
That said, I’m going to repeat: Even one percent is a major disaster if your child is in that percentage, isn’t it? And worse, studies show that inhalants are often among the first drugs that young children use. About 6 percent of children in the United States have tried inhalants by the time they reach fourth grade.
Together, data show that an estimated 1.1 million adolescents used inhalants in the past year, even though huffing can be fatal. If you believe these statistics are optimistic, I have a bridge in Brooklyn I’ll sell you cheap.
Inhalant abusers can sniff or snort fumes from containers, spray aerosols directly into the nose or mouth, "huff" fumes from an inhalant-soaked rag stuffed into the mouth, sniff fumes from substances sprayed into a paper or plastic bag, or even inhale from balloons filled with nitrous oxide. The quick high from inhalants lasts only a few minutes, so abusers often inhale repeatedly over several hours-a practice that can cause unconsciousness and even death.
Inhaled chemicals are rapidly absorbed through the lungs into the bloodstream and quickly distributed to the brain and other organs. Within seconds of inhalation, the user experiences intoxication along with other effects similar to those produced by alcohol. Alcohol-like effects may include slurred speech, an inability to coordinate movements, euphoria, and dizziness. In addition, users may experience lightheadedness, hallucinations, and delusions.
Signs include chemical odors on the breath or clothes, paint or other stains on skin or clothes, slurred speech and drunk or disoriented appearance, nausea or lack of appetite, and inattentiveness and lack of coordination.
Myths and facts about inhalants
Myth: They must be safe because everyone has them in their house.
Fact: No, they are not safe. They can kill you first time used. Household or other common chemicals have been designed for external use. When they are inhaled into the body, they are extremely dangerous.
Myth: A little won’t harm you.
Fact: One “huff” can kill you. Or the 10th. Or the 100th.
Even if you have huffed before without experiencing a problem, there's no way of knowing how the next huff will affect you.
Myth: Well, it only makes me high; it doesn’t affect anyone else.
Fact: Inhalants affect your brain and can cause you to suddenly engage in violent, or even deadly, behavior. You could hurt yourself or the people you love.
The most serious hazard for inhalant abusers is a syndrome called "sudden sniffing death." A single, prolonged session of inhalant use can produce rapid and irregular heart rhythms, heart failure, and death. It can happen within minutes and can strike an otherwise healthy young person. But inhalant abuse can cause death in other ways, too – by asphyxiation, suffocation, or choking.
Chronic exposure to inhalants causes widespread and long-lasting damage to the nervous system and other vital organs. The toxic chemicals damage parts of the brain that control learning, movement, vision, and hearing. Damage to the heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys may be permanent.
Listed below are some of the chemicals being inhaled and how they affect the body:
Amyl nitrate, butyl nitrate, street slang “poppers”, “video head cleaner”. Sudden sniffing death syndrome, suppressed immunologic function, injury to red blood cells interfering with oxygen supply to vital organs.
Benzene, fond in gasoline. Bone marrow injury, impaired immunologic function, increased risk of leukemia, reproductive system toxicity.
Butane, propone, found in lighter fluid, hair and paint sprays. Sudden sniffing death syndrome via cardiac effects, serious burn injuries because of its flammability.
Freon, which is used as a refrigerant and aerosol propellant. Sudden sniffing death syndrome, respiratory obstruction and death from sudden cooling/cold injury to airways, liver damage.
Methylene chloride, found in paint thinners and removers, degreasers. Reduction of oxygen-carrying capacity of blood, changes of the heart muscle and heartbeat.
Nitrous Oxide called “laughing gas” hexane. Death from lack of oxygen to the brain, altered perception and motor coordination, loss of sensation, limb spasms, blackout caused by blood pressure changes, depression heart muscle functioning.
Toluene. Found in paint thinners, paint removers, correction fluid. Causes brain damage, impaired walking, impaired cognition, impaired coordination, limb spasms, hearing and vision loss, heart and liver damage.
Trichloroethylene, found in antigreasant and spot removers. Causes sudden sniffing death syndrome, hearing and vision damage, cirrhosis of the liver and reproductive complications.
Source: SAMHSA, the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information and the National Center for Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI)
For more information about inhalants and other drugs, call SAMHSA’s National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information 800-729-6686
Saturday, June 5, 2010
HEROIN AND ITS ANALOGS
Heroin is the most abused and the most rapidly acting of the opiates, or narcotics. Processed from morphine, the naturally occurring substance extracted from the seedpod of certain kinds of poppy plants, heroin can be injected, snorted, sniffed or smoked. Regardless of how it’s used, it’s highly addictive.
On the other hand, opioid analogs are synthetically produced chemical compounds whose effects are similar to other drugs -- but they differ slightly in their chemical structure. Some analogs are produced by pharmaceutical companies for legitimate medical reasons. Others, sometimes called “designer drugs”, may be produced in illegal laboratories and are often more dangerous and potent that the original drug.
Two commonly known opiate analogs are Fentanyl and Meperidine (marketed under the brand name Demerol). Fentanyl, originally used as an analgesic in surgical procedures, is 50 times more potent than heroin and can rapidly stop respiration. In fact, its users have been found dead on the street with the needle used to inject the drug still in his or her arm.
Although heroin abuse has trended downward during the past several years, its prevalence is still higher than in the early 1990s.
These relatively high rates of abuse, especially among school-age youth, and the glamorization of heroin in music and films make it imperative that the public has the latest scientific information on this topic. Heroin also is increasing in purity and decreasing in price, which makes it an attractive option for young people and provides results similar to injecting when snorting it.
“Many of the new initiates of heroin are in fact trying the drug because they can snort it and think they would be protected by not injecting. . . In addition to that fact being clearly wrong, studies also show that non injecting heroin users are at considerable risk of becoming injection drug users,” said Dr. Alan I. Leshner, former director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
And the Worst News of All – “Cheese Heroin”
The most frightening news is all about Cheese --- that is, Cheese Heroin. According to Texas law enforcement and Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) officials, “cheese” is a “heroin starter”.
“Cheese” or “starter heroin” is a combination of heroin – up to 8 percent heroin -- and ground up cold medicine containing acetaminophen and diphenhydramine. The mixture is a tan powder that is snorted. It’s often wrapped in little pieces of notebook paper, or if made into a more solid little sugar cube- like block, sold in plastic see-through baggies. Kids snort it through an empty ball pen cylinder, sometimes even while in the classroom.
According to users, the effects of “cheese” include euphoria, disorientation, lethargy, sleepiness and hunger. This combination of drugs appears to be highly addictive. Withdrawal symptoms from “cheese” may begin within twelve hours of use and include headache, chills, muscle pains, muscle spasms, anxiety, agitation, disorientation and disassociation. This drives the user to crave another “hit”.
Cheese (heroin) is designed and marketed by Mexican gangs and sold by American high school dealers to kids as young as 10. One apprehended school yard dealer was 11.
Over 18 deaths from “Cheese” have occurred in the Dallas, Texas area.
Do DEA agents expect the “Cheese heroin’” or “heroin starters’” marketing to expand to other areas? As one DEA official says, “This Mexican drug network has been sending drugs to the United States for quite some time now. They see Cheese Heroin as a way to make a lot of money on a little heroin. They’re monsters. They’re targeting little kids. Will they expand to other places than Texas? Sure, they’re always looking to expand their markets.”
Do the kids even know they are abusing heroin? One parent, David Witherspoon, whose 17 year old son, Keith, was one of 18 youths who died from an overdose of “cheese”, thinks it may be possible that many youngsters do not understand fully what they are using. “It’s called “cheese”. They call it “cheese,” he said. “What could sound more harmless?”
Note to Parents: Cheese heroin is tan in color; it may be in a powder form or a small block of what looks like half of a tan colored sugar cube. It is usually sold wrapped in either a small piece of school notepaper or inside a small plasticine baggie.
“Cheese” is snorted through empty ball pen cylinders. Check your child’s pens. Take them apart. Trust is grand; his or her safety is even grander. Check with your child’s school. Have they had any claims of kids using cheese in their school?
What’s being done to warn children about the drug and the drug dealers who are kids like themselves? Speak to your child. Tell them how dangerous this drug combination is – and how fatal. Ask them to report to you anyone who offers it to them.
Warning: Candy from strangers. In an effort to attract young children as buyers for their drugs, dealers are mixing illegal drugs with not only super strength cold medicines but other familiar products including candy. Some potent illegal drugs like heroin and Methamphetamine have been mixed with fruit flavored milk drink powders and named for the flavors. How innocent and safe would “Strawberry Quick” sound to your child?
Heroin rapidly enters the brain and acts on the brain’s natural reward circuitry to produce a surge of pleasurable sensations (endorphins). People like what drugs do to their brains. However, research shows that prolonged drug use can actually change brains – changes that help convert dependency into addiction.
Heroin makes the user feel “euphoric” even though the “rush” is also accompanied by a laundry list of other effects. They include a warm flushing of the skin, dry mouth, and a heavy sluggish feeling in the arms and legs. It can also be accompanied by nausea, vomiting and severe itching.
Myths and Facts about Heroin
Myth: Heroin is less dangerous if you snort or smoke it instead of injecting it.
Fact: No. Heroin is heroin. You can still die from an overdose of heroin or become dependant on it by snorting or smoking it.
Myth: Withdrawal from heroin won’t kill you; you can stop anytime.
Fact: Although it is seldom fatal, withdrawal from heroin produces drug cravings, restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting and other symptoms that usually last about a week but may last for many months.
Myth: Methadone is just another substitution for heroin.
Fact: No, it is not. Although it does bind to the same brain receptors, it acts in the brain quite differently from heroin. While heroin de-stabilizes the brain of the addict, methadone actually stabilizes the heroin addict’s brain and behavior.
Health risks associated with both injecting and non injecting heroin use are substantial. First, because heroin users do not know the actual strength of the drug or its true contents, they are at risk of overdose or death.
Heroin use produces depressed respiration, clouded mental functioning, nausea and vomiting, suppression of pain so that a user can be seriously injured without seeking medical care, and in females, it can cause spontaneous abortion. Long term medical consequences of heroin use include addiction, infectious diseases, for example HIV/AIDS, bacterial infections, abscesses, infection of heart lining and valves, and arthritis and other rheumatologic problems. Heroin slows down the way you think, slows down reaction time and slows down memory.
Sources: “NIDA Research Report Series: Heroin”, and “Tips for Teens, the Truth About Heroin”. National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information at 1-800-729-6686
On the other hand, opioid analogs are synthetically produced chemical compounds whose effects are similar to other drugs -- but they differ slightly in their chemical structure. Some analogs are produced by pharmaceutical companies for legitimate medical reasons. Others, sometimes called “designer drugs”, may be produced in illegal laboratories and are often more dangerous and potent that the original drug.
Two commonly known opiate analogs are Fentanyl and Meperidine (marketed under the brand name Demerol). Fentanyl, originally used as an analgesic in surgical procedures, is 50 times more potent than heroin and can rapidly stop respiration. In fact, its users have been found dead on the street with the needle used to inject the drug still in his or her arm.
Although heroin abuse has trended downward during the past several years, its prevalence is still higher than in the early 1990s.
These relatively high rates of abuse, especially among school-age youth, and the glamorization of heroin in music and films make it imperative that the public has the latest scientific information on this topic. Heroin also is increasing in purity and decreasing in price, which makes it an attractive option for young people and provides results similar to injecting when snorting it.
“Many of the new initiates of heroin are in fact trying the drug because they can snort it and think they would be protected by not injecting. . . In addition to that fact being clearly wrong, studies also show that non injecting heroin users are at considerable risk of becoming injection drug users,” said Dr. Alan I. Leshner, former director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
And the Worst News of All – “Cheese Heroin”
The most frightening news is all about Cheese --- that is, Cheese Heroin. According to Texas law enforcement and Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) officials, “cheese” is a “heroin starter”.
“Cheese” or “starter heroin” is a combination of heroin – up to 8 percent heroin -- and ground up cold medicine containing acetaminophen and diphenhydramine. The mixture is a tan powder that is snorted. It’s often wrapped in little pieces of notebook paper, or if made into a more solid little sugar cube- like block, sold in plastic see-through baggies. Kids snort it through an empty ball pen cylinder, sometimes even while in the classroom.
According to users, the effects of “cheese” include euphoria, disorientation, lethargy, sleepiness and hunger. This combination of drugs appears to be highly addictive. Withdrawal symptoms from “cheese” may begin within twelve hours of use and include headache, chills, muscle pains, muscle spasms, anxiety, agitation, disorientation and disassociation. This drives the user to crave another “hit”.
Cheese (heroin) is designed and marketed by Mexican gangs and sold by American high school dealers to kids as young as 10. One apprehended school yard dealer was 11.
Over 18 deaths from “Cheese” have occurred in the Dallas, Texas area.
Do DEA agents expect the “Cheese heroin’” or “heroin starters’” marketing to expand to other areas? As one DEA official says, “This Mexican drug network has been sending drugs to the United States for quite some time now. They see Cheese Heroin as a way to make a lot of money on a little heroin. They’re monsters. They’re targeting little kids. Will they expand to other places than Texas? Sure, they’re always looking to expand their markets.”
Do the kids even know they are abusing heroin? One parent, David Witherspoon, whose 17 year old son, Keith, was one of 18 youths who died from an overdose of “cheese”, thinks it may be possible that many youngsters do not understand fully what they are using. “It’s called “cheese”. They call it “cheese,” he said. “What could sound more harmless?”
Note to Parents: Cheese heroin is tan in color; it may be in a powder form or a small block of what looks like half of a tan colored sugar cube. It is usually sold wrapped in either a small piece of school notepaper or inside a small plasticine baggie.
“Cheese” is snorted through empty ball pen cylinders. Check your child’s pens. Take them apart. Trust is grand; his or her safety is even grander. Check with your child’s school. Have they had any claims of kids using cheese in their school?
What’s being done to warn children about the drug and the drug dealers who are kids like themselves? Speak to your child. Tell them how dangerous this drug combination is – and how fatal. Ask them to report to you anyone who offers it to them.
Warning: Candy from strangers. In an effort to attract young children as buyers for their drugs, dealers are mixing illegal drugs with not only super strength cold medicines but other familiar products including candy. Some potent illegal drugs like heroin and Methamphetamine have been mixed with fruit flavored milk drink powders and named for the flavors. How innocent and safe would “Strawberry Quick” sound to your child?
Heroin rapidly enters the brain and acts on the brain’s natural reward circuitry to produce a surge of pleasurable sensations (endorphins). People like what drugs do to their brains. However, research shows that prolonged drug use can actually change brains – changes that help convert dependency into addiction.
Heroin makes the user feel “euphoric” even though the “rush” is also accompanied by a laundry list of other effects. They include a warm flushing of the skin, dry mouth, and a heavy sluggish feeling in the arms and legs. It can also be accompanied by nausea, vomiting and severe itching.
Myths and Facts about Heroin
Myth: Heroin is less dangerous if you snort or smoke it instead of injecting it.
Fact: No. Heroin is heroin. You can still die from an overdose of heroin or become dependant on it by snorting or smoking it.
Myth: Withdrawal from heroin won’t kill you; you can stop anytime.
Fact: Although it is seldom fatal, withdrawal from heroin produces drug cravings, restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting and other symptoms that usually last about a week but may last for many months.
Myth: Methadone is just another substitution for heroin.
Fact: No, it is not. Although it does bind to the same brain receptors, it acts in the brain quite differently from heroin. While heroin de-stabilizes the brain of the addict, methadone actually stabilizes the heroin addict’s brain and behavior.
Health risks associated with both injecting and non injecting heroin use are substantial. First, because heroin users do not know the actual strength of the drug or its true contents, they are at risk of overdose or death.
Heroin use produces depressed respiration, clouded mental functioning, nausea and vomiting, suppression of pain so that a user can be seriously injured without seeking medical care, and in females, it can cause spontaneous abortion. Long term medical consequences of heroin use include addiction, infectious diseases, for example HIV/AIDS, bacterial infections, abscesses, infection of heart lining and valves, and arthritis and other rheumatologic problems. Heroin slows down the way you think, slows down reaction time and slows down memory.
Sources: “NIDA Research Report Series: Heroin”, and “Tips for Teens, the Truth About Heroin”. National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information at 1-800-729-6686
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
DISSOCIATIVE DRUGS
Drugs such as PCP (phencyclidine) and ketamine, initially developed as general anesthetics for surgery, distort perceptions of sight and sound and produce feelings of detachment – dissociation – from the environment and self. But these mind-altering effects are not hallucinations. PCP and ketamine are more properly known as “dissociative anesthetics.”
Dextromethorphan, a widely available cough suppressant, when taken in high doses can produce effects similar to those of PCP and Ketamine. This drug, sometimes called “DXM” or “robo”, is a cough suppressing ingredient found in over-the-counter “extra strength” cough syrup. Depending on the dose taken, the results can range from a mild stimulant effect with distorted visual perceptions to a sense of complete dissociation from one’s body.
PCP is considered the typical dissociative drug, and the description of PCP’s actions and effects described in a recent government research report apply to Ketamine and dextromethorphan as well. Powdered PCP, known as “ozone”, “Angel dust”, “boat”, “dummy dust”, “love boat”, “peace”, “supergrass”, or “zombie”, is sprinkled on marijuana, tobacco, or parsley, then smoked. “Killer joints” and “crystal supergrass” are names that refer to PCP combined with marijuana. The variety of street names for PCP reflects its bizarre and volatile effects. The effects are rapidly felt. Although PCP is usually a white crystalline powder, it is sometimes colored with water-soluble or alcohol-soluble dyes.
Dissociative drugs like PCP and Ketamine may make a user feel disconnected and out of control. One of the most distinctive characteristics of PCP is the violence it instigates and the increased physical strength that the user seems to find him- or herself possessing.
According to an annual government survey, PCP use peaked for 12th graders in 1996 at approximately 2.5 percent of the schools surveyed and then decreased in use by this age group in 2000. There is no available data for 10th and 8th grade students in this survey.
The Bad News is PCP is addictive and dosages of 10 mg or more can result in dangerous changes in blood pressure, heart rate and respiration. Muscle contractions can result in bone fracture or in kidney damage or kidney failure as a consequence of muscle cells breaking down. Very high doses of PCP can cause convulsions, coma, hyperthermia, and death.
PCP effects are unpredictable. They can include hallucinations, delusions, panic and fear. Some users report feelings of invulnerability and extreme strength. PCP users may become severely disoriented, violent, or suicidal. Symptoms such as memory loss and depression may persist for as long as a year after a chronic user stops taking PCP.
For further information, see www.drugabuse.gov and www.health.org
Many PCP abusers are brought to emergency rooms because of PCP overdose or because of the drug's unpleasant psychological effects. In a hospital or detention setting, these people often become violent or suicidal; their behavior is unpredictable and their ability to inflict harm on others is legendary.
At low to moderate doses, physiological effects of PCP include a pronounced rise in blood pressure and pulse rate. Breathing becomes shallow and flushing and profuse sweating occurs. Generalized numbness of the extremities and loss of muscular coordination may also occur.
At high doses of PCP, blood pressure, pulse rate, and respiration drop. This may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, erratic eye movements, drooling, loss of balance, and dizziness. High doses of PCP can also cause seizures, coma, and death (though death more often results from accidental injury or suicide during PCP intoxication). High doses can cause delusions, hallucinations, paranoia, disordered thinking, and a sensation of distance from one's environment, and catatonia. Speech is often sparse and garbled.
People who abuse PCP for long periods report memory loss, difficulties with speech and thinking, depression, and weight loss. These symptoms can persist up to a year after stopping PCP abuse. Mood disorders also have been reported. PCP has sedative effects, and interactions with other central nervous system depressants, such as alcohol and benzodiazepines, can lead to coma.
Myths and Facts About PCP
Myth: PCP doesn’t really give its users superhuman strength that can result in police using unnecessary force against its users in order to control them. This increased strength only happens in the movies.
Fact: Not exactly true. PCP anesthetizes its users to pain so that they can use their human strength without being limited by otherwise normal parameters. As one user described the feeling of being on PCP, “It feels like being a gorilla on speed.”
Myth: PCP is only found in big cities where lower class people use it.
Fact: PCP has become the latest “club drug” at suburban “rave” dances and all ages and classes of youngsters are using them.
Myth: If you smoke a “dipper” – marijuana dipped in PCP mixed with water, and you find you can’t move, just drink milk and you will be able to move.
Fact: This is simply silly and untrue. If you have a bad reaction to PCP, milk will not reverse its effects.
Dextromethorphan, a widely available cough suppressant, when taken in high doses can produce effects similar to those of PCP and Ketamine. This drug, sometimes called “DXM” or “robo”, is a cough suppressing ingredient found in over-the-counter “extra strength” cough syrup. Depending on the dose taken, the results can range from a mild stimulant effect with distorted visual perceptions to a sense of complete dissociation from one’s body.
PCP is considered the typical dissociative drug, and the description of PCP’s actions and effects described in a recent government research report apply to Ketamine and dextromethorphan as well. Powdered PCP, known as “ozone”, “Angel dust”, “boat”, “dummy dust”, “love boat”, “peace”, “supergrass”, or “zombie”, is sprinkled on marijuana, tobacco, or parsley, then smoked. “Killer joints” and “crystal supergrass” are names that refer to PCP combined with marijuana. The variety of street names for PCP reflects its bizarre and volatile effects. The effects are rapidly felt. Although PCP is usually a white crystalline powder, it is sometimes colored with water-soluble or alcohol-soluble dyes.
Dissociative drugs like PCP and Ketamine may make a user feel disconnected and out of control. One of the most distinctive characteristics of PCP is the violence it instigates and the increased physical strength that the user seems to find him- or herself possessing.
According to an annual government survey, PCP use peaked for 12th graders in 1996 at approximately 2.5 percent of the schools surveyed and then decreased in use by this age group in 2000. There is no available data for 10th and 8th grade students in this survey.
The Bad News is PCP is addictive and dosages of 10 mg or more can result in dangerous changes in blood pressure, heart rate and respiration. Muscle contractions can result in bone fracture or in kidney damage or kidney failure as a consequence of muscle cells breaking down. Very high doses of PCP can cause convulsions, coma, hyperthermia, and death.
PCP effects are unpredictable. They can include hallucinations, delusions, panic and fear. Some users report feelings of invulnerability and extreme strength. PCP users may become severely disoriented, violent, or suicidal. Symptoms such as memory loss and depression may persist for as long as a year after a chronic user stops taking PCP.
For further information, see www.drugabuse.gov and www.health.org
Many PCP abusers are brought to emergency rooms because of PCP overdose or because of the drug's unpleasant psychological effects. In a hospital or detention setting, these people often become violent or suicidal; their behavior is unpredictable and their ability to inflict harm on others is legendary.
At low to moderate doses, physiological effects of PCP include a pronounced rise in blood pressure and pulse rate. Breathing becomes shallow and flushing and profuse sweating occurs. Generalized numbness of the extremities and loss of muscular coordination may also occur.
At high doses of PCP, blood pressure, pulse rate, and respiration drop. This may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, erratic eye movements, drooling, loss of balance, and dizziness. High doses of PCP can also cause seizures, coma, and death (though death more often results from accidental injury or suicide during PCP intoxication). High doses can cause delusions, hallucinations, paranoia, disordered thinking, and a sensation of distance from one's environment, and catatonia. Speech is often sparse and garbled.
People who abuse PCP for long periods report memory loss, difficulties with speech and thinking, depression, and weight loss. These symptoms can persist up to a year after stopping PCP abuse. Mood disorders also have been reported. PCP has sedative effects, and interactions with other central nervous system depressants, such as alcohol and benzodiazepines, can lead to coma.
Myths and Facts About PCP
Myth: PCP doesn’t really give its users superhuman strength that can result in police using unnecessary force against its users in order to control them. This increased strength only happens in the movies.
Fact: Not exactly true. PCP anesthetizes its users to pain so that they can use their human strength without being limited by otherwise normal parameters. As one user described the feeling of being on PCP, “It feels like being a gorilla on speed.”
Myth: PCP is only found in big cities where lower class people use it.
Fact: PCP has become the latest “club drug” at suburban “rave” dances and all ages and classes of youngsters are using them.
Myth: If you smoke a “dipper” – marijuana dipped in PCP mixed with water, and you find you can’t move, just drink milk and you will be able to move.
Fact: This is simply silly and untrue. If you have a bad reaction to PCP, milk will not reverse its effects.
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