Uppers

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Uppers

• An overview of stimulant use and its effects

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General Classification

• Stimulants any substance that forces the
  release of epinephrine or norepinephrine, the
  bodies own natural stimulant
• Range from natural substances like the coca leaf,
  tobacco leaf, betel nut to synthetics such as
  amphetamines, diet pills, Ritalin,
  methamphetamines .

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Uppers (stimulants) Cocaine (hydrochloride,
crack, freebase) Amphetamines (speed, meth,
ice) Amphetamine congeners (Ritalin?, diet
pills, e.g., fen-phen) Plant stimulants (khat,
betel nut, yohimbe) Caffeine (coffee, tea, soft
drinks, OTC meds) Nicotine (cigarettes, cigars,
chewing tobacco)
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Initial Effects of Stimulants Increased
energy Increased heart rate, blood
pressure, breathing, reflexes Restlessness
excessive talking Hypersensitivity Dilated
pupils Little appetite or thirst Overconfidence Eu
phoria
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Cardiovascular Side Effects

• Constricted blood vessels
• High Blood pressure
• Arrhythmia, irregular heartbeat
• Possible heart attack or heart failure

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Reward/Pleasure Center

• A rush of pleasure feelings of well-being
• No basic needs have been satisfied hunger,
  thirst, sexual desire
• Dehydration malnourishment, weight loss can
  result

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Tolerance Addiction

• Extended use causes the body to be unable to
  synthesize neurotransmitters
• Creates physical psychic dependence
• Leads to habituation, abuse
• addiction

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Cocaine

• Physical Mental Effects

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Methods Of Ingestion

• Native cultures chewed coca leaves to fight
  fatigue, hunger and increase endurance
• Refinement of coca plant results in an
  extract that is 200 times more potent, increasing
  addiction and abuse

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Methods Of Ingestion

• 1800s drinking cocaine was
• popular due to its addition to wines and
  patent medicines
• The drug was widely prescribed, causing
  dependence and addiction.

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Methods Of Ingestion

• 1857 the invention of the hypodermic needle
  changed the way most drugs were administrated
• Injecting cocaine produced an intense rush and
  equally intense crash.

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Methods Of Ingestion

• Snorting less invasive than
• injection, although less intense
• extended use damaging to nasal passages
• Topical absorption through eyes, nose, mouth,
  rectum
• Still used in minor surgeries

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Cocaine Absorption
Plasma Levels of Cocaine (nanograms per milliliter
Intravenous Smoked Nasal Oral
Minutes After Dose
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Physical Mental Effects

• Emotional increased pleasure intense
  stimulation, paranoia
• Aggression violence increase
• Combined with alcohol decreases inhibitory
  emotional fright center of the brain

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Physical Mental Effects

• Sexual increase desire delay
• ejaculation. Increased use causes sexual
  dysfunction
• Cardiovascular damage to the circulatory
  system, raise blood pressure, can cause stroke,
  heart damage death

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Neonatal Effects

• Transmitted within seconds from mother to fetus
• Increases miscarriage, stroke,
• respiratory ailments, SIDS
• Intensive pre postnatal treatment can help
  cocaine babies catch up to peers by
• 8-10 years of age

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Cocaine Psychosis

• Formication intense itching from imaginary bugs
• Psychosis/schizophrenia triggered by excess
  dopamine activity
• Can activate a genetic predisposition for
  schizophrenia

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Smokable Cocaine

• Crack, Free-base

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Pharmacology

• Crack is chemically the same as freebase
• Developed in the 1970s to make cocaine
  smokable.
• Smoked cocaine delivers the drug to the brain
  faster than any other method

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Crack pipes
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Smokable cocaine (freebase, crack, paste)
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Effects Side-Effects

• Smoking cocaine produces more intense effects
  than snorting or injection
• Produces a rush of euphoria lasting 5-20 min.
• Acute physical side effects include slurred
  speech, thirst, coughing, anxiety, paranoia

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Effects Side-Effects

• Respiratory include severe chest pains,
  pneumonia, coughs, fever and even hemorrhage,
  respiratory failure and death.
• Polydrug Abuse combines drugs in various
  mixtures, to help sleep relieve anxiety Cocaine
  overdose kills several thousand people every year.

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Amphetamines

• Speed, Crank, Crystal, Ice,
• Methamphetamine

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Classification

• Class of powerful synthetic nervous system
  stimulants
• Longer lasting cheaper than
• cocaine
• Promotes alertness, self-confidence,
  excitement, ability
• to work or stay on task for long periods
• Highly addictive

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Routes of Administration

• Snorting
• Smoking
• Oral ingestion, pills
• Injection

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Amphetamines d,l amphetamine (e.g., benzedrine,
crosstops, black beauties,
bennies) Methamphetamine (e.g., methedrine,
crank, meth, crystal) Dextroamphetamine
(e.g., dexedrine, dexies, beans, Christmas
trees) Dextromethamphetamine (ice, glass,
batu, snot)
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Methamphetamines
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History of Use

• 1950-Diet pills, prescribed by Doctors
• 1970- Controlled Substance Act restricted the
  sale of legal amphetamines, Street speed became
  popular
• 1990s Ice, a highly potent form of
  amphetamine

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Ice
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Effects

• Neurochemistry amphetamines increase levels of
  catecholamine by stimulating their release and
  blocking their reuptake.
• Long-term use blocks the ability to produce
  neurotransmitters which cause extreme depression
  which leads to increase use

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Effects

• Physical Effects Increased heart rate,
  respiration and blood pressure
• Athletes use the drug to try to enhance
  performance
• Long-term use causes sleep deprivation, heart and
  blood toxicity and severe malnutrition.

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Effects

• Mental and Emotional Effects mild to intense
  euphoria
• Prolonged use leads to irritability, paranoia,
  anxiety, confusion, poor judgment and even
  hallucinations.

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Cocaine vs. Amphetamines

• Manufacture cocaine is a plant derivative and
  amphetamines are synthetic.
• Duration of high longer with amphetamines.
• Quality of rush more intense with cocaine.

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Addiction

• Withdrawal, Craving, Relapse
• Less ability to experience pleasure, lack of
  energy
• Intense craving for the drug
• Cycle of compulsive use includes binge, crash,
  detoxification, resolutions of abstinence
  relapse 2-4 weeks later

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Amphetamine congeners
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Severe ADHD Without With Ritalin?
A
B
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Caffeine

• The Worlds Most Popular Psychoactive
• Drug!

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Caffeine

• A stimulant alkaloid of the chemical called
  xanthines includes
• Coffee, Teas, Colas,
• Energy drinks

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Wake-promoting Power

• Caffeine interferes with adenosine, a chemical in
  the body that acts as a natural sleeping pill
• Blocks the hypnotic effect of adenosine keeps
  us from falling asleep

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Caffeine Content 1 demitasse espresso 200 mg
caffeine 1 cup freshly brewed 90 125 mg 1 cup
of tea 60 100 mg 12 oz. cola 36 60 mg 4
oz. chocolate bar 15 90 mg 1 No-Doz?
tablet 100 mg 1 Vivarin ? tablet 200 mg
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Physical Mental Effects

• Used in many over the counter preparations
  decongestions, analgesics, appetite suppressants,
  menstrual pain
• Increases alertness, reduces
• fatigue

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Lookalike Stimulants Any combination of
Caffeine Ephedrine Pseudoephedrine
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Physical Mental Effects

• Excessive use triggers nervousness, panic
  attacks,
• high blood pressure, sleep disorders, stomach
  problems
• Tolerance withdrawal do occur, but vary
  greatly from person to person

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Withdrawal Symptoms

• Nervousness
• Headache
• Increase appetite
• Depression
• Lack of energy

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Tobacco Nicotine

• Most addictive
• of all
• psychoactive drugs!

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Tobacco Nicotine

• Affects the same areas of the brain as cocaine
  amphetamine
• Tolerance withdrawal extreme

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Physical Effects

• 20 of premature deaths worldwide due to tobacco
• Secondhand Smoke proven to cause lung cancer,
  asthma, many illnesses in children of smokers
  spouses

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• Health Effects of Smoking
• Blood vessel constriction
• grayish complexion
• slow healing mechanisms
• heart disease/stroke
• Lung and mouth irritation
• shortness of breath
• respiratory illnesses
• cancer
• Addiction

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• Smokeless Tobacco Health Effects
• Blood vessel constriction
• grayish complexion
• slow-healing mechanisms
• heart disease/stroke
• Mouth irritation
• sores
• oral/mouth cancer

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Blood Nicotine Level
Blood Nicotine
24 Hours
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Cigarette Deaths Caused by Smoking - United
States, 1999