Later they start to experience physical changes that are extremely severe. Some physical signs and symptoms that begin to show after developing tolerance are confusion, seizures or even hallucinations (“Oxycodone”). People encountered drowsiness and or dizziness and changes in their mood constantly while taking it (“Oxycodone”). They also experience anxiety, they are not able to rest and can’t sleep (“Oxycodone”). Oxycodone affects the brain because it acts directly on the central nervous system and it changes the way pain is perceived and can change the a person’s emotional response to pain (“Oxycodone”). Oxycodone is absorbed by the liver, skeletal muscles, intestinal tract, spleen, lungs, and central nervous system (“Oxycodone”). The drug
Cocaine abuse and dependence affected 1.4 million Americans in 2008 (Volkow, 2010). Cocaine is known for its addictive properties (Letchworth et al., 2001). Therapeutic and medicinal techniques utilized to relieve drug effects and drug seeking behavior have become increasingly popular in the scientific community. In general the affected areas during or after cocaine use have been identified subsequently providing research into the physiological aspects of cocaine use. Research to determine drug-seeking and relapse is imperative due to the prevalence of cocaine use and the rehabilitative qualities a medicinal cure could provide.
Painkillers have been used for many years, and they have been beneficial to many. But one that recently took the market has been the topic of many controversial discussions. Oxycodone has always been used in modern medicine but in small amounts. OxyContin contained a higher amount of oxycodone than most opiate based pain killers, the weakest dose of OxyContin had double the amount found in said painkillers (Meier 12). This lead to the spread of abuse and addiction towards the drug. And a medicine made to do nothing but help became the subject of overdose and death. The creation of OxyContin was a triumph for modern medicine and a halo of light to people with chronic pains, but this drug now seems to carry a trail of addiction and abuse along with it.
Opioid’s chemical composition consist of many highly addictive substances which cause the human body to become quickly tolerant. Many opioid users become addictive to the substance because the doctors have been over prescribing. “In the United States, there were 14,800 annual prescribed opioid (PO) deaths in 2008” with the US having less restrictions (Fischer, Benedikt, et al 178). The United States have implemented more regulations so that “high levels of PO-related harms been associated with highly potent oxycodone formulas” will decrease (Fischer, Benedikt, et al 178). With the regulations, it does not change the fact that opioids are is destructive. The regulations assistance by lessening the probability of patients becoming addictive to opioid. There are numerous generations that are effected and harmed by the detrimental effects of opioids on opioid-dependent patients.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, methamphetamine, or meth as it is often referred to, is considered the fastest-growing illicit drug in the United States. The consequences of usage are detrimental to families and employers, not to mention the increasing law enforcement burden of having to find and disband labs making it illegally. (CDC, 2005) Aside from the far-reaching implications of methamphetamine use on these entities, this paper explores the effect methamphetamine has on the structure and function of the human brain.
Opiates are a class of drugs that are used for chronic pain. Opioids are substances that are used to relieve pain by binding opiate receptors throughout the body, and in the brain. These areas in the brain control pain and also emotions, producing a feeling of excitement or happiness. As the brain gets used to these feelings, and the body builds a tolerance to the opioids, there is a need for more opioids and then the possibility of addiction. There are different forms of opioids manufactured such as Morphine, Oxycodone, Buprenorphine, Hydrocodone, and Methadone.
"Cocaine delivers an intensity of pleasure - and despair - beyond the bounds of normal human experience."
Extreme gasping and muscle spasms can occur. While losing consciousness, a person can vomit and then inhale the vomit. Panic, feelings of terror and assaultive behavior take place from the drug-induced confusion. Other problems can include difficulty in taking the drugs, failure of the drugs to induce unconsciousness and a number of days elapsing before death occurs. (NEJM)
According to Nutt (1997), rugs are used to produce alterations in brain function that act “on brain receptors and neurotransmitters” (p. 53). The areas of the brain where most of the drugs action takes place is beginning to be better understood in the past ten years, especially in the sense that drug abuse works through multiple mechanisms depending on the drug. Specifically looking at opioid abuse, the neurochemical action that takes place are agonists at the mu (µ) opioid receptors. Agonists mimic or increase the effects of a natural neurotransmitter. It often does this by binding to the receptor site triggering the same signals that the natural neurotransmitter would. The more an opioid does to interact with its designated receptor; the more efficient the agonist becomes (Nutt, 1997, p. 53). Simply, agonists work at a maximal efficiency.
Almost everyone can say that they have had an experience with drugs, either it be with just witnessing it or using it. Throughout my life, I have had many bad experiences with drugs and it has taught me to stay away from them. Our society now somewhat looks up to the use of drug, with it being in the music industry or being in movies, it is in our culture and this could hurt us as a country down the road. Now, I’m not saying it is not okay to party once and awhile, but if a person is to party on a regular basis this could turn into an addiction to alcohol, illegal drugs, tobacco, and even caffeine. In all, there needs to be more facts and ads telling kids about these problems because they are our future and we have to set them up for success.
Hallucinogens prevent the brain from receiving all of these messages in order. All of the information that we receive is through millions of transactions of neurons, like a computer, marijuana alters these transactions. After smoking, or consuming marijuana, it is distributed in the brain. The concentration of marijuana in the brain may be governed by an active transport process in the choroid plexus network of blood vessels in the brain which regulates intraventricular pressure by absorption and secretion of cerebro spinal fluid. One scientific experiment gave an example of how the distribution of marijuana in the central nervous system could affect man.
And addictive they are. Heroin is perhaps the best-known opioid around, and arguably one of the most addictive substances known to man. Opiates and opioids (hereafter generically referred to as opioids) function by attaching to receptor sites in the body called mu-receptors, which are primarily located in the brain and the digestive system. When these receptors are activated in the brain they produce a rush of euphoria and a groggy state of well being (it is interesting to note that studies have shown that this action does not eliminate the pain one is feeling, but merely changes ones’ perception of it) (Kalb). The body quickly becomes tolerant of this, however, and abuse frequently follows a steep dosage curve requiring that more and more of the drug be taken to produce the same effect. Long-term abusers develop...
There are many biological factors that are involved with the addicted brain. "The addicted brain is distinctly different from the nonaddicted brain, as manifested by changes in brain metabolic activity, receptor availability, gene expression, and responsiveness to environmental cues." (2) In the brain, there are many changes that take place when drugs enter a person's blood stream. The pathway in the brain that the drugs take is first to the ventral tegmentum to the nucleus accumbens, and the drugs also go to the limbic system and the orbitofrontal cortex, which is called the mesolimbic reward system. The activation of this reward system seems to be the common element in what hooks drug users on drugs (2).
For the purpose of this project, the focus is on opioids abuse. Opioids act by binding to the specific opioid receptors in gastrointestinal tract, central nervous system and other organs and tissues in the body. They attach to
Controversies over drugs and the effects they have physically, mentally, and emotionally have been around for centuries. Some argue the fact that smoking marijuana has no health effects on the body. Some also say that other drugs have no long term mental consequences to suffer. Now, thanks to technology and hours of studies, answers have came to show the true long term health effects of drugs on the human body and mind.
From cocaine to marijuana, drugs come with different names and different symptoms. Cocaine for instance has symptoms of increased body temperature, increased heart rate, and increased blood pressure. Methamphetamine (meth) on the other hand includes symptoms of a wired feeling, extreme weight loss, shaking, anxiety, and hallucination. Another drug is marijuana which includes side effects such as compulsive eating, bloodshot eyes, occasional paranoia, and hallucinations. Lastly and one of the most addictive is heroin which includes symptoms of euphoria, entering into a dreamlike state, or heroin could even act as a stimulant. All these drugs are different in their own way but some are connected because of their classification. Classifications of drugs include stimulants, cannabis, hallucinogens, antidepressants, depressants, narcotics, and inhalants.