Warm Up Name as many categories of drugs as you can

Types of Drugs and Their Effects Lesson 2, Chapter 10

Drug Use and the Body All drugs affect the body in some way, but the same drug can affect people differently. Some drugs are more harmful than others. When a person uses a drug over time, he or she can develop a tolerance to the drug. Tolerance: the body’s need for larger and larger amounts of a drug to produce the same effect. Overdose: taking more of a drug than the body can tolerate.

Types of Drugs There are many types of drugs, including:  Stimulants  Depressants  Club drugs  Narcotics  Hallucinogens All of them can be harmful to your physical, mental/emotional, and social health.

Stimulants Caffeine is a stimulant found in foods and drinks such as chocolate, coffee, tea, and some soft drinks (soda). Have you ever had a soda near bedtime and then couldn’t fall asleep? Stimulant: a drug that speeds up the body’s functions. Physical  Heart Rate  Breathing Rate  Raises blood pressure Mental/Emotional  Gives a false sense of energy, well-being, confidence, power In time, these effects wear off, and the user often feels exhausted and irritable.

Stimulants Amphetamines: strong stimulant drugs that speed up the nervous system.  Sometimes prescribed to treat certain medical conditions. (ADD and ADHD)  Often called “speed”  They come in different forms that may be swallowed, inhaled, smoked, or injected “Crystal meth” is the street name for methamphetamine = an extremely addictive drug that can cause a person’s heart to suddenly stop working. Cocaine is an illegal stimulant made from the coca plant. Can be inhaled through the nose, smoked, or injected into the veins. (also known as “blow,” “snow,” or “coke.”)  Produces a brief feeling of well-being and confidence, but after it wears off the user feels anxious

Depressants Depressants: drugs that slow down the body’s functions and reactions, including heart and breathing rates. Depressants work by slowing down a person’s motor skills and coordination.  During use: Can affect a person mentally and emotionally by giving the user a false sense of well-being through reduced anxiety and relaxation.  After use: user may experience mood swings and depression. Most depressants come in tablet or capsule form. Depressants are legal when prescribed by a doctor to treat certain conditions  EX: Anti-anxiety and Sedatives *Alcohol is a depressant!

Effects of Stimulants and Depressants Stimulants and depressants have serious physical and mental/emotional effects. How are they different? Effects/Possibility of Addiction StimulantsDepressants Physical effects Speed up body functions, such as heart rate, breathing rate, and blood pressure Slow down body functions, such as coordination Mental/Emotional effects False sense of energy, well- being, confidence, and power False sense of well-being through reduced anxiety and relaxation Effects when the drugs wear off Exhaustion and mental imbalance Depression, mood swings Addictive?Yes

Marijuana An illegal psychoactive drug made from parts of the hemp plant (Cannabis Sativa). Active ingredient is THC…This drug is usually smoked. Marijuana affects people differently. For some, it acts as a depressant…for others, it acts as a stimulant. Possible Effects:  May hear or see things that are not really there  May feel relaxed (depressant) or talkative (stimulant)  Some people may giggle a lot  May experience memory loss, forgetting what was just said or done  Eyes become bloodshot  May feel confused, shaky, or fearful Possible physical effects in males and females Males = can lower testosterone levels in males, reduce the number of sperm the body makes Females = may cause females to have irregular periods

Club Drugs Club drugs: illegal drugs that are found mostly in nightclubs or at all-night dance parties called raves. *often used to make people feel more relaxed. Common Club Drugs include Ecstasy, Rohypnol, Ketamine. Club drugs are often made in home laboratories and mixed with other harmful chemicals. *Not controlled by law You never know what is in a designer drug. Sometimes a change in a designer drug’s chemical structure results in fatal toxic effects. Ecstasy (X) Symptoms: Tingly skin Clenched jaws Increases heart rate and body temp. Make user feel anxious and paranoid *these feelings may last long after the drug wears off Rohypnol (“roofies”) Symptoms: Blood pressure drops User feels dizzy and very sleepy Causes blackouts and memory loss Causes loss of consciousness *often used to commit date rape Ketamine (“special K”) Symptoms: Causes hallucinations Users experience memory loss Overdose will result in a stop in breathing *many have died while overdosing

Narcotics Narcotics: drugs that get rid of pain and dull the senses. *Highly Addictive!! Morphine / Codeine = both used as medicine, like most narcotics. Heroin:  Usually injected, giving users an instant “high”, or feeling of happiness  This “high” does not last  As it wears off, the user experiences nausea, stomach cramps, vomiting  Highly addictive  Withdrawal symptoms are very painful  Dependence and tolerance quickly grows = users will soon need larger amounts to feel its effects = very easy to overdose on heroin  Because it’s injected, a risk of using heroin is contracting HIV (sharing needles)

Hallucinogens Hallucinogens: drugs that distort moods, thoughts, and senses Group of psychoactive drugs that alter perception, thought, and mood. *Illegal and have NO medical use. Common drugs include:  LSD  Mescaline (Peyote)  Psilocybin  PCP

Inhalants Inhalants: the vapors of chemicals that are sniffed or inhaled to get a “high.” *works very quickly!! Some preteens and younger teens use inhalants. Where do they get these chemicals? Most come from household products that are not meant to be taken into the body. Common symptoms include:  Nausea  Dizziness  Mental confusion  Loss of motor skills When inhaled, the poisons contained in these inhalants go straight to the brain, where they can cause permanent damage, even death.

Steroids *Synthetic drugs that resemble the male hormone testosterone (most commonly used for athletics.)  Often prescribed for patients with skeletal and growth disorders.  Also used to treat certain types of anemia (not enough healthy red blood cells) and to offset the negative effects of cancer therapy. Harmful Consequences / Serious health problems include:  Aggressive behavior/problems controlling your anger (“roid rage”)  Liver, Kidney and Heart Damage (heart disease)  Increased blood pressure  Depression  Overgrowth of skull and facial bones Females: can affect the production of estrogen (an important female hormone) resulting in masculine traits (facial hair, low voice, a masculine-looking body) Males: risk stunted growth, infertility/sterility, hair loss, severe acne.

The Effects of Drugs on Unborn Babies Babies don’t take drugs, or do they? If a pregnant female takes drugs, the drugs can hurt her unborn baby.  Give birth to low-weight babies  Babies are born with brain problems…the drugs interfere with the baby’s development  If injecting drugs, females can become infected with HIV from sharing a needle, then passing the virus on to their unborn babies.