Legal and Illegal Drugs Section 2

Drug Abuse and the Brain A mood altering drug, also called a psychoactive drug, is a chemical that affects brain activity. Most abused drugs are psychoactive.

The “Reward Pathway” Psychoactive drugs typically create a pleasurable feeling that the user wants to repeat. Many psychoactive drugs trigger activity along a pathway of cells in the brain called the “reward pathway.” Brain cells along the activated reward pathway release a chemical substance called dopamine. While dopamine is not a dangerous chemical, in relationship to drug abuse it can have dangerous effects.

The “Reward Pathway” The extra dopamine released during drug use can cause the user to ignore the harmful side effects of the drug and want to continue using it. Flooding the reward pathway with dopamine may lead to intense cravings for the drug when it is not available. After a time, drug abuse can dull the brain’s reactions to natural levels of dopamine. The user no longer feels please from normal activities.

Addiction Abuse of many psychoactive drugs may result in addiction. Addiction is the compulsive use of a drug despite any cost to health, family, or social standing. Addiction is a disease that changes the structure and chemistry of the brain.

Dangers of Drug Misuse and Abuse Side Effects: An unwanted physical or mental effect caused by a drug. Nausea, dizziness, and drowsiness Each person’s body is unique, side effects of a particular drug vary from person to person. This is one of the reasons that prescriptions should not be shared.

Dangers of Drug Misuse and Abuse Tolerance and Dependence When a person uses a drug repeatedly, the body may develop tolerance to the drug. As tolerance grows, the user needs increasingly larger amounts of the drug to achieve the original effect. Tolerance can lead to dependence- the body develops a chemical need for the drug and can’t function normally without it.

Dangers of Drug Misuse and Abuse Withdrawal When a person who is dependant on a psychoactive drug stops taking the drug, that person will experience withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms range from mild to life-threatening. Nausea, vomiting, headaches, dizziness, fever, digestion problems, paranoia or panic, tremors, seizures or death.

Drug Interactions When a person takes more than one drug at a time, the drugs may interact in different ways than when taken alone. A drug antagonism occurs when each drug’s effect is cancelled out or reduced by the other. Nicotine raises blood pressure and certain medications can lower blood pressure. A drug synergism occurs when drugs interact to produce effects greater than those that each drug would produce alone. Sleep medication and alcohol may cause rapid loss of consciousness.

Impurities The manufacture of illegal drugs is not regulated by the law. Thus, there is no guarantee that they are pure. Many illegal drugs are contaminated with chemicals that may be dangerous themselves. Dealers may “cut” or dilute a drug Cleaning powders rat poison are used to “cut” heroin.

Other Health Risks Hepatitis and HIV Sharing needles with injection drugs Risks to fetus and newborns Developmental problems Babies may be born with a drug dependency. “Crack Babies”