Lesson 3
Key Concepts:
Vocabulary: psychoactive drugs, designer drugs, hallucinogens, euphoria, depressants, stimulants, opiates
Effects of Psychoactive Drugs
Main Idea: Psychoactive drugs change the functioning of the central nervous system.
The central nervous system (CNS) is amazingly complex. Every human activity, from bending a finger to solving complicated problems, involves the CNS. Psychoactive drugs, chemicals that affect the central nervous system and alter activity in the brain, change the functioning of the CNS. The four main groups of psychoactive drugs are stimulants, depressants, opiates, and hallucinogens.
Some psychoactive drugs have medicinal value. When psychoactive drugs are misused or abused, a person’s health and the functioning of all the body systems are seriously affected. The effects on a teen’s developing brain and body can be especially damaging.
Consequences of Psychoactive Drug Use
Psychoactive drug use can result in health problems and addiction. Using psychoactive drugs often leads to poor judgement and behaviors, which may put teens at risk for unintentional injuries, violence, STDs, unintended pregnancy, and suicide. Choosing a drug-free life can protect your health.
Club Drugs, Stimulants, and Depressants
Main Idea: Club drugs, stimulants, and depressants can cause irreversible health damage.
Certain drugs are classified by their effects. They may speed up or slow down the senses, or affect judgment.
Club Drugs
The term club drug describes drugs found at concerts, dance clubs, and drug parties, called raves. These drugs are sometimes disguised in foods, or slipped into drinks and taken without a person’s knowledge. Many club drugs are designer drugs, synthetic drugs that are made to imitate the effects of other drugs. Designer drugs can be several hundred times stronger than the drugs they imitate.
Ecstasy (MDMA)
Ecstasy, or MDMA, has both stimulant and hallucinogenic effects. Hallucinogens are drugs that alter moods, thoughts, and sense perceptions, including vision, hearing, smell, and touch. Ecstasy may cause short-term euphoria, a feeling of intense well-being or elation.
Rohypnol
Rohypnol, or “roofies,” are depressants, or sedatives that are colorless, odorless, and tasteless. These are drugs that tend to slow the central nervous system. It is called the “date-rape” drug. Unwanted physical contact, unplanned pregnancies, and exposure to HIV and STDs can result. It’s illegal to give someone a drug without his or her knowledge. Engaging in sexual activity with a person under the influence of a date-rape drug is a criminal offense.
GHB
GHB, or gamma hydroxybutyric acid, is another CNS depressant. It is available as a clear liquid, a white powder and in a variety of tablets and capsules. Like Rohypnol, it can be used as a date-rape drug.
Ketamine
Ketamine is an anesthetic used to treat animals. It causes hallucinations and may result in respiratory failure.
Meth
Methamphetamine, or meth, is a stimulant. Stimulants are drugs that speed up the central nervous system. Meth is a white, odorless powder that easily dissolves in alcohol or water. Because it is formed in makeshift labs, the drug is readily available but its quality is uncertain. Meth may provide a short-term feeling of euphoria, but often its use also causes depression, paranoia, and delusions. Meth use can cause death.
LSD (Acid)
Acid, or lysergic add diethylamide (LSD) can cause hallucinations and severely distorted perceptions of sound and color. Flashbacks-states in which a drug user experiences the emotional effects of a drug long after its actual use can also occur. Users may experience emotions ranging from extreme euphoria, to panic, to terror or deep depression. The resulting behaviors can lead to serious injury or death.
Other Stimulants
Stimulants speed up the central nervous system. The nicotine in tobacco products is a highly effective stimulant. The caffeine in coffee, tea, cola, and power drinks are all stimulants. “Energy” or “power” drinks often contain four to ten times the amount of caffeine as a regular-sized cola. Other dangerous stimulants include cocaine, amphetamines, and methamphetamines.
Cocaine
Cocaine is a rapidly acting, powerful and highly addictive stimulant. Cocaine is a white powder extracted from the leaves of the coca plant. Using cocaine is illegal. Users may experience a surge of self-confidence and euphoria. The feelings of confidence induced by cocaine are followed by an emotional letdown. Regular use can lead to depression, fatigue, paranoia, and physiological dependence. Cocaine use can cause malnutrition and, especially among teens, may result in cardiac problems. When cocaine is injected, users risk contracting HIV or hepatitis B from infected needles. Overdosing can result in death.
Crack
An even more dangerous form of cocaine is crack, also called rock or freebase rock. Crack reaches the brain seconds after being smoked or injected. Once in the blood, it causes the heart rate and blood pressure to soar to dangerous levels. Death may result from cardiac or respiratory failure. Mixing crack (or any drug) with alcohol can be fatal. Both substances combine in the liver, increasing the risk of death from liver failure.
Amphetamines
Amphetamines are highly addictive. Some people use amphetamines to stay alert, to improve athletic performance, or to lose weight. It is easy to develop a tolerance to amphetamines, causing the user to ingest more and more of the substance. Regular use can result in an irregular heartbeat, paranoia, aggressive behavior, and heart failure.
Other Depressants
Depressants are drugs that tend to slow the central nervous system and can have negative, sometimes deadly effects on your health. Depressants are dangerous because they can slow heart and respiration rates and lower blood pressure. Alcohol is a commonly used depressant. Combining small amounts of depressants can cause shallow breathing, weak or rapid pulse, coma, and death.
Barbiturates
Barbiturates are sedatives that are rarely used for medical purposes. Using barbiturates can cause mood changes, excessive sleepiness, and coma. Users may feel intoxicated. Combining barbiturates with alcohol can be fatal.
Hallucinogens and Opiates
Main Idea: Hallucinogens and opiates seriously alter the sensory controls in the brain.
The sections of the brain that interpret sensory input can be permanently damaged by the effects of psychoactive drugs. Hallucinogens overload the brain’s sensory controls. Opiates, which are highly addictive, cause confusion and dull the senses.
Hallucinogens
Hallucinogens can cause serious mental/emotional and physical consequences for users. These drugs alter mood, and impair judgement, thoughts, and sense perception. Users may behave in ways that they normally would not. A person who uses hallucinogens may believe that he or she is invincible. Using these drugs can also cause increases in heart and respiratory rates, which can lead to heart and respiratory failure. Using these drugs can cause coma. Hallucinogens have no medical use.
Ecstasy, ketamine, acid (LSD), phencyclidine (PCP or angel dust), dextromethorphan (DXM), psilocybin (mushrooms), and mescaline (peyote) are examples of powerful and dangerous hallucinogens. Hallucinogens overload the sensory controls in the brain, causing confusion, intensified sensations, and hallucinations. The altered mental states caused by hallucinogens can last for several hours or several days. Users can also experience flashbacks, or states in which they feel emotional effects of a drug long after its actual use. The effects of using these drugs are extremely unpredictable. Users sometimes harm themselves physically, or behave violently and harm others.
PCP
PCP, or angel dust, is one of the most dangerous of all drugs, and its effects vary greatly from user to user. The drug creates a distorted sense of time, increased muscle strength, increased feelings of violence, and the inability to feel pain. Overdoses can cause death, but most PCP-related deaths are caused by the destructive behavior or disorientation that the drug produces. For example, PCP users have died in fires because they became disoriented and had no sensitivity to the pain of burning. Flashbacks can occur at any time, causing pain, confusion, and lack of control.
DXM
DXM, or “tussin,” is a cough suppressant sold as an over-the-counter medicine. When used in the recommended dosage, DXM is not dangerous. When misused, it can cause hallucinations, paranoia, panic attacks, nausea, increased heart rate and blood pressure, seizures, and addiction.
Mushrooms and Peyote
Psilocybin (mushrooms) and mescaline (peyote cactus) are hallucinogens found in nature as a fungus and a plant. When eaten, they cause hallucinations, nausea, and flashbacks. Use of these drugs can also lead to poisoning and death when dealers harvest toxic species.
Opiates
Opiates, or narcotics, are drugs such as those derived from the opium plant that are obtainable only by prescription and are used to relieve pain. Morphine, oxycodone, and codeine are common examples of opiates. When opiates are used according to the directions provided by a health care professional, they are an effective pain reliever. Abusing opiates dulls the senses, causes drowsiness, constipation, slow and shallow breathing, convulsions, coma, and death. Pharmacists record all sales of opiates because the drug is addictive.
Codeine
Codeine is a highly addictive ingredient in some prescription cough medicines. Even if a user takes codeine as prescribed, drowsiness can occur. The drug should not be used before driving a vehicle. Codeine use can cause dizziness’ labored breathing, low blood pressure, seizures’ and respiratory arrest.
Some people may be allergic to codeine. These people may experience difficulty breathing or mood changes. Codeine use has also been linked to death in infants. The CDC has issued a warning against giving any medications containing codeine to infants or small children. If you or someone you know experiences a problem after taking codeine, call 911 immediately.
Morphine
Morphine is a much stronger drug than codeine. It is sometimes prescribed to treat severe pain, but is generally used for only a short time. Side effects include fast or slow heartbeat, seizures, hallucinations, blurred vision, rashes and difficulty swallowing.
Heroin
Heroin is a processed form of morphine that is injected snorted, or smoked. Heroin comes in many forms, including a white or brownish powder and a black, sticky tar. Dealers may mix heroin with medicines or household substances to create other forms, such as “cheese” or “cheese heroin.”
Heroin slows breathing and pulse rate. It can also cause infection of the heart lining and valves, as well as liver disease. Infectious diseases such as HIV and hepatitis B can also result from the use of infected needles. Large doses can cause coma or death, and fetal death if the user is pregnant.
Oxycodone
When used properly under the supervision of a doctor, oxycodone is a prescription drug that helps to relieve moderate to severe chronic pain. Oxycodone contains a strong opiate. It is often referred to by the brand name OxyContin. A side effect of this drug is suppression of the respiratory system, which causes death from respiratory failure.
© 2020-2025. All Rights Reserved.