PSYCHOTROPIC DRUGS

 

A drug or a substance that affects how the brain works and causes changes in mood, awareness, thoughts, feelings, or behaviour is known as a psychotropic substance.

Caffeine, Alcohol, Nicotine, Marijuana, certain pain medications, Heroin, LSD, Cocaine and Amphetamines are Psychotropic substances.

I had already written a note about Alcohol which is by far the most commonly consumes Psychotropic drug.

Let us see what other such drugs apart from Caffeine and Alcohol exist.

1.    Nicotine: It is naturally produced by the Tobacco plant family. Nicotine constitutes app. 0.3 to 0.6% of the weight of dry tobacco. Nicotine was widely used as an insecticide in the past. Nicotine is highly addictive. An average cigarette gives 2 mg of Nicotine. It use involves both physical and psychological dependence. Its withdrawal symptoms include depressed mood, stress, anxiety, irritability, difficulty in concentration and sleep disturbances. Surprisingly the American authorities say there is insufficient evidence to state that it causes cancer. 

2.    Cannabis or Marijuana: This is also known as Weed, Pot, Charas (resin), Bhang (seeds & leaves), Ganja (flower) or Hashish. Coming from the Cannabis plant, it is used for recreational purposes, as well as in traditional medicines in both Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent. A study of 2019 found that 2.8% of Indians were then current users of Cannabis.

 Cannabis intake causes Euphoria, altered state of mind and sense of time, difficulty in concentrating, impaired body movement, relaxation and increased appetite.

 The onset of these feelings is in minutes when smoked and 30 to 60 minutes when eaten. Long term adverse affects of use are addiction, decreased mental ability for regular users, chronic coughing and susceptibility to respiratory infections.

 It is the most commonly used illegal drug in the world. It is legal in Uruguay, Canada, Georgia & South Africa. It is also legal in 18 states of the USA.

 3.    Opium and its derivatives: Opium comes from the seeds of the Poppy plant. Opium has a large number of derivatives, many of them being used as medications.

 Opium itself is highly addictive. The plant has beautiful flowers in red, pink, purple, orange & white, and is grown in gardens.

 The Khas Khas (gasagasalu) we get are nothing but poppy seeds. However, they come to us after the Opium is removed but they still do have a small opium content.  

 The Poppy pod is split open when it is not ripe and the fluid seeps out and dries on the pod in yellow brown color. This is bitter in taste and contains Morphine, Codeine and Papaverine.

 Other synthetic derivatives of Opium are Fentanyl, Methadone, Oxycodone & Hydrocodone.  

Morphine, Codeine, Fentanyl, Oxycodone & Hydrocodone are pain killers. They block the signals from traveling to the brain and can treat moderate to severe pain.    

Papaverine is a vasodilator which relaxes the blood vessels. This lowers blood pressure. It is used for treating chest pain, heart attack and disorders of the stomach or gall bladder. This can also be used to treat erectile dysfunction or impotence.

 Methadone reduces withdrawal symptoms in people addicted to Heroin. It is also a pain reliever.

 Heroin is derived from Morphine. Afghanistan has the highest Opium cultivation in the world and accounts for 60% of Opium and 75% of the world’s Heroin.

 Heroin (Diacetylmorphine): It is a white or brown powder or a black sticky substance. It is made from Morphine. It can be mixed with water and injected with a needle. It can also be smoked or snorted up the nose. It sent to the brain very quickly and therefore makes it very addictive. It creates a euphoria in users.

 Use of Heroin results in miscarriages, heart infections, and death from overdose.

 Syinges can also carry infections like HIV if used in common. The more popular nicknames of Heroin are Dope, Smack and Junk. Regular usage of Heroin can lead to tolerance and more and more ingestion is needed to get the kick. If stopped the withdrawal symptoms include restlessness, muscle and bone pain, Diarrhea, vomiting and cold flashes with goose bumps.

 4.    LSD or Lysergic Acid Diethylamide: LSD is produced in a crystalline form and mixed with other ingredients or diluted as liquid for easy intake. It is an extremely potent hallucinogen. It is made from Lysergic acid which is found in a fungus called ergot that grown on some types of grains. Its effects are often called a Trip. It can be stimulating, pleasurable and mind altering or it can lead one to an unpleasant or terrifying experience which is called a bad trip. It is very potent and its doses would be in the range of micrograms. LSD is available in many forms. Blotter paper absorbed, tablet form, liquid on sugar cubes and pure liquid. Snorted and also injected.

LSD acts by interacting with the Serotonin neurotransmitter in the brain. The physical effects of LSD are unpredictable and vary from person to person. After taking the drug orally effects are felt after 30 to 45 minutes. They peak in 2 to 4 hours and may last longer than 12 hours. The intravenous route would bring in effects in 10 minutes.  

Extreme change in moods can occur. Overdose can lead to severe psychosis.

The user would experience impaired depth and time perception, distortion is size and shape of objects, movement, color, touch, sound and their own body image.

The user feels that they are seeing sounds and hearing colors. These distortions in perception can be frightening and cause panic.  

Under its influence a person loses the sense to make logical judgments which can be very dangerous that may lead to injury and death.

LSD user develops tolerance with use. That is he would require higher dose with time.

In a survey in the US in 2018, it was found that there were 376,000 LSD users between the ages 12 to 17.

Other hallucinogens similar to LSD include Psilocybin (also known an Magic and Mushrooms), Mescaline (also known as Buttons and Cactus), Phencyclidine (also known as PCP, Angel Dust), Ayahuasca (DMT) and Salvia Divinorum. 

5.    Cocaine: It is also known as Coke, Blow, Snow & Flake. Cocaine Hydrochloride is a local anesthetic and is used in nasal procedures. It is made from the leaves of the Cocoa plant. 

Cocaine is a powerfully active stimulant drug made from the leaves of the Cocoa plant. Cocaine is a fine white crystalline powder.

 Users snort Cocaine through the nose or rub it into the gums. Others inject it into the bloodstream. Cocaine is also made into a crystal which is snorted on heating when vaporized. This form of Cocaine is called Crack.

 People who use it take in repeatedly dose after dose to take themselves to greater highs. 

Cocaine increases the level of the natural chemical messenger Dopamine in the brain circuits relating to the control of movement and reward. 

Cocaine gives extreme happiness and energy, mental alertness, hypersensitivity to sight, sound and touch, irritability and paranoia. 

Cocaine helps some people perform simple physical and mental tasks faster, although others experience the opposite effect. Larger doses of cocaine can lead to bizarre, unpredictable and violent behavior.

The effects of cocaine dissipate very fast unlike other drugs. The high from snorted Cocaine would last only 15 to 30 minutes and the high from smoking would last only for 5 to 10 minutes.

Health effects of Cocaine are constricted blood vessels, dilated pupils, nausea, raised body temperature and BP, irregular heartbeat, tremors & muscle twitches, restlessness.

Long Term effects of Cocaine are

Snorting: Loss of smell, nosebleeds, runny nose and problems with swallowing.

Smoking: Cough, asthma, Respiratory problems, higher risk of infections.

By mouth: Severe bowel decay from reduced blood flow.