Parents who suspect that their teen is taking drugs may have difficulty recognizing the physical symptoms of intoxication . They may also be concerned about the short and long-term effects that consumption may have on the body and brain of their offspring. Dependence, decreased appetite, memory loss, depression, toxic psychosis ... it is not always easy to navigate when it comes to associating substances with their possible consequences. This is why it is interesting to clarify things, explaining how drugs act on the brain , what are the consequences of sustained consumption and, also, what can be the visible signs to identify a user.
1. Cannabis
Cannabis, when smoked, produces almost instantaneous effects on the brain. When incorporated into a food preparation, the effect is longer to be felt and the waiting period can last about an hour.
sYMPTOMS
The person with cannabis poisoning may have various symptoms: redness of the eyes, spontaneous laughter, slight motor difficulties and reaction time above normal.
It is common that, some time after the absorption of the substance, the user feels an intense hunger, because cannabis can cause hypoglycemia. Occasionally, more disruptive side effects may occur: paranoia, anxiety, hallucinations, or disorientation are among them.
Addiction
Cannabis may be moderately addictive in rare consumers and its long-term use may have adverse effects. This drug, when consumed regularly, can give rise to a motivational syndrome. In other words, the abusive consumer will become apathetic, passive. His interests and ambition will diminish and his academic or professional performance will be affected.
Consequences
In addition, prolonged use of this drug may cause deficits of attention, concentration or memory lapses. Some cannabis smokers will also experiment with so-called flashbacks, that is, they will see symptoms of poisoning reappearing days or weeks after cessation of consumption. Some consumers will experience a marked decrease in their libido.
Since cannabis is generally smoked, it can, in the long term, cause cardiovascular problems similar to those caused by tobacco consumption, especially since it contains more tar than this one.
The effects of cannabis withdrawal are generally minimal.
2. Cocaine
Cocaine is a major stimulant of the central nervous system. It carries strong risks of dependence, risks that will be increased if the consumer injects drugs or smoke (in the form of crack or free base).
Effect
Cocaine causes intense euphoria in the consumer, mainly because of its action on dopaminergic neurons, which are responsible for sensations of pleasure. This drug also allows the consumer to remain awake, including causing a rapid increase in norepinephrine.
sYMPTOMS
A person who has taken cocaine will be euphoric, often very loquacious and unusually energetic. Cocaine causes dilated pupils, increased heart rate, and sometimes nervous tics. People who consume regularly may experience significant weight loss due to the anorexigenic effect of the substance. Smokers may develop mouth wounds and cavities, while intranasal users will often have problems with congestion or runny nose. Following an episode of consumption, the user often falls into a depressive state and can present a great anxiety and sleep disorders.
Consequences
In the long term, sustained cocaine use can cause depletion of the user's neurotransmitter reserve; he may have difficulty feeling pleasure (anhedonia) because his brain no longer produces enough dopamine. This is one of the reasons why it can be difficult to give up cocaine.
In addition, cocaine use may be associated with a higher risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections; consumers are more likely to engage in risky sexual activity.
Overdose with cocaine will cause heart problems, respiratory depression and convulsions. Cocaine is the drug that causes the most deaths from overdose.
3. Amphetamines
The symptoms of amphetamine intoxication are often very similar to those that characterize the cocaine consumer. Both drugs belong to the same category (major stimulants) and stimulate the same neurotransmitters, even if the mechanisms of action are a little different. Typically, young people consume amphetamine-type stimulants in tablet form, hence orally. The effects may take a while to appear; if the drug is injected, sniffed or smoked, the results are faster and more intense. Amphetamines can be highly addictive.
Effects
Amphetamine use has the effect of increasing energy, increasing the ability to perform simple tasks normally affected by fatigue, giving an impression of greater physical strength and mental acuity, and causing euphoria.
sYMPTOMS
People on amphetamines will have dilated pupils and a dry mouth, will sometimes have tremors and their breathing may be faster.
Consequences
Sustained consumption of amphetamines will often result in weight loss, although it has been observed that tolerance to the anorectic effect can develop rapidly. Finally, consumers of this type of substance are at risk of experiencing toxic psychosis, a state characterized by hallucinations, delusions of grandeur or persecution, and hostile or even violent behavior. If the psychotic episode does not usually last more than a few days, it may be prolonged, mainly in people with psychiatric disorders.
4. MDMA / Ecstasy
Effects
Since MDMA has a chemical structure similar to that of amphetamines, consumers may exhibit similar effects (euphoria, wakefulness, etc.), although less pronounced. However, the dependence potential of MDMA is lower. Moreover, this drug having hallucinogenic properties, it has effects that do not have other amphetamine derivatives in that it acts on perceptions and promotes sensual behaviors and generates the need to get closer to others, to communicate. The side effects of MDMA are generally felt to be unimportant.
sYMPTOMS
They include pupil dilation, intense thirst, sweating, increased heart rate, mild motor tics, and urinary retention. Paradoxically, MDMA, the drug of love, often has the effect of reducing libido and impairing sexual arousal and reaching orgasm.
Consequences
The long-term consumer may become depressed, lose weight and develop skin problems.
5. GHB
Gamma-hydroxybutyrate is a depressant of the central nervous system in the same way as alcohol.
Effects
Its acute effects at the usual doses are very similar to those presented by someone who has drunk too much. Approximately ten minutes after having absorbed a usual dose of GHB, most often orally, the consumer will be uninhibited, carefree, sometimes euphoric.
Consequences
This drug, at higher doses, can induce drowsiness and interfere with the coordination of movements. It can also cause memory loss and dizziness that can last up to a few days after an episode of consumption. It should be noted, however, that the effects of GHB are unpredictable because it is impossible for the consumer to know the concentration and composition of the product he absorbs. Combined with alcohol, its effects are increased tenfold, and it can easily cause unconsciousness; this property makes it a leading chemical submission drug. GHB can cause dependence and tolerance in cases of heavy and excessive consumption.
6. Ketamine
Ketamine is usually consumed intranasally.
Effects
The effects begin to be felt less than five minutes after taking and last between five minutes and one hour. With low doses, the user will feel slightly psychedelic effects and will have the impression of being in a dream. The highest doses cause dissociation and the disappearance of bodily sensations. The user may feel that he is no longer inside his body.
sYMPTOMS
Side effects of ketamine include slurred speech, motor problems including temporary paralysis, reduced breathing rate, and increased blood pressure and heart rate. Given the way of consumption, it happens that users bleed nose.
Consequences
Ketamine can cause memory lapses. Cases of overdose with ketamine are extremely rare. In addition, ketamine has not been shown to be addictive, but the opposite has not been demonstrated either.
Individuals who consume ketamine chronically may develop significant memory dysfunction, attention deficit disorders, and impaired vision. In addition, some studies using rats as guinea pigs have shown that ketamine can destroy brain cells in animals that have not completed their growth.
7. Hallucinogens (LSD and analogues)
sYMPTOMS
It may be suspected that an individual has consumed hallucinogens when he appears disoriented and completely disconnected from reality. Tremor, chills, dilated pupils and coordination disorders can also be potential clues.
Consequences
Hallucinogens, which include LSD and psilocybin mushrooms, do not appear to cause physical dependence. Some people may have a psychological addiction, but this is not the majority of consumers. However, hallucinogens can have undesirable side effects. The occurrence of bad travel, toxic psychosis lasting several months or the recurrence of intoxication effects in the days following consumption are among the possible consequences of the consumption of hallucinogens. Very high doses of these substances can cause seizures, hyperthermia or cardiac arrhythmia. The main physiological danger resulting from the consumption of hallucinogens is sadly related to their psychological effects;
8. Desomorphine or drug "Krokodil"
Deomorphine is a drug that is derived from morphine, a mixture of iodine, heroin, gasoline, paint remover, red phosphorus and codeine.
Origin
It was synthesized for the first time in the United States in the 30s. Abandoned quickly, it resurfaced in Russia in the early 2010s and is booming throughout the country under the name drug Krokodil. It is considered one of the most dangerous drugs in the world. She is three times cheaper than heroin, but is ten times more powerful.
Effects
The effects of deomorphine last three less than those of heroin, but are much more devastating. The drug "eats" the consumer's flesh and its skin becomes necrotic at the injection site, it becomes thick and greenish, which gave the name of the crocodile drug.
The nervous system of consumers is particularly attacked, they then suffer from motor disorders and language disorders. The appearance of gangrene is also a consequence, as well as a dysfunction of internal organs that causes death, if it is not caused by sepsis (blood infection). The bones of users can also be eaten, their legs severely mutilated.
According to the Center québécois de documentation en addiction "Researchers have found that there is really no scientific data on this topic and that current knowledge of the substance comes mainly from non-scientific sources."
9. The drug of the "seventh heaven"
It has a name that makes dream "seventh heaven", but its consumption is more of a nightmare. The generic name of this new synthetic drug of the "ecstasy" type is "bath salts". Its main component is mephedrone, a stimulant that belongs to the phenylethylamine family (such as MDMA and amphetamine).
It comes in the form of a white powder and can be consumed by inhalation, injection or smoking. Presented as a powder, mephedrone, its main component, is melted and then injected with a syringe. It acts directly on the central nervous system and causes, among other things, a rise in dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin.
sYMPTOMS
According to Medical News Today , several symptoms are linked to the consumption of this drug:
- Increased awakening
- Temporary energy boost
- agitation
- Euphoria
- Need to talk
- Opening
- Sexual appetite
Consequences
After the effect of drunkenness and euphoria that lasts half an hour, the user feels hallucinations, depressive passages and nightmarish psychoses.
10. The oxi "drug of death"
Origin
Behind the word oxi lies a dreaded drug, much worse and more destructive than crack. It is a very young drug since it appears for the first time in 2003 in the state of Acre, Brazil. One of the peculiarities of this drug is that it can be prepared in a traditional way very easily. Oxi is obtained by oxidizing cocaine with virgin lime and a petroleum derivative such as kerosene.
It is a narcotic that makes its users dependent on the first shot and kills 30% from the first year of consumption. This term oxi is the diminutive of oxidado which translates to rusty in Portuguese.
Oxi is a derivative of cocaine that looks like a small yellow pebble. It is consumed with the help of an air pipe, one inhales the vapors. Unlike crack smoke, which is white, oxi smoke is grayer, crack leaves ashes, while oxi leaves an oily substance.
Effects
- Headache
- vomiting
- diarrhea
- dejection
- anxieties
- Paranoia
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