Cocaine and Cocaine Addiction
Jennifer Rice-Licare, Katharine Delaney-McLoughlin in Cocaine Solutions, 2014
All drugs affect the central nervous system, but they do so in different ways; these different effects are used to classify the drugs. There are four major classifications of psychoactive drugs: sedatives (alcohol, tranquilizers); opioids (morphine, heroin, etc.); hallucinogens (marijuana, LSD, PCP, STP, etc.); and stimulants, which include amphetamines and cocaine. As a stimulant, cocaine affects the body-regardless of how it is used-in the following ways: increased heart rateincreased pulse rateincreased blood pressureloss of appetitesleeplessness/insomniaalertnessdilated pupils
Opioids and Psychological Disorders
Barry Stimmel in Opiate Receptors, Neurotransmitters, & Drug Dependence: Basic Science-Clinical Correlates, 2014
In comparison with the existing antipsychotic drugs, opiates have a number of clinical advantages and disadvantages. Opiate overdose is very dangerous; however, it is easier to treat than an overdose of tricyclic antidepressants or phenothiazines, since specific narcotic antagonists are available for the treatment. Withdrawal syndrome following the discontinuation of opiates is certainly much more unpleasant than that occurring after stopping neuroleptics. However, the recent introduction of clonidine seems to eliminate the unpleasant symptoms of withdrawal,123 and the effects of chronic opiate treatment subside at some point after the treatment is stopped. This is not true of neuroleptics; tardive dyskinesia is irreversible in many cases. Recent research indicates that tardive dyskinesia may be associated with significantly mortality.124 Thus, the dangers of opiates should be weighed against the serious toxic effects of currently used psychoactive drugs.125,126 Treating nonaddicts with opiates will raise ethical problems. The medical profession as well as the public have shown increasing acceptance of opiates as analgesics for patients with cancer as well as for the treatment of other diseases.127 It is perhaps possible to view some psychoses as mentally painful psychological states, in a sense similar to painful physical states, that require an analgesic.
Pain management and substance misuse
Peter R Wilson, Paul J Watson, Jennifer A Haythornthwaite, Troels S Jensen in Clinical Pain Management, 2008
Not all patients exposed to reward-inducing psychoactive drugs will develop an addiction syndrome. Many patients using these drugs appropriately for pain relief will develop tolerance to one or more of the effects of the drug (including analgesia). They are also likely to develop physical dependence as manifest by withdrawal on dose tapering or cessation. However, the potential for pain-relieving medicines, particularly opioids to be used for purposes other than pain relief (by the patient or by others), and for the development of true addiction, remains a concern for prescribing physicians.
Common systemic medications that every optometrist should know
Published in Clinical and Experimental Optometry, 2022
Mental illness describes a wide spectrum of mental health and behavioural disorders varying in severity. The 2007 National Survey of Mental Health and Well-being showed that approximately 45% of Australian adults would experience mental illness at some point in their lives. The most common mental illness diagnoses are depression, anxiety, and substance abuse disorders.52 Tools that lead to wellbeing include therapy, medication, counselling, social support, and education. While mental illness may be treated by psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, advanced practice nurses, and social workers, the only provider allowed to prescribe medications are psychiatrists. The pathogenesis of mental illness is a complex combination of genetic and environmental factors. Psychiatrists and medical doctors often prescribe psychoactive drugs for the short or long-term treatment of mental illness symptoms due to their effectiveness. Psychoactive drugs work to alter brain connections to temporarily change mood, behaviour, and perception. These modifications to the central nervous system may have adverse effects on the eye and visual system.
Evaluation of substance use in Izmir during the COVID-19 pandemic
Published in Journal of Substance Use, 2022
Melike Aydoğdu, Rukiye Aslan, Özge Can, Yusuf Ali Altunci, Serap Annette Akgür
Psychoactive drug use is a serious health problem with psychosocial and legal aspects, and the use of these substances is increasingly common. According to the 2019 Drug Report of the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), approximately 96 million people or 29% of the adult population (15–64 age range) in the European Union were estimated to have used illegal substances at least once in their lifetime (European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, 2019). Similarly, in the EMCDDA Turkey Report, 3.1% (1338 people) reported that they used substances at least once in their lifetime. In a study conducted in 2017 on the use of illicit substances among the general adult population, cannabis was the most common illicit substance used by adults aged 15–64, followed by 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy) and cocaine (European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction [EMCDDA], 2019).
Person-centered versus disease-centered narratives among mental health providers in Kuwait: A critical and qualitative analysis of iatrogenesis and .global medical discourse in action
Published in International Journal of Mental Health, 2018
Given that many physicians are limited to “five minute sessions” per patient, and the general lack of “other modalities for support” such as psychotherapy and social work, it is difficult for physicians to do more than write a prescription and make sure their patients are not an immediate and active threat to themselves or those around them, creating a very high-pressured work environment. According to my interview with another psychiatrist, young adults are particularly prone to misusing prescription psychoactive drugs because other substances, such as alcohol, are illegal and often too toxic (e.g., ethanol). Therefore, given that benzodiazapines are often used to treat alcohol addiction and withdrawal as part of a detox regime, iatrogenic drug dependence may also be attributed to pre-existing addictive behavior and patient misuse of prescription drugs.
Related Knowledge Centers
- Cognition
- Consciousness
- Drug Rehabilitation
- Entheogen
- Nervous System
- Perception
- Psychotherapy
- Euphoria
- Recreational Drug Use
- Reward System