11.2 Narcotics, Stimulants, and Depressants
page 276
Tabs:
Drug Misuse and Abuse
Narcotics
Stimulants
Depressants
Drug Misuse and Abuse
• Drug Misuse:
– Using a drug without following the directions
– Combining medicines without a physician’s advice
– Taking more of a drug than the doctor ordered
– Using a drug prescribed to someone else
– Giving your prescription drug to someone else
– Using a drug form longer than a physician advises
Drug Misuse and Abuse
• Drug Abuse:
– Using any illegal drug
– Using a medicine when you do not need it
– Taking substances that were not meant to enter
the body
– Using a drug for purposes other than medical
treatment
– Faking health problems to obtain or renew a
prescription
Narcotics
• Narcotics:
– specific drugs that are obtainable only by
prescription and are used to relieve pain
• Addiction:
– Physical or psychological need for a drug
• Heroin:
– Most commonly abused narcotic
– Injected drugs lead to shared and dirty needles
which then lead to increase risk of infection/HIV
Stimulants
• Stimulant:
– Substances that speed up the body’s fx:
• Increase heart rate, breathing rate, and blood pressure
• Caffeine is a common stimulant
– Cocoa, tea, and soft drinks
• High doses of stimulants may cause blurred vision,
dizziness, anxiety, loss of coordination or collapse
Stimulants
• Amphetamine:
– Drugs that stimulates the CNS
– May be prescribed to children with ADHD
• Methamphetamine:
– A stimulant similar to amphetamines
– Can be prescribed to treat narcolepsy and
Parkinson’s Disease
– Becoming a “Club Drug”
Stimulants
• Cocaine:
– Powerful stimulant
– Gives a happy and energetic feeling that leads to
depression
• Crack:
– Concentrated form of cocaine that is smoked
– Same effect as cocaine only stronger and quicker
– Higher high and lower low-causes addiction
Depressants
• Depressant:
– Are substances that slow down the body’s fx: and
reactions
– Effects Include: lowered blood pressure, slowed
heart rate and breathing
– Prescribed to relieve anxiety, tension,
sleeplessness
Depressants
• Tranquilizers:
– Help reduce anxiety and relax muscles
• Barbiturates:
– Produce a feeling of relaxation
• Hypnotics:
– Bring on sleep
Depressants
• Can cause dependence if taken over a long
period of time
• Alcohol is a depressant and when mixed with
other depressants increases the effect of the
drug and may cause death