Drug Effects Matrix
Drug
Category
(depressant,
stimulant,
etc.)
Drug
Trade name/
Street
names
Medical
Uses
Intoxicatio
n
Effects
CNS
Depressants
-Alcohol:
booze, liquor,
charge, plonk,
-Barbiturates:
butalbital,
phenobarbital,
amobarbitol,
pentobarbital
Benzodiazepin
es: benzos,
sleepers,
xannies
(Xanax) ,
serras
(Serapax),
Ativan,
Valium,
Klonopin,
Restoril
Methaqualone:
ludes, sopers
used
psychiatr
ic in
order to
treat
boredom,
stress,
anxiety,
induce
sleep. On
other
occasions
,
benzodia
zepines
are used
as muscle
relaxants.
mood
elevation,
behavioral
disinhibition,
respiratory
depression,
anxiety,
insomnia,
panic,
paranoia,
unconsciousn
ess. In the
specific case
of alcohol,
intoxification
can be seen
as: impaired
fine motor
control,
impaired
judgement,
ataxic gate,
poor balance,
lethargy.
i.
B
Withdrawal
Effects
-Alcohol:
tremors,
insomnia,
withdrawal
seizures,
alcoholic
hallucinations
-Barbiturates:
delirium, life
threatening
cardiovascular
collapse
Benzodiazepines
: sleep
disturbance,
depression
Methods of
ingestion
Duration
commonly
swallowed or
drunk but can also
be injected,
snorted or even
inhaled.
Depends on
the type of
depressant
taken as
alcohol
effects can
last hour and
stay within
the blood for
6 hours while
some
benzodiazepi
nes can last
or be
detected in
an
individual’s
system 2-7
days.
Overdose
Symptoms
it may led to
respiratory
distress which
could lead to
coma or death.
Dependence
Potential
Phys/Psych
They are found
to be both
physiological
and
psychological
dependent if
taken in
excessive
amounts,
medically
unsupervised or
due to extended
use.
e
n
Cns
Stimul
ants
Amphetamines
:MDMA/ecstas
y/adam,
MDEA/ eve,
speed, up,
uppers
-Caffeine:
coffee, cola
drinks,
-Cocaine: 247, coke, crack,
nose candy,
snow, stardust,
fries, garbage
rock, tornado,
pony, the
devil, soda
-Betal Nut:
areca nut
-Ice: crystal
meth, crystal,
glass
-Khat: kat,
chat, qat
-Synthetic
cathinone’s:
mephedrone,
methylone,
methcathinone,
buphedrone,
bupropion,
pyrovalerone,
methylphenida
Ampheta
mines:
they are
used for
medical
treatment
of
narcoleps
y,
ADHD,
binge
eating
and some
depressiv
e
disorders
Amphetamin
es: may
induce
psychosis
that mimics
schizophrenia
, seizures,
cardiac
arrhythmias,
hyperthermia
and paranoia.
Chronic use
leads to tooth
decay also
known as
“meth mouth
Cocaine:
seizures,
cardiac
arrhythmias,
hyperthermia
and paranoia
Caffeine:
headache,
difficulty
concentrating
, flu like
symptoms
Amphetamines:
prolonged
depression
Cocaine: post
intoxification
depression also
known as
“crash”, malaise,
fatigue,
hypersomnolenc
e, depression,
hunger, agitation
and occasional
suicidal
tendencies
usually snorted,
swallowed,
smoked or
injected. In the
case of those
prescribed taken
orally
Cocaine:
roughly 30
minutes
Amphetamin
es:
8-12 hours
Cocaine:
myocardial
infarction due to
it’s
vasoconstrictive
effects,
intercranial
hemorrhage
i. orr
stroke
o
u
Caffeine:
g
tremors, nausea,
vomiting,
h
seizures,
l
anxiety, rapid
y
breathing
3
Caffeine:
headache,
difficulty
concentrating,
flu like
symptoms
0
m
i
n
u
t
e
s
They are found
to be both
physiological
and
psychological
dependent if
taken in
excessive
amounts,
medically
unsupervised or
due to extended
use.
te/Ritalin
Hallucinogens/
psychedelics
Lysergic acid
diethylamide:
LSD, acid,
tabs, trips,
microdots,
dots, Lucy,
beast, acid
cube, brown
bombers
used
culturally
for
mystical
and
spiritual
guiding
perceptual
changes such
as illusions,
hallucination
s, body image
distortion,
tremors,
incoordinatio
n, dilated
pupils,
tremors,
incoordinatio
n and more
depending on
the drug, it may
cause
depression,
anxiety,
irritability,
insomnia
swallowed,
LSD: 6-15
smoked or inhaled hours
they are
used for
pain
medicati
on,
analgesia
and
sedation.
euphoria,
respiratory
depression,
CNS
depression,
seizures,
drowsiness,
slurred
speech
sweating,
dilated pupils,
nausea, stomach
cramps, diarrhea
often in tablet so
swallowing
MDMA:
ecstasy, Adam,
molly
MDMA: 3-6
hours
flashbacks that
result in an reexperience of
the drug and can
be long lasting
(years).
Do not cause
physical
dependence but
may cause
psychological
dependence
death
They are found
to be both
physiological
and
psychological
dependent if
taken in
excessive
amounts,
Phencyclidin
e:
6-8 hours
Phenycyclidine
: angel dust
Mescalyne:
Peyote
Psilocybin:
magic
mushrooms,
shrooms,
mushies,
golden tops
Narcotic
Analgesics/
Opioids
Buprenorphine
:
Buvidal,
Sublocade,
bup, b, subs,
bupe, orange
Fentanyl:
varies
according to
medication
as some as
fast acting
Actiq,
Duragesic,
Sublimaze
Oxycodone:
80, oxy,
Oxynorm,
OxyContin,
Endone,
Proladone,
Targin,
Hillbilly
heroin, OC, O
Heroin: beast,
brown sugar,
bull dog,
bundle, Dr.
Feel Good,
smack, gear,
hammer, dope,
junk, china
white,
homebake,
poison, Dr.
Harry, horse,
white
dynamite
Codeine:
usually mixed
with other
medications
such as aspirin,
ibuprofen and
paracetamol.
Aspalgin,
Codral Cold
medically
unsupervised or
due to extended
use.
and Flu
Original,
Nurofen Plus,
Panadeine
Forte,
Panamax Co,
Mersyndol
Naloxone:
Narcan
Opium: Aunti,
Aunti Emma,
Big O, black
pill, Chandu,
Chinese
Molasses,
Dopium,
Dream Gun,
Zero, Midnight
Oil
Methadone:
done or the
done
Anabolic
Steroids
Anadrol 50
Oxandrin
Winstrol
Anavar
Dianabol
Equipoise
prescribe
d for
delayed
puberty,
hormonal
imbalanc
e,
impotenc
e, breast
cancer,
osteopor
osis,
depression,
suicidal
tendencies
pills, injectables,
topical gels and
creams
depending
on the
amount and
frequency
used
heart attack,
cancer,
depression, HIV
(due to share
needles)
It can create
psychological
dependence
anemia,
endometr
iosis
Nicotine
ciggies, darts,
durries, rollies,
smokes, butts,
cancer sticks
Cannabinoids
Synthetic
cannabis:
spice, Kronic,
Northern
Lights, Mojo,
Blue Lotus,
Godfather
Medicinal
Cannabis
Cannabis:
marijuana,
weed, 420,
dabs, pot, has,
dope, joint,
grass
Butane hash
oil: BHO,
marijuana wax,
budder,
as a
helping
aid for
those
with
addiction
or
dependen
ce to
smoking
cigarettes
Medicina
l
cannabis:
use for a
variety of
reasons
from
treatment
for pain,
insomnia,
anxiety,
depressio
n,
anorexia
restlessness
irritability,
anxiety,
restleness, lower
concentration,
higher appetite
and weight gain
smoking, patches, 8 to 48
chewed via
hours after
tobacco
last
inhalation
extended use of
nicotine can lead
to several types
of cancers
tolerance and
physical
dependence
euphoria,
anxiety,
impaired
motor
coordination,
perceptual
disturbances,
mild
tachycardia,
red eyes,
paranoia,
hallucination
s, delusions
irritability,
anxiety,
depression,
insomnia,
restlessness,
lower appetite
inhalation,
edibles, wax,
non- lethal
overdose
symptoms but
extender use
may lead to
addiction and
even respiratory
problems
regular use can
lead to
dependence and
lasting
cognitive
impairment
depending
on how it’s
consumed, it
may last
from 1 hour
(smoking or
vaping) to 24
hours
(eating).
honeycomb,
oil, wax butter
Inhalants
solvents, glue,
paint thinners,
fuels, isobutyl
nitrates,
Nitrous Oxide
Nitrous
oxide:
used for
sedation
and pain
relief
specially
in the
dental
field
disinhibition,
euphoria,
slurred
speech,
disturbed
gait,
disorientation
, drowsiness
irritability,
dysphoria, sleep
disturbance,
headache
inhalation,
huffing
minutes to
hours
according to
type and
usage
may lead to
fatality
secondary to
respiratory
depression or
cardiac
arrhythmia
Dependence
could be
psychological
Reference:
Alcohol and Drug Foundation . (2021, July). Drug Wheel . Drug facts - alcohol and drug foundation. Retrieved October 2, 2021, from https://adf.org.au/drug-facts/#list.
Anabolic steroid addiction and abuse. Addiction Center. (2021, September 30). Retrieved October 2, 2021, from https://www.addictioncenter.com/stimulants/steroids/.
Hanson, G., Venturelli, P. J., & Fleckenstein, A. E. (2012). Introduction to Drugs and Society . In Drugs and Society (pp. 1–64). essay, Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Le, T. (2020). Psychoactive drug intoxication and withdrawal. In First aid for the USMLE step 1 2020, Thirtieth edition (pp. 570–571). essay, McGraw-Hill Education.
Stead, L. G., Kaufman, M. S., & Blitzstein, S. (2019). Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders . In First aid for the psychiatry clerkship (pp. 79–95). essay, McGraw-Hill Education.
What happens to your body, when you take a puff of a cigarette?: Keck Medicine of USC. Keck Medicine of USC |. (2020, April 7). Retrieved October 2, 2021, from
https://www.keckmedicine.org/what-happens-to-your-body-when-you-take-a-puff-of-a-cigarette/.
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