Download Cocaine ( CHS 413 )

Stimulants
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1.
2.
3.
Stimulants
They increase the activity of the brain
They stimulate or speed up the nervous
system
Their medical use is limited to:
The Suppression of appetite;
The reduction of fatigue;
The reduction of mild depression
Most commonly used types are:
1. cocaine,
2. Caffeine,
3. amphetamine
Cocaine
( CHS 413 )
Introduction
• Cocaine is a crystalline alkaloid that is
obtained from the leaves of the coca plant.
The name comes from "coca”
It is a stimulant of the central nervous system
and an appetite suppressant.
For over a thousand years South American
indigenous peoples have chewed the coca leaf
a plant that contains vital nutrients as well as
numerous alkaloids, including cocaine.
There is also evidence that these cultures used a
mixture of coca leaves and saliva as an
anesthetic
Appearance
• Crack cocaine is the freebase form of cocaine
that can be smoked. It may also be termed
'rocks' or just 'crack'.
Appearance and characteristics
•
Crack cocaine as sold on the streets may be
impured to increase bulk.
•
In purer forms, crack rocks appear as off-white
bulk with jagged edges, and a slightly higher
density than candle wax.
• A crack rock effects are:
1. a local anesthetic ,
2. numbing the tongue or mouth only where
directly placed.
• Cocaine in its purest form is a white, pearly product. Cocaine
appearing in powder form is a salt, typically cocaine
hydrochloride.
• Street market cocaine is frequently adulterated or “cut” with
various powdery fillers to increase its weight; the substances
most commonly used in this process are baking soda; sugars,
such as lactose, dextrose, inositol, and mannitol; and local
anesthetics, such as lidocaine or benzocaine, which mimic or
add to cocaine's numbing effect on mucous membranes.
Smoking crack cocaine
Psychological effects
Crack cocaine is a substance that affects the brain chemistry :
1. causing euphoria
2. Absolute confidence
3. loss of appetite
4. insomnia
5. Alertness,
6. increased energy
7. a craving for more cocaine
8. and potential paranoia (ending after use).
usually lasts from 5–10 minutes , after which the user feels
depressed and low.
• Stimulant drug abuse can lead to delusional
parasitosis (a mistaken belief they are infested
with parasites).
• where the affected people believe they have, or
feel, parasites crawling under their skin. These
delusions are also associated with high fevers,
often together with visual hallucinations about
insects.
• People experiencing these hallucinations might
scratch themselves to the extent of serious skin
damage and bleeding,
Physical effects
Over doses symptoms
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
dizziness
Hyperthermia
Seizures
Unconsciousness
Dehydration
Tolerance
An appreciable tolerance to cocaine’s high may
develop, with many addicts reporting that they seek
but fail to achieve as much pleasure as they did from
their first experience.
Some users will frequently increase their doses to
intensify and prolong the euphoric effects.
Dependence
Dependence on the other hand means that
much of the person's time is used in thinking
about taking the drug, thinking about
obtaining the drug, undertaking activities
associated with buying and using the drug,
difficulties in interpersonal relationships as a
result of the obsessive thoughts associated
with dependence.
Addiction
Crack cocaine is popularly thought to be the
most addictive form of cocaine, and one of the
most addictive forms of any drug.
Withdrawal Symptoms
These include
1. cravings for cocaine,
2. feeling angry
3. vomiting and nausea,
4. uncontrolled shaking
5. weakness,
6. tiredness
7. disturbed sleep
8. muscle spasms
9. depression and suicide ideation.
pregnancy
• Use of cocaine during pregnancy increases
the risk of miscarriage, or if the baby is
carried to full term, may result in :
1. a low birth weigh baby,
2. premature delivery,
3. signs of cocaine withdrawal in the newborn.