Intervention |

Drug Information

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  Airdate: 01/10/2011

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  Airdate: 01/03/2011

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  Airdate: 12/20/2010

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  Extended Intervention: Andrew

Ecstasy

Chemical, medical, or scientific name:

3-4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine, usually abbreviated as MDMA

Street names:

Besides called ecstasy, this drug is also known as Adam, E, Eve, hug drug, STP, X, and XTC among many other terms.

Drug Classification:

Stimulant

Ecstasy has become a popular drug with teenagers and young adults and is associated with the club scene as well as with underground dance parties known as raves. The drug is usually swallowed, and users sometimes take it in combination with other drugs, such as alcohol or marijuana. In 2004, there were close to 9,000 emergency department visits related to Ecstasy use, according to a report from the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN).

Short-term effects:

Ecstasy works as both a stimulant and a hallucinogen. Users often have experience increased sensation as well as magnified sense of empathy as well as having hallucinations. The drug can interfere with the body’s ability to regulate temperature, possibly leading to hyperthermia, or an increased in body temperature, that can cause problems in the liver, kidney, and heart. It can even be fatal. Ecstasy also may slow the user’s metabolism, making it easier to have an overdose because the body’s ability to breakdown the drug is impaired.

Long-term effects:

Animal studies have shown that the drug may cause damage to the neurons, or specialized cells, that are involved with mental processes, such as judgment.

Mental effects:

The drug can reduce a user’s inhibitions, trigger mild hallucinations, cause euphoria, and generate increased feelings of empathy or closeness.

Physical effects:

Users may experience increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, blurred vision, nausea, chills, and muscle problems.

GHB

Chemical, medical, or scientific name:

gamma-hydroxybutyrate

Street names:

Besides GHB, this drug has many other names, including G, Georgia home boy, grievous bodily harm, and liquid ecstasy.

Drug Classification:

Depressant

Once sold over the counter, this drug was sometimes used by bodybuilders to create more muscle. But the drug is now better known for its sedative powers because it depresses activity in a person’s central nervous system. Along with ketamine and rohyphnol, GHB is considered a “date rape” drug. Colorless and odorless, it can be easily added to a person’s drink without his or her knowledge, leaving the person vulnerable to possible assault. Some people also take this drug for its relaxation and euphoria-inducing properties. GHB was associated with more than 2,000 emergency room visits in 2004, according to a report from the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN). The drug is usually taken by being swallowed.

Short-term effects:

Soon after taking the drug, a user may feel euphoric, relaxed, or drowsy. It may cause hallucinations as well as loss of physical reflexes and consciousness.

Long-term effects:

There are no studies available to indicate the long-term consequences of using GHB. As a sedative, however, it may impair memory and learning functions with extensive use.

Mental effects:

GHB may lead to feelings of euphoria and relaxation. It can also produce hallucinations and decrease inhibitions.

Physical effects:

The drug can cause drowsiness to the point of losing conscious as well as losing muscle control, including a person’s gag reflex. It can bring on headaches, nausea, and breathing problems.

Heroin

Chemical, medical, or scientific name:

diacetylmorphine

Street names:

Heroin is known by many names, including dope, H, horse, and smack.

Drug Classification:

Opioid

Heroin has been around since the late 1800s and made from morphine, which can be found in the parts of specific types of poppy plants. It is a powder that ranges in color from white to brown. One popular type of heroin is known as “black tar” for its dark color and stickiness. According to the 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, approximately 136,000 people had used this highly addictive drug within the past month. It can be snorted, smoked, or injected.

Short-term effects:

Heroin brings on a feeling of euphoria, or a rush. It blocks sensations of pain, slows breathing, and impairs thinking. It may cause nausea and vomiting. After the initial rush, a user may become drowsy.

Long-term effects:

Extensive heroin use may lead to a dependency on the drug and an increased tolerance for it. The drug itself affects the brain in a way that encourages addiction, and users who become hooked often spent much of their time and energy toward maintaining their drug habit. If the user repeatedly injects the drug, he or she is at risk for hepatitis and HIV infection as well as collapsed veins.

Mental effects:

Besides its euphoria-producing effects, the drug also impairs mental functioning.

Physical effects:

Heroin slows breathing and heart rates and can cause nausea and drowsiness.

Information sources for Intervention Drug Information: Main sources- National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA); http://www.drugabuse.gov. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and SAMHSA’s National Clearhouse for Alcohol & Drug Information; http://ncadi.samhsa.gov/. Drug Abuse Warning Network; https://dawninfo.samhsa.gov/default.asp

Drug Facts from the Office of National Drug Control Policy; http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/drugfact/index.html

Additional Sources—Club Drug Information: National Institute on Drug Abuse “Club Drugs Aren’t ‘Fun Drugs’”; http://www.drugabuse.gov/Published_Articles/fundrugs.html

U.S. Department of Justice Information on MDMA; http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/concern/mdma.htm

Additional sources—Cocaine: U.S. Department of Justice Information on cocaine
http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/concern/cocaine.html

Additional sources—Heroin: U.S. Department of Justice Information on Heroin
http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/concern/heroin.html

Additional sources—LSD: U.S. Department of Justice LSD factsheet
http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/concern/lsd_factsheet.html

Additional sources—Methamphetamines: U.S. Department of Justice Information on Methamphetamines
http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/concern/meth.html

Additional sources—Pain killers: U.S. Department of Justice Information on Oxycontin
http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/concern/oxycontin.html