Stimulants recreational abuse

Recent controversy about the recreational abuse and potential therapeutic use of designer drugs has focused attention on MDA (methylenedioxyampheta-mine HCl) and structurally related phenylisopropylamine compounds, including MDMA istructural analogs of the psychomotor stimulant amphetamine and the hallucinogen mescaline, and produce stimulant and/or hallucinogenic effects (Shulgin 1978). 

Table 4.1. Stimulant drugs clinical uses and recreational abuses.

Cocaine is a potent CNS stimulant that elicits a state of increased alertness and euphoria with its actions similar to those of amphetamine but of shorter duration. These CNS effects are thought to be largely associated with the ability of cocaine to block dopamine reuptake at nerve synapses and thereby prolong the action of dopamine in the CNS. It is this response that leads to recreational abuse of cocaine. Cocaine also blocks the reuptake of norepinephrine at presynaptic nerve terminals this produces a sympathomimetic response (including an increase in blood pressure, heart rate, and body temperature). Cocaine is effective as a local anesthetic and vasoconstrictor of mucous membranes and is therefore used clinically for nasal surgery, rhinoplasty, and emergency nasotracheal intubation. 

When ingested, GHB stimulates dopamine release, leading to pleasurable effects such as euphoria, muscle relaxation, and heightened sexual desire. It also has CNS depressant effects resulting in sedation and hypnosis. Because GHB was reported to enhance grovrth hormone release, it has been used as a steroid alternative by body builders and athletes. Athletes also have used GHB as a sleep aid because they believe it promotes rapid recovery from vigorous repetitive competition. These properties and the availability of GHB in dietary supplements led to growing recreational abuse of the... 

Adult abuse of prescription drugs occurs as well. Of the estimated 4.7 million who used painkillers, tranquilizers, sedatives, and stimulants for nonmedical purposes in 2002, 56 percent were ages 18 and over.71 Many young adults use the drugs for recreation, but others aim to treat themselves medically with prescription drugs. According to the New York Times,... 

Stimulants may be taken orally, but some abusers crush the tablets, dissolve them in water, and then inject the mixture complications can arise from this because insoluble fillers in the tablets can block small blood vessels. Stimulants have been abused for both performance enhancement and recreational purposes (i.e., to get high). 

As we will see in part V, the Recreational Drugstore, many of the abused stimulant drugs that cause seizures during acute use are highly sleep suppressant through their direct action on neuromodulatory systems. Alcohol, by contrast, is a general central nervous system suppressant. As such, and in contrast to the stimulants, alcohol causes euphoria only as a relatively brief consequence of its essentially anesthetic action on the brain. By numbing the brain it induces relaxation, lifts cortical inhibition, and produces a temporary sense of comfort with the self and with society. 

Because many of the medications used to treat anxiety are addictive, it is essential to screen the client for potential substance abuse. It should come as no surprise to social workers that many people who suffer from anxiety often seek relief by using drugs or alcohol. Similar to the medications used to treat anxiety, alcohol and some of the recreational street drugs can stimulate the release of certain neurochemicals in the brain that inhibit anxiety. Subjectively, the result of this biochemical process is social ease, experienced as pleasure, that seduces the users of chemical intoxicants to continue despite the side effects slurred speech, slowed thoughts, memory failure, poor motor control, and the possibility of addiction (Marshall. 1994, p. 152). If a history of substance abuse or a tendency to abuse prescription medication is noted, it is important to flag this potential problem. 

Drug abuse The abuse potential of tesofensine has been studied in a single-dose, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controUed, crossover study in comparison with D-amfetamine (as a positive control for dopaminergic/stimulant effects) and bupropion and atomoxetine (as negative/unscheduled controls) in 52 users of recreational stimulants [100. The effects of D-amfetamine were significantly greater than those of placebo on all primary and secondary subjective measures. The effects of... 

Cocaine is an addictive stimulant obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. Chewing coca leaves for pleasure has been practiced by the indigenous peoples of South America for over a thousand years, and coca leaves were a very minor ingredient in Coca-Cola for the first 20 years of its production. Cocaine is a widely abused recreational drug, and the possession and use of cocaine is currently illegal in most countries. 

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