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An overview of drugs - Fact Sheet
There is barely a culture in the world that has not sought
and used mind-altering substances of one kind or another. Adults who choose to
use drugs do so for many reasons and accept varying degrees of risk in doing
so. Recreational drug used by a person with an acquired brain injury, however,
carries a significantly greater risk.
Three main categories
Psychoactive drugs can be divided into
three general categories according to how they  Affect the central nervous
system:
- Stimulants
- Depressants
- Hallucinogens.
Stimulants include several groups of drugs that tend to stimulate the central
nervous system, increasing alertness and physical activity. Legal drugs in this
area include nicotine from cigarettes and caffeine in coffee or cola drinks.
Common illicit drugs in this area include
amphetamines (street names include speed, crystal, ice, go-ee, whizz and fast),
and designer drugs such as ecstasy (usually called ‘E’).
Depressants depress the central nervous system. In a normal dose, they will
lead to euphoria, relaxation and reduced coordination, inhibition and
concentration. Larger doses may lead to nausea, unconsciousness and death.
The most popular depressant is alcohol.
Cannabis is the most popular illegal depressant (also called marijuana, grass,
pot or dope). Benzodiazepines are prescription medications that are often used
for their depressant effects.
The opiate family of drugs includes heroin,
morphine, codeine and pethidine. Street names for heroin include ‘H’, smack,
and horse.
Inhalants are a range of chemical products
that are inhaled to produce a high feeling. Many of these have a depressant
effect and can be obtained from a variety of household products such as glue,
aerosols and petrol.
Hallucinogens affect a person’s perceptions, sensations, thinking and emotions.
Examples include LSD, mescaline and psilocybin. People who have taken them may
see or hear things that aren’t really there. There is currently little use of
hallucinogens in Australia.
Psilocybin is found in certain mushrooms that are known as “magic mushrooms” or
“gold tops”. Cannabis is generally classified as a depressant but is viewed as
a hallucinogen as well, as high doses can lead to hallucinations. Ecstasy also
tends to fall across two classifications as it is a stimulant, but high doses
can cause hallucinations.
Common recreational drugs
Heroin
The biggest problem with heroin is
overdose, especially when injected. Many deaths have happened when heroin has
been used with other central nervous system depressants, like alcohol or benzodiazepines.
Injection can also cause a variety of
problems with viruses such as hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS, vein infections and
vein damage.
Heroin can lead to high levels of
dependency. Heavy users are often less likely to eat and health problems can
arise from malnutrition and lower personal hygiene. Heroin may also interact
with prescribed anticonvulsant medication and antidepressants, increasing the
risk of overdose significantly.
Trying heroin once does not create an
addiction. Some regular users of heroin can stick to a reduced level that
avoids physical addiction. People with a pre-existing brain injury may also
find that heroin causes serious seizures or that dirty injecting equipment
causes meningitis.
Detoxification (‘detox’) from heroin
usually takes about a week, and symptoms include muscle and stomach cramps,
nausea, physical and nervous tension, vomiting, insomnia, anxiety, yawning,
tears, runny nose, irritability, depression, diarrhoea, headaches, sweating and
hot and cold flushes. Detox may also lower a person’s Seizure threshold,
leading to an increase in seizures.
There is a wide range of options for people
wanting to detox off heroin. You can have a supervised detox at home or in a
residential facility. New medications can be used to detox quickly, often with
less adverse effects. Maintenance drugs such as methadone can be used to act as
a substitute for heroin, letting you get your life together without having to
go through detox. It is however vitally important that you inform the staff providing
detox of any pre-existing brain injury.
Ecstasy
The pharmacological name for ecstasy is
Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). The ingredients of MDMA are often
difficult to obtain, therefore manufacturers may substitute other substances,
creating a drug which is not quite MDMA and will have unpredictable affects.
These can range from caffeine, glucose (simple sugar) and ketamine (a
veterinary anaesthetic sometimes used as a date rape drug), to speed and other
amphetamine-type substances.
The effects of ecstasy depend on what
substances are in the pill (the drug), your mood and expectations (the
environment), and your body weight and general health (this is especially true
for people with an acquired brain injury). Common immediate effects of ecstasy include
an increase of heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature, jaw clenching,
teeth grinding, talkativeness, feelings of well-being and a closeness to
others, loss of appetite, lowering of the seizure threshold and sometimes
nausea.
These effects usually start 30 to 60
minutes after an ecstasy pill has been swallowed, and can last anywhere from
three to eight hours depending on the contents of the pill. During the
comedown, a person can feel physically exhausted (especially after dancing all
night), depressed, irritable, and have difficulty sleeping and concentrating.
These effects can last for several days. Long term effects of ecstasy include
confusion, depression, insomnia, anxiety, memory disturbance and paranoia.
Many drugs commonly used in the treatment
of brain injury can cause serious illness or death when mixed with ecstasy. For
example anti-depressant drugs, such as Prozac, Aropax, Zoloft, Nardil, Parnate
and Marplan, can interact dangerously with ecstasy.
Cannabis
At present there is little evidence that
the occasional use of small amounts of cannabis leads to long-term health
problems, but there is evidence that regular or heavy use of cannabis can lead
to major health problems. There are some people who should be extra careful
when thinking about using cannabis:
- Young people who have poor
school performance and are experimenting with drug use may have a higher risk
of progressing to heavy cannabis use and other illegal drug use.
- People with Epilepsy may suffer
from fits after using cannabis or when they cease using cannabis.
- Women who are pregnant or want
to get pregnant.
- People with schizophrenia or
other mental health problems. Cannabis can exacerbate these and in some cases
bring on a psychotic episode.
Research has shown there can be more
serious effects if cannabis is used regularly for a long time. These include:
- Higher risk of bronchitis, lung
cancer and respiratory diseases
- Loss of interest in activities,
lacking energy and boredom
- Loss of concentration, memory
and learning abilities
- Reduced sex drive and lowered
sperm count/irregular menstrual cycles
- Psychotic behaviour; however,
this is more likely if the person already has a mental illness like
schizophrenia.
Chronic cannabis use can exacerbate many of
the problems experienced by people with an acquired brain injury and delay or
prevent relearning lost skills.
Benzodiazepines
Benzodiazepines are a very commonly
prescribed sedative. There are many different brands, including Valium, Ducene,
Alepam, Murelax, Serepax, Alodorm, Mogadon, Normison, Euhypnos and Temaze.
Used medically, benzodiazepines can
effectively reduce anxiety and sleeping problems for a short period of time
until the body develops a tolerance to the drug. Many people do not realise
these drugs are highly addictive, with withdrawals similar to that of heroin,
but lasting much longer and potentially fatal if going cold turkey.
If you have been prescribed benzodiazepines
by your doctor, make sure you discuss the time period you will be using the
drug for, to avoid becoming dependent and facing withdrawal symptoms when
stopping. As they are short-term drugs, benzodiazepines will never solve the
anxiety or sleeping problems you are facing, so if these problems are ongoing,
seek counselling or support to address the underlying issues.
It is important to be aware that no
prescription medication should be stopped without consulting the prescribing
doctor.
Further information:
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An overview of drugs 
