The History Of Stimulants

Chapter six talks about stimulants, like coffee (caffeine containing plants for the most part), cocaine, tobacco, and amphetamines. Many people would not consider coffee a drug, but those are usually the people that cannot go a day without it. Chapter seven talks about depressants, like alcohol, sleeping pills, narcotics, general anesthetics, and antianxiety drugs. Like coffee, many people would not consider alcohol a drug; it may be because it is legal but, when it is abused it has potential to cause more damage than many other drugs to one’s self and outsiders. Depressants depress the nervous system, reducing sensitivity to outside stimulation but in small doses they tend to make people relaxed and happy. The eighth chapter is about psychedelics, which are claimed to have the lowest potential for abuse of any of the psychoactive drugs. This chapter discusses drugs like LSD, morning-glory seeds, mushrooms, ibogaine, DMT, peyote, and ecstasy. People have been using hallucinogens since the beginning of time and most of these plants are concentrated in North and South America. The ninth chapter covers one drug only, marijuana. It is not a depressant or stimulant but has features of both, and some people even consider it a light psychedelic. The experienced high from marijuana can differ from person to person.

A new wave study on hallucinogens, and other mind-altering substances, was organized to address whether these

Progressive ratio schedules have been used to study the effects of different drugs or doses. The progressive ratio schedule is defined as increasing the ratio requirement (the number of responses needed to acquire an injection) following each reinforcement until there is no longer a response. The breaking point is the final ratio and is used to evaluate the efficacy of the reinforcer. Different motivational variables change the value of the breaking point. Increasing the dose of cocaine increases the value of the breaking point. On the other hand, pre-treating animals with spiperone or SCH23390 will decrease the breaking point. Therefore, it can be implied that both D1 and D2 receptors are needed to reinforce the effects of cocaine (Hubner & Moreton, 1991).

Drugs are chemicals they work in the brain by tapping into the brain's communication system and interfering with the way nerve cells normally send, receive, and process information. Some drugs, such as marijuana and heroin, can activate neurons because their chemical structure mimics that of a natural neurotransmitter. This fools receptors and allows the drugs to lock onto and activate the nerve cells. Although these drugs mimic brain chemicals, they don't activate nerve cells in the same way as a natural neurotransmitter, and they lead to abnormal messages being transmitted through the network.

Throughout history a multitude of human populations have been using and abusing a number of psychoactive drugs. These drugs can include very common substances such as caffeine to the more deadly but arguably just as addictive heroine. Further on the list of psychoactive drugs include those of the psychedelic variety. These would include the chemicals such as d-lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), peyote and psilocybin among others. All of which have hallucinogenic properties that tend to blur the line between fantasy and reality. How dangerous are these chemicals, and what are the consequences of sustained long term use? Due to the controversial nature of the use of psychedelic drugs in a medical setting, the study of short and long term effects

The illicit use of prescription stimulants, such as Adderall and Ritalin, by college students has been very well documented over the past years (Babcock Q & Byrne T, 2000). Although data is somewhat limited in variety and lacking concentration on specific populations, this substance abuse concern has been studied for well over a decade (Teter, 2006). A prevalence of more than 10% of college students, within the United States, self-report misusing prescription stimulants; it is apparent that these levels are the highest they have been in over the past decades (Kilmer at al, 2015). The United States has been suffering from a devastating prescription drug abuse epidemic, as declared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Given the staggering numbers of not only prescribing practices of prescription painkillers and other such medications, increases of prescription stimulant medications follow the recurrent trends of excessive prescribing. An accumulative number of Adderall, and similar prescription stimulant medications, used to treat Attention Deficient-Hyperactivity

The most common prescription drugs abused are opioids, central nervous system depressants, and stimulants. Opioids were meant to treat pain. CNS depressants are meant to treat sleep disorders and anxiety. Stimulants treat sleep disorders, narcolepsy and ADHD (unknown 8) What is unknown? The source? The author? This makes your source invalid.. The 10 most common prescription drugs abused from most to least used are Oxycotin, Xanax, Adderall, Ritalin, Vicodin, Percocet, Valium, Ambien, Promethazine, and Phenobarbital (unknown 17). “Most drugs of abuse directly or indirectly target the brain’s reward system by flooding the circuit with dopamine”. Dopamine sends messages telling someone to happy, feel things, and their bodies. Overworking your system with the drugs makes crazy effects, tempting the drug abuser to try the drug again. “When some drugs of abuse are taken, they can release, two to ten times the amount of dopamine that natural rewards such as eating and sex do.” Regular pleasures become less appealing causing a decrease in the responses to natural rewards (Volkow 16). This causes nerve activity to decrease because it is trying to get rid of the dopamine quicker. The next time the abuser uses the drug they will need more of it to get

Stimulant drugs like amphetamines and crystal meth excite the central nervous system, thus giving the user intense amounts of energy. Symptoms of someone abusing an amphetamine drug include:

Psychedelics have always been a controversial subject in the world of drugs because they have the ability to alter one’s perception of reality. L.S.D, MDMA, and psilocybin are three of the main types of psychedelics on the drug market, all three of which are listed as schedule 1 by the DEA. A schedule 1 drug is considered to have a high addiction risk, has no medical value whatsoever, and is illegal to have in your possession. A schedule 2 drug is considered to have the potential for both medical purposes, and abuse. A schedule 3 drug is considered safe for medical use and can only be prescribed by a doctor. I however, believe that psychedelics should be reconsidered for at least schedule 2 as studies have shown an increase in the use

The effect of stimulants and depressants on the body and mind is a topic area that should be closely examined. Depressants and stimulants are two of the most common types of substances that are abused. While it is clear that some stimulants and depressants have positive attributes. For example, Adderall a stimulant used with children with ADHD who need help focusing, and Xanax a depressant used for those who may have increased anxiety. Although are widely used, they have addictive qualities, especially with prolonged use. Differentiating between the two categories is imperative because they affect the body and mind in two different ways. Stimulants increase activity in the individual using the drug, while depressants slow down activity. The

Hallucinogens: a general group of pharmacological agents that can be divided into three broad categories: psychedelics, dissociatives, and deliriants. Hallucinogenic drugs have played a role in civilization for thousands of year. It began with naturally occurring hallucinogens, such as the peyote cactus plant and wild mushrooms. Now there are man made drugs that have the same or more intense affects. These include lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), MDMA (ecstasy), and dextromethorphan (DMX, often found in cough syrup). Within this essay, I will cover the history, production, and affects of hallucinogenic drugs.

Does marijuana create an altered state of consciousness, or does it simply allow users to interpret more information at a quicker speed giving us the illusion of being “stoned”? For many years people of all ages have been using marijuana mainly for recreational purposes, not knowing that it increases their senses and perhaps even helps cure or prevent disease. After many carefully constructed experiments, it is now accepted by several scientists around the world that marijuana effects the human body as a whole, thus creating an altered state of consciousness.

The world of psychedelia introduces many new psychological effects both medically and recreationally. They offer a mind bending effect that is not seen in many other drugs. Using this to their advantage doctors and therapists could use these drugs for patients who suffer from P.T.S.D. and mental disabilities alike. Although there are many benefits to them, people still argue that psychedelics should not be used for psychology. The negatives that come with psychedelics can make even more problems for the user, or just increase the already existing problems. With the chances of the negative outcomes being almost as equal to the good, should psychedelics be used to help aid mental illnesses.

Stimulants drugs are ‘a class of drugs that elevate mood, increase feelings of well-being, and increase energy and alertness.’ (The National Institute on Drug Abuse, Drug Facts Stimulants, 2013) This types

Pharmacology is the branch of medicine and biology that seeks to understand drugs and how they affect the body. It involves the analysis of how drugs interact with the biological function of the body and how these drugs react with each other, their natures, and their properties. All drugs are considered chemicals and when ingested into the body an affect from the drug takes place. According to Doweiko (1999), “A drug is essentially a foreign chemical that is introduced into the individual’s body to bring about a specific desired response. There are many forms of drugs and how these drugs are administered in the body determines the kind of result that will take place. The Central Nervous System, (CNS) plays a major role in how these