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The Illegal Use of PCP and Its Effects on the Body Essay example

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1. What´s PCP? 2. Alzheimer’s Disease 1. What is PCP? Phencyclidine, or PCP, was synthesized in 1926 and used in the 1950s to act as a surgical anesthetic. However, it was retired in 1960s due to significant side effects including delusion, emotional trauma and acutely irrational behavior. It now sees illegal use as an extremely potent and dangerous hallucinogenic drug. It is generally ingested either orally or through the nose and its sedative effects take hold extremely quickly. PCP takes the form of a white, readily soluble powder crystalline in nature. It has It has been classified as being a hallucinogen, dissociative anesthetic, psychotomimetic, and sedative-hypnotic. …show more content…

The resulting high dopamine levels are responsible for the hallucination, dissociation and psychosis within reactions to PCP. http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/A/autonomic.gif Diagram of the Sympathetic and Parasympathetic nervous systems. Note the effects of the Parasympathetic system, unfortunately blocked by PCP. Long-Term Effects of PCP PCP is an addictive drug, and its use can lead to the development of psychological dependencies. Abusers of PCP can experience long lasting memory loss, weight loss, brain damage, and depression. In addition, PCP can be stored in the body fat for up to the entire life. This PCP can be released through sweat and trigger a flashback years later. Alzheimer’s Disease Symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease Alzheimer’s Disease is a form of dementia affecting more than one third of those over ninety-five years old. Its effects vary per person and become systematically more extreme as time wears on. Alzheimer’s is currently incurable and impossible to slow, destroying neurons and brain tissue, resulting in loss of memory, judgment, awareness, communication, behavior and capacity for emotion. Changes in personality and loss of initiative are also common symptoms of Alzheimer’s. Causes The causes

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