The Physiology Of Narcotics On The Brain And Body

One can feel the effects of cocaine almost immediately after use, with these effects lasting only a few minutes or hours. The duration of cocaine 's effects depends upon how it is administered. The faster the drug is absorbed, the more intense the high, but also the shorter the duration. The high from snorting is relatively slow to arrive but it may last 15 to 30 minutes. In contrast, the effects from smoking are more immediate but may last only 5 to 10 minutes. “In the brain, cocaine interferes with the chemical messengers -- neurotransmitters -- that nerves use to communicate with each other. Cocaine blocks norepinephrine, serotonin, dopamine, and other neurotransmitters from being reabsorbed. The resulting

The body, through tolerance, becomes accustomed to the effects of the drug causing a change in the functioning of the reward center in the brain. Neurotransmitters in the brain, at this point, do not function normally and the body “needs” the drug to achieve balance within the system.

The stimulant properties in cocaine make it attractive as an antidepressant. Cocaine causes an individual to feel euphoria, enhances strength, and can mask fatigue. These intense contented feelings can cause an abuser to go on binges. Very rarely are cocaine abusers addicted to only cocaine. Other drugs such as marijuana and alcohol are used to combat the unpleasant effects of cocaine once the “high” wears off. The symptoms of the disorder interact with each other increasing the symptoms of all of the disorders.

Addictive drugs cause dopamine neurons to release dopamine, the pleasure hormone. The narcotics disable the neurons that would usually keep the dopamine neurons in check; becoming over stimulated. Endorphins are produced and released within the brain, creating a high and reinforcing the individual’s positive associations with the activity. Hence “the rush” (Molintas, 2006)

Stimulant drugs rev up the central nervous system by increasing heart rate, respiration, and blood pressure. Thus, someone who abuses stimulants will experience enhanced positive emotional reactions and a minimized level of negaitve emotional reactions, as well as alertness. Someone who abuses nicotine, a stimulant, will experiecne relaxation and alertness due to the way in which nicotine activates receptors sensitive to the neurotransimitter acetylcholine. Someone who abusues the stimulant cocaine will experience euphoria, enhanced mental and physical capabilities, stimulation, a decrease in hunger, indifference to pain, and diminished fatigue. Crack cocaine will generate intense euphoria, but will follow with unpleasant feelings. Stimulants

In your post you are saying “A faster drug such as heroin and cocaine occupies enough brain receptors to produce psychoactive effect. It just slows the brain down.” I do agree on the drugs do it does slows the brain down and the side of effects are when it enter the brain heroin goes into morphine that is when binds to molecules on cell opioid receptors. The receptors are located in many areas of the brain and in the body and the opioid receptors are located in the brains stem too. That controls such as blood pressure, arousal, and respiration. Cocaine can prevent dopamine from recycling prevents dopamine from recycling and if you flood of dopamine ultimately it can disrupts normal brain communication and causes cocaine’s high, the short term

Narcotics are central nervous system depressants that relieve pain without causing the user to lose consciousness. It is this reason many people choose to abuse prescription narcotics.

Ecstasy is both a hallucinogenic, causing hallucination, and a stimulant drug. Ecstasy is the name given to methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). It was first synthesized in 1912 by Merck chemist Anton Köllisch. Ecstasy appears to disturb the body 's ability to regulate its temperature and this can lead to serious problems with overheating of the body. Ecstasy can be swallowed as a pill or tablet or snorted like a powder. Users of ecstasy can experience a rush of good feelings, a high, and makes someone 's feelings much more intense, whether they 're good or bad feelings. Ecstasy’s effects usually last up to 6 hours.

coca plant (5). The high chemical content as well as the effects of the cocaine derived from the E. coca plant combine to produce properties that are psychoactive and highly addictive. Once ingested, cocaine displays its effects onto the nervous system. Cocaine blocks pumps present in the pre-synaptic neuron cells from the re-uptake of dopamine, a neurotransmitter. Since dopamine is no longer being reabsorbed, a buildup of dopamine in the synaptic cleft occurs. The response emitted by the nervous system is a strong feeling of pleasure and ecstasy (6). Cocaine users greatly desire the feeling of euphoria cocaine provides which ultimately leads to severe

All drugs have an effect on the brain. Addictive drugs primarily target the dopamine system, creating a 'rewarding' feeling. Within seconds of drug intrusion in the body, the drugs bring about dramatic changes to synapses in the brain. Because addictive drugs triggers a rewarding sensation within the brain, they produce a euphoric, pleasuring state of being.

But what alterations in the brain occur that make us desire the high? To understand this, one needs to understand where the pleasure receptors are within the brain. The nucleus accumbens is located in a region of the brain called the basal forebrain. It is also part of the basal ganglia, and the larger ventral striatum (Know). The reward center operates just as it sounds. When we do something pleasurable, dopamine neurons are triggered, thereby releasing dopamine. In fact, scientists now believe that dopamine levels rise even where is a negative reward (Know). This, in turn, helps us remember when we re-encounter either that positive or negative experience (and hopefully reminds us to never experience the negative one again). As shown in Figure 1, the production of critical levels of dopamine decline with cocaine usage. This brain image shows the decreased dopamine receptors in the brain in a person who is clean of cocaine vs. a cocaine

Many psychiatric and psychoactive drugs that are available on the market, pharmaceutically or illegally, closely resemble neurotransmitters and are actually able to mimic it to the extent that it fools the receptors. Basically, these drugs hijack the neurotransmitters. Once these drugs are ingested, it enters into the brain, gets into the synapse and binds itself to the receptor. This then causes the inappropriate release of neurotransmitters and alter the breakdown and recycling of neurotransmitters or can be used to destroy particular neurotransmitters completely (Sapolsky, 2005, p. 14).

The drug Cocaine alters chemical levels in the brain which can lead the user to have the ‘feel good’ factor.

Drugs of abuse, such as cocaine, ecstasy, heroin and cannabis, are of natural or synthetic origin, which can alter the emotional state, perception, body functioning and behaviour of an individual. Drugs are known to work in the brain by activating certain brain circuits via different mechanisms, and stimulate or inhibit different neurons in the pathway. However, due to the effects of each drug being different, a drug will affect either different pathways and neurons in the brain to that of another, or through a different process, i.e. direct or indirect activity. This essay will discuss the different mechanisms of action that cocaine, ecstasy, heroin and

Have you ever dealt with the effects of drug addict? A drug is a person who is addicted to drugs or alcohol, which has a psychological effect when ingested or otherwise introduced into the body. The effects of drug use can vary depending on the person. According to “Causes and types of narcotic addiction: A Psychosocial View” in the Psychiatric Quarterly it says, “The causes of drugs stem from the manner of which you were introduced to it whether it be by abnormal curiosity, chance encounters with addicts and narcotic peddlers, or prolonged illness” (Ausubel). The effects of drugs can be have different effects on everyone differently depending if its for pleasure or for relieving pain Most of the effects of drugs occur in the brain, where it increases the level of dopamine at a specific site possibly giving the addict the pleasure they were feigning for (Robbins). As a child I didn’t know much about drugs except for what your parents and teachers at school tell you which is, “Just Say No.”