Stimulant Drugs
Why are addictive drugs called "psychoactive" or "mood-altering"?
They can change a person's mood or feelings.
TRUE OR FALSE: There are more differences between weak stimulants and strong stimulants at high doses than at low doses.
FALSE; the differences between weak stimulants and strong stimulants are more noticeable at lower doses.
"___" is when a person experiences a severe break with reality and can be caused by high doses of powerful stimulants over a long period of time.
"Psychotic break"
While psychedelics and hallucinogens can have some stimulant or depressant effects, what are their primary effects?
They affect a user's thinking and senses, temporarily changing the way people understand and experience the world around them.
Name three of the seven common stimulant drugs
Any of the following:
Cocaine, Amphetamines, Methamphetamines, Amphetamine-related prescription pills, OTC stimulant pills, Caffeine, and Nicotine.
Name a commonly used legal stimulant that was mentioned in the text.
Any of the following:
Caffeine, pseudoephedrine, ephedrine, nicotine,
How quickly can the initial stage of stimulant withdrawal begin?
Within hours of the last use
What factors can influence the effects of a psychedelic drug?
The dosage, the type of drug, the user's surroundings, previous experiences, and the user's expectations.
How do stimulants make people feel?
Any of the following:
Alert and awake, Excited and energized, Tense and agitated, Violent and paranoid.
TRUE OR FALSE: Using legal stimulants to get high won't give you negative side effects.
FALSE; side effects of overdosing on legal stimulants can be very similar to those caused by a cocaine or amphetamine overdose.
What was an example of a stimulant-induced personality change given in the text?
Any of the following:
Shy people might become aggressive; quiet people might become loud; polite people might become obnoxious; people might feel invincible or make impossible promises; some people might be interested in activities they would normally avoid
What are the five primary groups of psychedelic and hallucinogenic drugs?
1. LSD psychedelics
2. Amphetamine-related psychedelics
3. PCP psychedelics
4. Synthetic cannabinoids
5. Marijuana and related drugs
Give a brief description of how stimulants work.
Energize the nervous system by making the nerves act more quickly than normal.
Stimulants can have different effects at different doses.
What are the four important differences in how cocaine, amphetamines, diet pills and caffeine affect the body?
The drug's strength, how long it lasts in the body, how it is taken, and how much is used.
Some people experiencing stimulant-induced delirium might have hallucinations or illusions. What is the difference between hallucinations and illusions?
Hallucinations are when someone believes they see, hear, or can touch something that does not exist. (ex. a person might hear voices or see someone not in the room)
Illusions are based on a real object or event, where a person's mind tricks them into believing something real is actually something else (ex. "a bush in the front yard is actually a person")
Why are synthetic cannabinoids inaccurately marketed as "related to marijuana"?
They do not actually contain marijuana; they contain dried plant matter sprayed with chemical additives responsible for psychoactive effects, rather than the plant matter itself being responsible for the effects.
Name an effect of stimulants at a low dose, a somewhat high dose, and a very high dose.
Low dose: make people more alert, keep them awake
Somewhat high dose: make the heart beat faster, more energy, make people feel elated, make people feel nervous or anxious
Very high dose: make people tense and agitated, feel extremely nervous or on edge, makes thoughts race too fast, make speech become fast and confusing, make a person's behaviour nervous and strange, could cause an overdose
Name three physical effects of stimulants.
Any of the following:
Uncontrollable repetitious or pointless physical activity, inner tension, anxiety, repetition of words and behaviours, looking and feeling nervous, pacing, excessive talking or shouting, faster speech, shaky hands or legs, faster heartbeat, raised blood pressure.
How do stimulants cause strong mood changes?
They affect the level of neurotransmitters in the brain; using stimulants will temporarily raise the level of active neurotransmitters, but when they stop taking the drug, the level of neurotransmitters falls below normal which can make a person feel depressed and anxious.
Name a side effect from each of the five primary groups of psychedelics and hallucinogens.
1. LSD psychedelics: distort and confuse people's senses, affect mood and emotions, can cause fear, panic, and anxiety.
2. Amphetamine-related psychedelics: can distort the senses, promote anxiety and agitation, hallucinations, increase blood pressure and heart rate.
3. PCP psychedelics: can create a disconnect between mind and body, stop sensory messages to the brain, cause a mild euphoric effects, frightening hallucinations, rubbery feeling in the legs, impaired coordination, breaks from reality.
4. Synthetic cannabinoids: severe agitation and anxiety, rapid heartbeat and high blood pressure, hallucinations and psychotic episodes, paranoia, suicidal and homicidal thoughts and actions, nausea, vomiting, reduced blood supply to the heart, heart attacks.
5. Marijuana and related drugs: psychedelic effects, depressant effects, some stimulant effects, changes in a person's senses and thoughts, severe anxiety, rapid heart rate, panic attacks, paranoid thoughts, frightening hallucinations