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6 septembre 2007

Hallucinogens Health Effects

Hallucinogens can produce physiological effects including elevated heart rate, increased blood pressure, and dilated pupils. These drugs are often unpredictable and a user may experience different effects compared to other users or past usage. Users often experience changes in perception, thought, and mood.19

The effects of LSD are unpredictable. They depend on the amount of the drug taken; the user's personality, mood, and expectations; and the surroundings in which the drug is used. Usually, the user feels the first effects of the drug within 30 to 90 minutes of ingestion. These experiences last for extended periods of time and typically begin to clear after about 12 hours. The physical effects include dilated pupils, higher body temperature, increased heart rate and blood pressure, sweating, loss of appetite, sleeplessness, dry mouth, and tremors. Sensations may seem to "cross over" for the user, giving the feeling of hearing colors and seeing sounds. If taken in a large enough dose, the drug produces delusions and visual hallucinations.20

The effects of PCP use are unpredictable, can be felt within minutes of ingestion, and can last for many hours. Physical effects can include shallow, rapid breathing; increased blood pressure; elevated heart rate; and increased temperature. Nausea, blurred vision, dizziness, and decreased awareness can also occur. High doses of PCP can cause convulsions, coma, hyperthermia, and death.21 PCP is an addictive drug that can cause psychological dependence, cravings, and compulsive drug seeking behaviors.22
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Physical effects of psilocybin are usually experienced within 20 minutes of ingestion and can last for 6 hours. Negative physical symptoms of psilocybin use can include vomiting, muscle weakness, drowsiness, and panic reactions. Frequent use of this drug can result in the development of a tolerance.23

AMT and Foxy share many chemical and pharmacological characteristics with other Schedule I hallucinogens and produce similar effects.24

Dextromethorphan users describe a set of distinct dose-dependent "plateaus" ranging from a mild stimulant effect with distorted visual perceptions at low (approximately 2-ounce) doses to a sense of complete dissociation from one's body at doses of 10 ounces or more. The effects typically last for 6 hours.25

Of an estimated 106 million emergency department (ED) visits in the U.S. during 2004, the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) estimates that 1,997,993 were drug-related. DAWN data indicate that LSD was involved in 1,953 ED visits; PCP was involved in 8,928 visits; and miscellaneous hallucinogens were involved in 3,445 visits

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6 septembre 2007

Recovery from drug addiction

Methods of recovery from addiction to drugs vary widely according to the types of drugs involved, amount of drugs used, duration of the drug addiction, medical complications and the social needs of the individual. Treatment is just as important for the addicted individual as for the significant others in the addicted individuals sphere of contact.

One of many recovery methods is the 12 step recovery program, with prominent examples including Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. They are commonly known and used for a variety of addictions for the individual addicted and the family of the individual. Substance-abuse rehabilitation (or "rehab") centers frequently offer a residential treatment program for the seriously addicted in order to isolate the patient from drugs and interactions with other users and dealers. Outpatient clinics usually offer a combination of individual counseling and group counseling. Frequently a physician or psychiatrist will assist with prescriptions to assist with the side effects of the addiction (the most common side effect that the medications can help is anxiety).

Residential drug treatment can be broadly divided into two camps: 12 step programs or Therapeutic Communities. 12 step programmes have the advantage of coming with an instant social support network though some find the spiritual context not to their taste. In the UK drug treatment is generally moving towards a more integrated approach with rehabs offering a variety of approaches. These other programs may use Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy an approach that looks at the relationship between thoughts feelings and behaviours, recognising that a change in any of these areas can affect the whole. CBT sees addiction as a behaviour rather than a disease and subsequently curable, or rather, unlearnable. CBT programmes recognise that for some individuals controlled use is a more realistic possibility.

Other forms of treatment involve replacement drugs such as methadone. Although methadone is itself addictive, opioid dependency is often so strong that a way to stabilise levels of opioid needed and a way to gradually reduce the levels of opiod needed are required. Other treatments, such as acupuncture, may be used to help alleviate symptoms as well. However, In 1997, the following statement was adopted as policy of the American Medical Association (AMA) after a report on a number of alternative therapies including acupuncture:

There is little evidence to confirm the safety or efficacy of most alternative therapies. Much of the information currently known about these therapies makes it clear that many have not been shown to be efficacious. Well-designed, stringently controlled research should be done to evaluate the efficacy of alternative therapies.

Determining the best type of recovery program for an addicted person depends on a number of factors, including: personality, drug(s) of addiction, concept of spirituality or religion, mental or physical illness, and local availability and affordability of programs.

Ibogaine is an (unpleasant) psychoactive drug that specifically interrupts the addictive response, and is currently being studied for its effects upon cocaine, heroin, nicotine, and SSRI addicts. Alternative medicine clinics offering ibogaine treatment have appeared along the U.S. border.

Many different ideas circulate regarding what is considered a "successful" outcome in the recovery from addiction. It has widely been established that abstinence from addictive substances is generally accepted as a "successful" outcome.
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6 septembre 2007

The chemicals responsible Drug addiction

The CREB protein, a transcription factor activated by cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) immediately after a high, triggers genes that produce proteins such as dynorphin, which cuts off dopamine release and temporarily inhibits the reward circuit. In chronic drug users, a sustained activation of CREB leaves the user feeling depressed and dissatisfied, and unable to find pleasure in previously enjoyable activities, often leading to a return to the drug for an additional "fix". It also leads to a short term tolerance of the substance, necessitating that a greater amount be taken in order to reach the same high.

Another transcription factor, known as delta FosB, is thought to activate genes that, counter to the effects of CREB, actually increase the user's sensitivity to the effects of the substance. Delta FosB slowly builds up with each exposure to the drug and remains activated for weeks after the last exposure—long after the effects of CREB have faded. The hypersensitivity that it causes is thought to be responsible for the intense cravings associated with drug addiction, and is often extended to even the peripheral cues of drug use, such as related behaviors or the sight of drug paraphernalia. There is some evidence that delta FosB even causes structural changes within the nuclear accumbens, which presumably helps to perpetuate the cravings, and may be responsible for the high incidence of relapse that occur in treated drug addicts.

Regulator of G-protein Signaling 9-2 (RGS 9-2) has recently been the subject of several animal knockout studies. Animals lacking RGS 9-2 appear to have increased sensitivity to dopamine receptor agonists such as cocaine and amphetamines; over-expression of RGS 9-2 causes a lack of responsiveness to these same agonists. RGS 9-2 is believed to catalyze inactivation of the G-protein coupled D2 receptor by enhancing the rate of GTP hydrolysis of the G alpha subunit which transmits signals into the interior of the cell.

6 septembre 2007

I Could Never Get High Enough

Growing Up
I grew up in Goldbar, Washington with my mom, stepdad and younger brother. My mom and her husband at the time bought a restaurant and they were always gone since it was such a demanding business. I was home alone a lot and could do whatever I wanted.
Rebellious Teenager
I loved movies and I loved role play. I idolized rockers and the hard-core lifestyle they lived and I wanted to be apart of it. I would sneak out to parties on the weekends and one thing led to another and I tried my first line of meth. I was only 15 at the time, and some kids offered it to me at a party. I was curious about drugs, so it was an easy sell.

That one line of meth started me on a path of getting high at school and then eventually dropping out all together. Classes interfered with my drug life. What I thought was normal behavior was not normal at all. I was 17, out of control, addicted to drugs and in the mists of all of this, I became pregnant with my son, Isaiah.

My Life on Meth
All I wanted to do was hang out and get high – and I could never get high enough. Sometimes I would be up for days, smoking constantly. When I’d finally come down, I was of it.   
totally depleted. I would barely get out of bed for weeks. I even tried to stay sober at one point. I got a job at a local gas station to support myself, but after a month I started using again. I couldn’t hold my job because I was too sick and too high to function.

My boyfriend was a meth cook, which made it easy for me to abuse the drug. I was living on the doorstep of death everyday, almost unknowingly because I had no idea how toxic and explosive the chemicals used to make meth were at the time.

We lived wherever he could cook meth – in the woods, camping in tents or in trailers, even under tarps in a hollowed out tree trunk. Isaiah sadly remembers this time, and he’ll say, “I didn’t have my own room, but I had my own tent.”

Falling Apart
I tried to lead a regular life, but I found that on meth, even the simplest things were impossible. My apartment looked like someone had taken everything I owned, shook  it up and dropped it on the floor. I could barely walk through the piles of garbage, dirty dishes, clothes and knickknacks.

I never ate or slept. I was severely thin because I wasn’t taking care of myself at all. I’m 5’7”, and at one point I was about 110 pounds. I was also once hospitalized with a kidney infection.

Isaiah was also living among this filth and neglect. I really did want the best for my child, and on meth I simply could not be a mother. I was angry and irritable all the time, constantly aggravated, frustrated, yelling and screaming. I chased an ex-boyfriend down with an ax and even tried to kill myself on the train tracks.

I know many women who’ve had their children taken away, even mothers who chose to give their kids up to the system. I know women who have literally lost their minds because of meth and I was becoming one of them. I had no patience – especially for own son. It was with this realization that I knew I had to change my life.

Finding Help
I went home to live with my mother and get clean. I tried to get my boyfriend to come to rehab with me, but my efforts failed. I also went to the state to find mental health help and I went in for a drug and alcohol assessment. After going through this, the woman running the program left it up to me to do some outpatient treatment, and it changed my life.

I took recovery seriously and attended as many 12-step meetings as possible – sometimes five meetings a day – anything to get me through it without using. I also joined a program that taught me basic life skills. I lived at a center for nine months, taking classes on budgeting and parenting. The idea of being self-sufficient was mind-boggling. I was terrified to even set a goal for myself. At first, I hated the daily chores and meeting curfew, but then I started to get it. In exchange for room and board and support, following the rules was a  small price to pay for a chance at a new life. 
My Life Today
I am now going back to school and working part-time. My case manager meets with me once a week to set and review my goals and with her support, I have achieved many of them.  I am also taking the absolute best care of my son. We finally have our own home and for the first time in his life, Isaiah has is own room.

When I sit down to pay my bills, I’m just so grateful.  Paying my bills every month means that I am a responsible adult and mom.  My dream is to complete school and support Isaiah without any assistance. I am so lucky to have a second chance.

When I look at my son, I am so proud.  I know that I’ll be there for him.  That’s something I could never promise him before. I am someone that he can depend on.  I have the direction to achieve great things—and I will!

To Everyone Out There
In  the beginning, meth gave me a feeling of euphoria. In the end, it just made me feel hollow and empty. Now I want to inspire hope in the families who know someone with an addiction like mine. People get stuck, and it’s important to give them hope to get out of it.

Don’t give up – miracles happen everyday.
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6 septembre 2007

Overview Hallucinogens

Hallucinogenic substances are characterized by their ability to cause changes in a person's perception of reality. Persons using hallucinogenic drugs often report seeing images, hearing sounds, and feeling sensations that seem real, but do not exist.1 In the past, plants and fungi that contained hallucinogenic substances were abused. Currently, these hallucinogenic substances are produced synthetically to provide a higher potency.2

LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) is one of the major drugs making up the hallucinogen class of drugs. It was discovered in 1938 and is manufactured from lysergic acid, which is found in ergot, a fungus that grows on rye and other grains.3

PCP (phencyclidine) was developed in the 1950s as an intravenous anesthetic, but its use in humans was discontinued in 1965, because patients often became agitated, delusional, and irrational while recovering from its anesthetic effects. PCP is now being illegally manufactured in laboratories. It is a white crystalline powder that is readily soluble in water or alcohol. It has a distinctive bitter chemical taste. PCP can be mixed easily with dyes and turns up on the illicit drug market in a variety of tablets, capsules, and colored powders. It can be snorted, smoked, or ingested. For smoking, PCP is often applied to a leafy material such as mint, parsley, oregano, or marijuana.4

Psilocybin is obtained from certain mushrooms found in South America, Mexico, and the U.S, although the substance can also be produced synthetically. Mushrooms containing psilocybin are available fresh or dried with long, narrow stems topped by caps with dark gills on the underside. These mushrooms are usually ingested orally, but can also be brewed in a tea or added to food to mask the bitter flavor. Once ingested, psilocybin is broken down in the user's body to produce psilocyn, another hallucinogenic substance.5

Mescaline is the active hallucinogenic ingredient in peyote. Peyote is a small, spineless cactus historically used by natives in Mexico and the southwestern U.S. as part of religious rites. Mescaline can also be produced synthetically.6

DMT is found in a number of plants and seeds, but can also be produced synthetically. DMT is usually ingested by snorting, smoking, or injecting the drug. DMT is not effective in producing hallucinogenic effects when ingested by itself and is therefore used in conjunction with another drug that inhibits its metabolism drug testing blog.

Foxy, also know as Foxy Methoxy, is available in powder, capsule, and tablet form and is usually ingested orally (although it can be snorted or smoked). Foxy capsules and tablets vary in color and logos sometimes appear on tablets.8 AMT is often found in tablet and capsule form.9

Dextromethorphan (sometimes called "DXM" or "robo") is a cough-suppressing ingredient in a variety of over-the-counter cold and cough medications. At the doses recommended for treating coughs, the drug is safe and effective drug testing. At much higher doses, dextromethorphan produces dissociative effects similar to those of PCP and ketamine.

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