The cost of drug addiction among the famous young and rich glitterati, such as Charlie Sheen, Amy Whitehouse and Whitney Houston, has caught our attention in highlighting the consequent medical dangers.
... drugs often have certain uncontrollable mental and physical complications- Charles Edward Corney
This is now a worldwide problem affecting people of all ages – regardless of wealth or absence of wealth. In fact, the more wealthy can afford to indulge more extensively in drugs to control, so they think, their mood.
Unfortunately, these drugs often have certain uncontrollable mental and physical complications. These are side effects, including overdose; addiction (or craving); withdrawal symptoms (on stopping the drug); tolerance (increasing amounts of the drug have to be used to obtain the same effect) and drug mixing of “uppers” and “lowers” to control side effects.
George Grech, clinical director of the Sedqa drug unit, has noted a predilection by Maltese teenagers for alcohol, nicotine, cannabis but rarely solvents, such as lighter butane. At an older age, other psychoactive addictions appear, such as heroin, ecstasy, amphetamines, hallucinogens (LSD and “magic” mushrooms), cocaine and tranquillisers.
Nerves consist of cells that conduct electrical impulses. At the end of one nerve cell, the impulse is converted into a chemical neurotransmitter that diffuses into the receptor of the next nerve cell, permitting reconstitution of the electrical impulse. There are about 50 neurotransmitters, some excitatory (adrenaline, acetylcholine, glutamine, endorphin, serotonin, dopamine), some moderating (Gaba – gamma amino butyric acid) in the nerves controlling the brain and the diameter of the arteries.
Psychoactive drugs and certain psychiatric diseases can adversely alter neurotransmitter chemicals, causing both psychiatric and physical symptoms risking untimely death.
Alcohol stimulates dopamine, causing drive, stimulates serotonin, causing euphoria and inhibits glutamine, causing muscle weakness and falls. It also stimulates endorphin, which energises but masks pain, for example, from a fracture. Finally, it stimulates Gaba, normalising mood. If a female drinks more that two units daily, breast and throat cancer, infertility, cirrhosis, adverse cholesterol causing heart attacks and strokes, obesity and diabetes are more likely.
Nicotine stimulates acetylcholine and endorphin, which are energising. It also increases dopamine, causing drive, and stimulates glutamate, improving memory and learning.
Too much nicotine causes acetylcholine overdose, namely nausea, vomiting and abdominal cramps.
Withdrawal leads to depression, irritability and nicotine craving.
Nicotine causes plaques in the arteries risking angina, heart attacks, strokes and blindness. It also causes emphysema and lung cancer. Tissue collagen is damaged, causing skin ageing and sagging breasts. Cigarettes contain many cancer-causing additives.
Tranquillisers stimulate Gaba, causing calming – often used to dampen excitatory effects of ecstasy and cocaine. Tranquillisers mixed with alcohol can be lethal. Tranquilliser cessation causes agitation, necessitating recommencement.
Ecstasy, other amphetamines, LSD and hallucinogenic mushroom increase serotonin, causing euphoria and raising adrenaline, causing arousal (dilated pupils), risking hallucinations, hypertension, angina, heart attack, stroke and fast palpitations, causing death.
Cocaine increases dopamine and serotonin, causing euphoria. Also it stimulates adrenaline, leading to arousal and surges of high blood pressure, and constricts the coronary arteries causing angina, progressing to heart attacks and stroke at age 25, with nasal cartilage destruction if the cocaine is “snorted”.
Heroin increases endorphin, producing energisation and, by inhibiting Gaba, increases dopamine, causing drive.
These effects are short lived, leading to acute withdrawal symptoms of a cold-like runny nose, tears, depression and aching, all relieved by another dose, hence the addiction.
Heroin depresses respiration, revealing “pin point” pupils. HIV and hepatitis are likely if second-hand needles are used.
Cannabis has similar endorphin and dopamine effects as heroin, with also risks of hallucinations and schizophrenia but, like nicotine, there are risks of lung cancer and of arterial plaques leading to angina, heart attacks and memory loss at a young age.
Volatile solvent (glue or butane lighter fuel) sniffing causes fleeting euphoria and risking a fatal cardiac arrhythmia.
Psychoactive drugs may damage the neurotransmitters permanently, propelling the user into a world from which there is no escape. People who are contemplating the use of these drugs should now be aware also of the associated physical health risks.
Dr Corney is a medical practitioner and researcher.