Comparative Analysis of Drug Abuse Potential

Based on this information I believe Drug X is more likely to be abused than Drug Y for the following reasons:

Drug X has a moderate therapeutic index whereas Drug Y has a low therapeutic index. The higher the therapeutic index of a drug, the safer the drug is. Considering this Drug X is a safer option than Drug Y, consumers taking the drug care about themselves and wouldn’t want to put themselves at serious risk. For example, methyl alcohol is widely available but consumers don’t abuse it because it has serious side effects including blindness and death. Therefore, even if Drug Y was less controlled, Drug X would still be more abused because of its moderate therapeutic index.

Most drugs of abuse all produce feelings of euphoria, it is one of the main reasons behind addiction. Drug X produces mild euphoria, which would greatly influence the consumer to repeat the use of this drug. People abuse drugs to feel some kind of high. Euphoria is a feeling of immense pleasure and excitement, it makes people feel happy. Consumers would want to abuse the drug to have the feeling of satisfaction it provides. After one use, as the users discover Drug X’s capabilities to produce euphoria they will pass the word on to their friends and others who desire to obtain the same feeling, increasing the abuse of the drug.

Another aspect that makes Drug Y less likely to be abused is because it is strictly controlled by prescriptions and monitoring. Since this drug is under a high level of control it is harder to get it without prescription, and this will, in turn, result in lower abuse of the drug. Monitoring the drug use also results in lower abuse because it means that the consumer is in constant contact with the healthcare provider prescribing them the drug and the pharmacist that gives it to them. This way the consumer is told the frequency and dose of the drug they should be taking, also any amount of the drug remaining after the treatment is over should be returned to the pharmacy/clinic.

Lastly, Drug X is more likely to be abused due to its high frequency of consumption since Drug X must be taken four times a day to produce its effects, whereas Drug Y only needs to be taken once a day to produce its effects. Drugs that are taken in higher doses, or drugs that need to be taken more frequently have more of a chance to be abused because they also fall prey to the stigma of habit formation by virtue of repetition.

Here are some reasons explaining why caffeine should be considered a drug.

Caffeine is considered a stimulant, drugs that increase activity in the central nervous system and boost brain activity. Circulation of chemicals like adrenaline and cortisol are heightened due to caffeine. In the CNS, caffeine acts as a non-selective adenosine receptor antagonist.

The uplifting effects of caffeine are similar to those seen in other drugs. Caffeine can cause alertness and better concentration. Greater doses of caffeine can trigger jitters, anxiety, headaches, and dizziness. Also, caffeine can hinder regular sleep patterns.

Like several other drugs, consuming large amounts of caffeine can also lead to an overdose. There is a chance that a consumer could die from caffeine, the lethal dose of caffeine is about 10g. Symptoms of overdose include tremors, nausea, very fast and irregular heart rate and seizures.

Similar to other drugs, consumers can become dependent on caffeine causing them to experience withdrawals when they try to cessate their use. Quitting caffeine after long term use is difficult because the body has to learn to perform without it. Within 24 hours of the final dose, withdrawal symptoms begin. These include headaches, fatigue and difficulty concentrating.

Two methods of blood doping include the use of blood transfusions and erythropoietin. The outcome of both these techniques is an increased number of red blood cells, which in turn results in the blood having an increased oxygen carrying capacity. With the blood transfusion technique, athletes have their blood drawn and stored, so they can reinfuse it directly into their blood circulation. Erythropoietin is a naturally occurring peptide hormone in our bodies. It is released from the kidneys and takes action on the bone marrow to trigger red blood cell production. This increase in red blood cells boosts the total oxygen that blood can transport to the muscles in the body. An athlete’s performance is enhanced when the human body receives a sudden increased amount of red blood cells, containing higher than regular amounts of oxygen to the tissues in the body. Blood doping most frequently occurs in endurance sports including cycling and long-distance running. Due to an increase in red blood cells, greater amounts of haemoglobin are available to attach to oxygen and transport it from the lungs to numerous muscles in the body for aerobic respiration. Blood doping, thus, allows the extra boost of oxygen to be carried to the working muscles, ensuring a higher degree of performance. Doing this for long distance running will benefit the athlete because the active muscles in the body will not have to go through anaerobic respiration, resulting in a better overall performance. Furthermore, oxygen deficiency can trigger the accumulation of lactic acid in a muscle cell. Due to the surplus blood moving with the oxygen to muscle cells, the amount of lactic acid build-up deteriorates which aids in limiting muscle cramping and fatigue. This could be very beneficial to a gymnast’s performance. Since their routines are so quick, the accumulation of lactic acid in addition to the less anaerobic respiration taking place in the muscles will not cause serious muscle cramps or slow the gymnast down early in the routine. Finally, in precision sports such as shooting, a reduction in lactic acid accumulation may result in a boost in accurate muscle contraction, therefore improving upon a shooter’s precision and performance.

Benzodiazepines are the most likely class of sedative-hypnotics that would be used by an athlete to reduce their anxiety prior to a major sporting event. Ski jumpers take drugs like valium during competition to decrease their anxiety. This calms their nerves prior to jumping. In a dose-dependent manner, benzodiazepines, boost CNS depression. Thus, they behave as an anti-anxiety agent at low doses. Benzodiazepines and barbiturates are the two classes of drugs that reduce anxiety but barbiturates can cause tranquilizing effects. If you were to take this before a major sporting event it could cause drowsiness and dizziness which wouldn’t benefit the athlete. Benzodiazepine is the class of drug that fits the description the most because it reduces anxiety but doesn’t cause the person to undergo negative effects.

Zolpidem is the most likely class of sedative-hypnotics that would be used as a hypnotic in an individual who wishes to have the least disruption of REM sleep. Zolpidem attaches to the subset of the GABA receptors, resulting in sedation. As a hypnotic, they have an edge over the benzodiazepines because they disrupt sleep patterns less. In this class, drugs seem to emit “tranquilizing” effects in comparison to anxiety reducing effects.

Buspirone is the most likely class of sedative-hypnotics that would be used to treat general anxiety but is thought to not result in additive effects with other CNS depressants. Buspirone helps in alleviating anxiety by increasing action at the serotonin receptors in the brain. I selected this class of drugs because it is the only class that treats generalized anxiety disorder and doesn’t have any side effects with other CNS depressants.

Barbiturates are the most likely class of sedative-hypnotics that would be used to induce anesthesia. An ultra-short acting barbiturate such as thiopental can be ideal to induce anesthesia. I selected this class of drugs because other than gamma hydroxybutyric acid, barbiturates are the only class capable of causing anesthesia.

In order for the body to properly metabolize alcohol, ethanol is first transformed to acetaldehyde by an enzyme known as alcohol dehydrogenase. Acetaldehyde, an extremely lethal substance, is then further metabolized by an enzyme called aldehyde dehydrogenase. Acetate is then further metabolized by numerous tissues into carbon dioxide and water to be eliminated from the body. Some common indications of alcohol intolerance are headaches and flushed skin, which appear if the body is unable to break down the alcohol that was consumed. After having about 1-3 alcoholic beverages, a side effect from alcohol, vasodilation of blood vessels to the skin, which looks like flushed skin, can occur. A lack of the enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase which, again, is crucial in the process of breaking down alcohol, is what results in side effects like headaches and a flushed face. Because of this enzyme not working efficiently, toxic acetaldehyde will not be accurately converted into acetate, and thus acetaldehyde will accumulate in the body. The Acetaldehyde left behind in the body is recognized to be a toxin and as it builds up, it can create serious problems in the body. This build up results in side effects such as headaches encountered whilst hungover, in addition to the flushed skin that a few people experience almost instantly after drinking alcohol. Another explanation for the cause of headaches after consuming alcohol may be due to the presence of ethanol in the body, before being converted to acetaldehyde, a vasodilator. Since ethanol is also considered a natural diuretic, it triggers the body to discharge numerous substances like salt, minerals, and vitamins. Due to the fact that majority of these substances are excreted by the kidneys, this could result in an imbalance of nutrients into body and in bodily fluids. This affects the blood pressure and blood flow to the brain, which can eventually result in severe headaches in some situations.

Even though marijuana has substantial benefits it also has many potential risks. The following are a few of the risks associated with long term use of marijuana.

• Psychological effects: Serious problems like loss of ability in abstract thinking, loss of short-term memory, and lack of concentration are associated with taking high doses of marijuana. Additionally, users may develop “amotivational syndrome” which encompasses memory loss, loss of determination, emotional monotony, trouble with abstract thinking, and mental slowing. Upon cessation of marijuana the syndrome typically withdraws, which hints that it signifies chronic intoxication. Certain studies suggest that structural modifications may appear in the brain which could be linked with loss of memory and learning skills.
• Respiratory effects: The respiratory system is a crucial site for the harmful effects of smoking marijuana. Sore throats, asthma, bronchitis, and lasting irritation and destruction to membrane of the respiratory tract are effects highly present in people who smoke marijuana. Compared to tobacco smoke marijuana smoke has increased concentrations of carcinogens and tars. To amplify the absorption of THC and other cannabinoids, the user deeply inhales and contains the smoke in the lungs. This method also increases the amount of carcinogens and tars absorbed. The occurrences of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer are both higher in smokers compared to non-users.
• Cardiovascular effects: Typically these are reversible. Changes in blood pressure, an increased heart rate, dilating blood vessels and forcing the heart to pump harder are side effects of marijuana. These effects are more directed to individuals with heart disease where serious complications could arise. Studies show that the chance of getting a heart attack is way higher in the hour following the use of marijuana than it is regularly.
• Fertility: Using marijuana for a long time could result in a reduced sperm count. Luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone are decreased in females, and cycles could be an-ovulatory. THC has the ability to easily cross the placenta leading to possible developmental interruptions resulting in cognitive deficits, hyperactivity and inattention and impulsiveness. During pregnancy, marijuana should be avoided.

The opioid morphine is often very useful in remedying issues like pain, yet, it is also the opioid known to be largely linked with the most abuse, dependence, and addiction risk. Opioids in general are used as pain relievers through not only reducing the pain itself but decreasing the awareness and response to pain. They achieve this by blocking pathways to the brain and spinal cord which pain normally travels through. Opioid receptors, mu, kappa, and delta give an analgesic feeling which alters one’s overall perception of the pain they are suffering.

Morphine is at an increased risk of triggering dependence and abuse as a result of the drug’s various routes of administration. Morphine is available to be smoked, snorted, injected, or taken orally as a tablet, this gives abusers various approaches to achieve the drug’s desired effects.

The dependence and abuse of morphine is also immensely attributed to its great pain-relieving capabilities. Users continuously abuse this drug to attain its satisfying effects such as the feeling of being at ease without excruciating pain. Additionally, morphine can cause addiction based of the euphoric feeling it emits when abused. A sudden rush of euphoria accompanied with states of wakefulness and sleepiness can come from one injection of morphine. Drug abusers would constantly want to experience these feelings and they will start to desire its effects to the extent where it’s a necessity to abuse the drug.

Lastly, when a drug like morphine is being used for extreme pain, the use of the drug in some instances can be suddenly stopped which could result in side effects from the dependence that the user has established with the drug over time. Some of these effects are vomiting, insomnia, anxiety, and restlessness. The former user could be greatly influenced to start abusing the drug in order to stop these negative effects from occurring. With morphine, tolerance can develop rapidly, due to this cessation becomes tougher because the users desire even larger doses of the drug.

Good afternoon students, today we will be discussing viruses and flu and how we treat them. To start off, a virus is a tiny, infectious agent which is only allowed to grow and divide in the living cells of organisms such as bacteria, plants and animals. These viruses can be lethal and there is a growing demand for more successful antiviral drugs. Influenza, more commonly known as the flu is a viral infection that invades your respiratory system – your throat, lungs and nose. When someone with the infection sneezes, talks or coughs, flu viruses move through the air in drops. These germs can spread through inhalation of the droplets or through touching objects containing germs and then transferring them to your mouth, eyes, or nose. Antiviral drugs have been developed to treat influenza. These drugs do not terminate the pathogen, but they prevent their growth and hold up the advancement of the disease. Two categories of drugs that treat influenza are amantidine and oseltamivir (Tamiflu). Amantidine prevents the uncoating of viral RNA within cells that are infected, thus stopping viral replication. Whereas, Tamiflu works by attacking the virus to prevent it from growing in your body and by minimizing the symptoms of the flu. In more complex terms, Tamiflu is a neuraminidase inhibitor, which lets the virus advance from cell to cell. In this class, drugs stop bordering cells from getting infected by the virus. This is how drugs target the flu. I hope you all learned a little bit about viruses and the flu. Thank you for listening.

The development of hormonal contraceptives has left a significant impact on the lives and roles of women in modern society in many ways.

First of all, oral contraceptives avoid conception by regulating and adjusting the ovarian cycle through the discharge of numerous combinations of two hormones, progestin and estrogen. From the pharmacological perspective, women profit immensely from the use of oral contraceptives because they minimize the risk of various illnesses like ovarian cysts, anemia, ovarian and endometrial cancers, and acne.

Secondly, our government healthcare system and women in general both benefit economically from oral contraceptives. Even though Canada offers a universal healthcare system, several women cannot obtain oral contraceptives free of cost. Birth control pills are free in some cases, although, prescriptions can vary from free to a month depending on the type. These days, many of the independent women that are sexually active are prescribed birth control pills and their financial independence allows them to benefit from this smaller expense thereby saving themselves from the bigger financial burden of raising an unplanned child.

Oral contraceptives can also greatly influence society at a cross sectional level by avoiding unplanned childbirths. Due to an unwanted pregnancy, a woman’s entire life can become very chaotic. Thus, oral contraceptives present women with a chance to take precautionary measures with respect to the aftermath of sexual activity. Stopping unintended pregnancies guarantees that women will have a better chance to finish their schooling and accomplish their future career ambitions. Carrying out unwanted pregnancies often result in women needing welfare and help from the community because of the high costs of raising a child, to prevent this from happening it is vital that birth control pills are easily available to women. Social conflicts among family members, bad parent-child relationships, and pointless stress and anxiety can also arise from unplanned birth, all which would negatively impact the child growth and mental development. All of these negative consequences can be avoided through a simple prescription of an oral contraceptive.