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Drug Effects

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Drug Type

Examples

Effect on Behaviour

Effect on Thought

Effect on Emotion

How they work

Hallucinogen

LSD

PCP

Ketamine

Magic mushrooms

Mescaline

Ecstasy (MDMA)

  • Uncoordinated movements
  • Aggressive, hostile and violent behaviour
  • Catatonic syndrome (person falls into a zombie like state)
  • Feeling detached from the body
  • Relaxation
  • Extreme panic

They target areas of the brain related to the understanding of sensory input

Stimulants

Methamphetamine

Amphetamine

Cocaine

Secondary:

Caffeine

Nicotine

Ecstasy

  • Bizarre, erratic and sometimes violent behaviour
  • Disorientation, apathy, confused, exhaustion
  • Psychosis
  • Hyper, excitability
  • Irritability
  • Feeling of euphoria (due to increase of dopamine)
  • Feeling of panic
  • Depression

Act in the brain  in a similar way to dopamine  (pleasure centre response) and norepinephrine (fight or flight response)

Depressants

GHB

Alcohol

Heroin

Cannabis

Valium

Poor concentration and slowed reaction time

  • Irritability
  • Paranoia
  • Confusion
  • Uninhibited
  • Confident
  • Relaxation
  • Depression

Slows down/reduces brain and bodily functions. Slows the functions of the central nervous system,. Usually done by enhancing the effects of the neurotransmitter GABA

Psychoactive Drug

Examples

Process

Effect on behaviour, thought and emotion

Stimulant:

Methamphetamine

Amphetamine

Cocaine

Secondary:

Caffeine

Nicotine

Ecstasy

Methamphetamine:

Meth mimics dopamine and is taken into the cell by the transporters, it enters vesicle pushing the dopamine out. This means that dopamine is pumped into the synapse. Dopamine is trapped in the synaptic cleft binding to receptors continuously

Cocaine:

Cocaine blocks the transporters that are responsible for letting dopamine back into the pre-synaptic terminal, leaving the dopamine in the synapse to continually bond with receptors

Jittery, euphoria, feelings of relaxation, aggression, excites nervous system

Fidgety, unable to sit still

Depressant:

GHB

Alcohol

Heroin

Cannabis

Valium

Heroin:

Heroin mimics opiates, binds to opiate receptors and turns off inhibition of dopamine. Dopamine plugs synapse causing the neurotransmitter to be read again and again equally euphoria

Cannabis:

Neurotransmitters that stop the release of dopamine into the synapse is mimicked by THC allowing dopamine to be continually let into the synapse

Impaired judgement, fewer inhibitions, more confidence, slows reactions, slurs speech, slows nervous system

Loss of inhibition, increased appetite, spontaneous laughter, paranoia, anxiety

Hallucinogen:

LSD

PCP

Ketamine

Magic mushrooms

Mescaline

Ecstasy (MDMA)

 LSD Binds to serotonin receptors

May inhibit or excite receptors

Target locus coeruleous impacting sensory perception

Increases sensations of the senses, impaired judgement, antisocial behaviour

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