The Dangers of Improper Adderall Use

July 29th, 2010   Add Comment

The Dangers of Improper Adderall Use

Adderall and Ritalin are among the most common drugs that are used for treatment for Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder in children. This is a disorder that has been seen in children when dopamine is deficient in the frontal lobe. Aspects such as reasoning, planning, focusing and problem solving are affected.

The brain of someone without ADHD compared to someone with ADHD.

The brain of someone without ADHD compared to someone with ADHD. Note the different sizes of the yellow sections of the brain highlighted here. These sections refer to the differing amounts of dopamine.

However, it has been seen that one in every five college students actually uses Adderall even though they do not have any issues with ADHD. And this figure is what has been claimed by college students themselves and the real figure is likely to be much higher.

Those who have normal functioning of the brain and adequate dopamine levels are likely to experience an enhanced sense of motivation, enthusiasm and focus and concentration. This is something that helps, temporarily, when you are spending full nights studying and reading hundreds of pages to prepare for an exam.

Adderall Dependency

A large part of the Adderall dependency problem comes from the fact that it is a performance enhancer. Those who do take this drug feel that they are just being helped in becoming more focused and less distracted. The lure of a better GPA can make many students go to great lengths to get hold of Adderall. There are some that actually go to doctors and pose as if they have ADHD to be able to get hold of a prescription. Then there are others who steal or smuggle money from their parents to be able to get a pill from their pals.

Most of these college students claim that they are not addicted to Adderall and that they only pop in a pill when they have a large amount of work to do in a short period of time. But it is known that amphetamines taken in large quantities by snorting can become an addiction that can cause a large number of issues, especially when there are pre-existing medical conditions.  Thus it may not be a bad idea for worried parents to consider a urine drug test for Adderall/Ritalin, or amphetamines in general.

Ritalin, the abuse of which can be tested for with a simple urine drug test.

Prescription Ritalin, a drug commonly abused by college students.

Adderall – Not a Great Idea After all

While there are a fair number of side effects of the drug, Adderall also results in killing creativity. Drugs like Adderall and Ritalin make the user more structured and rigid, thereby lessening the means of creative thought. So while some may still be willing to give up creativity and original thought out of a desire to get an “A” in chemistry or physics, one should keep in mind the price that one is paying for the same. In addition to that there are also side effects that can create additional problems.

Signs to Watch Out For

Those who do not suffer from ADHD and have no deficiency of dopamine in the frontal lobe start to show certain signs if they are on Adderall or Ritalin. These signs can let you know that something is amiss and needs to be investigated. Some of the common signs that can let you know if someone is taking performance enhancers include lack of appetite, decreased sleep, anxiety, nervousness and irritability. There are some who experience mild stomach ache or headaches too.

Some other side effects are high blood pressure and issues in resolution of other medical issues. Those who have a heart abnormality may also have grave and/or fatal issues if they take Adderall or Ritalin without a prescription.

- Article by Anne Hamilton

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Information on Ecstasy, the “Party Drug”

July 28th, 2010   Add Comment

Ecstasy, The ‘Party Drug’

Called 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine by scientists, ecstasy is a synthetic oil that is derived from the oils of the sassafras tree. The effect of the drug is similar to that of amphetamines and hallucinogens. Street names of ecstasy include E, Adam, Roll, Bean, X and XTC. It is usually available in the form of yellow or white pills.

The drug was made completely illegal in 1985 and it has been classified as a schedule 1 drug along with others like cocaine, heroin and LSD. Possession of this drug can lead to a fine as high as a hundred thousand dollars or imprisonment for up to 99 years depending on the quantity that is seized on the person.

When is Ecstasy Used Commonly?

While ecstasy is a drug that is consumed as a pill most of the time, it can also be injected. Some crush the tablet into a powder and then snort it and others still have been known to shove the pill up the anus for more instant effects.

Ecstasy pills - this drug can be found in a hair drug test up to 90 days after use.

Find out if someone has been using Ecstasy by performing a hair drug test.

Since ecstasy behaves like amphetamines and hallucinogens, it increases the speed of the nervous system and makes you feel lighter. Due to the relaxed feeling that the drug induces, it is also called the “love drug.”

Symptoms of Ecstasy Consumption

Once taken the effects of ecstasy start to show within 20 minutes of consumption. These last for about 4 to 6 hours. Evidence of consumption can persist for 90 days in a hair drug test. The most common symptoms include:

- Higher heart rate
- Higher body temperature
- Increased blood pressure
- Nausea
- Sweating
- Lack of appetite
- Increased confidence
- A feeling of “all is well”
- Anxiety

In addition to these there is also confusion, insomnia, paranoia, depression and craving. Muscle tension, bruxism (aka teeth grinding), fever, chills and sweating are also common. Sometimes irrational behavior, convulsions, rhabdomolysis or muscle melt down, hallucinations and excessive thirst is common in some severe cases.

The issue is that ecstasy is almost always considered to be a party drug. When accompanied with excessive physical activity like dancing, it can result in dehydration. On the other hand, drinking too much water can also lead to issues and you may have to monitor water intake properly.

If you see symptoms like excessive intake of water, severe headache and nausea, you should call the ambulance for help.

Hangover effects of ecstasy include depression, insomnia, drowsiness, and loss of concentration.

Long Term Problems of Ecstasy Consumption

Recent studies have shown that constant use of ecstasy can result in memory loss. As the serotonin in the system is eroded, moods, change and disruption of sleeping patterns, sensitivity to pain and sexual desire also go through significant changes.

A further reason that ecstasy is replete with harmful effects is the fact the ecstasy that is available can have some dangerous impurities. Since some of the ingredients may be difficult to get cheap and dangerous substitutes may be used. This can cause harmful overheating, hallucinations, faster heart beat, breathing issues and eventually death.

- Article by Anne Hamilton

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Heroin – Cheaper Than Alcohol

July 27th, 2010   Add Comment

If the latest statistics are to be believed, the price of heroin is now cheaper than alcohol. This sudden drop in price was brought to the fore by an increasing number of emergency room visits due to heroin overdose. The manner in which the numbers rose is impossible to ignore and is not a gradually increasing trend but a definite and sharp increase. For example, the use of heroin in Illinois increased by 400 percent in the 10 years ending 2008.

The sudden increase in the consumption of heroin is being attributed to the easy availability and low price of the drug. And as per some of the heroin addicts, it is impossible to say ‘no’ to the drug when it is being offered at such attractive prices.

Heroin is a dangerous drug, but fortunately it can be drug tested for at home.

A "stamp" of heroin

Reasons for High Availability of Heroin

The increase in heroin availability is obvious from the higher levels of drug purity, low prices in the market, increased level of abuse and the higher numbers of heroin overdose related deaths. The estimated heroin production from Mexico in 2004 was about 8.6 metric tons. The production increased at a steady pace to about 18 metric tons in 2007. But in 2008, the amount of heroin production from Mexico increased to 38 metric tons; an increase of 20 metric tons in a year (see CNN for more stats).

Heroin is also purer and more lethal than ever. The DEA Heroin Signature Program data indicates that purity for heroin from Mexico is as high at 40 percent, CNN suggests it is as high as 70.

Reasons for the Low Price of Heroin

The low price for heroin in the US and UK markets is being attributed to the higher yield in Mexico and a large number of organized drug dealers who have found the trade rewarding. The Justice Department’s National Drug Threat Assessment indicates that Mexican criminal groups are covering the eastern states and taking over the South American heroin market.

Today a dose of heroin is cheaper than a six pack or other popular teen opiates like Oxycontin and Hydrocodone. Indeed, Oxycontin has become a gateway drug to heroin for its addicts because Oxy is more expensive than heroin.

Most Likely Users of Heroin

Who is taking this heroin? Data indicates that heroin consumption has been increasingly particularly among middle class teens (see Huliq for more).

Another group that tends to use a fair amount of heroin are prescription opioid abusers. This is a trend indicated by treatment providers who consider that the switch occurs as the user builds a tolerance towards prescription opioids and seeks a more euphoric high. And with the increasing availability, low cost and higher purity of heroin, it is becoming easier to turn to heroin. This is probably part of the explanation for heroin growth in the suburbs – kids may begin by abusing drugs out of the medicine cabinet, and then move onto drugs that are more dangerous.

Checking the Heroin Issue

While there are various help groups that are working doggedly towards reducing this pandemic, it is mandatory for parents to realize that blaming the peer group is not always the easiest solution. While parents believe that the peer group has the strongest influence, this may not be true. Parents are the most influential people in a teens life because teens do not want to disappoint their parents. Adopting strategies to speak to your teens, intervening at house parties, checking belongings and becoming more aware of the symptoms of heroin abuse may help. Keeping an opiates drug test at home and letting your teen know about it is also a great way to discourage the habit. While a more sensitive test is needed for detecting the heroin gateway drugs (like OxyContin and Vicodin), a urine based opiates test will pick up heroin and morphine abuse for about 2-4 days after abuse (FYI, generally it takes 2-5 hours after administration for heroin to appear in the urine).

- Article by Anne Hamilton

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Drugs & School Performance

July 26th, 2010   Add Comment

A home drug test can help prevent drops in school performance due to drugs.

Drug abuse is something that has unfortunately become a common aspect of college and school campuses. While students will tell you the reasons why they take specific drugs, the fact is that most of them fail to understand and internalize the short term and long term consequences of what they are doing. The use is so rampant that a study showed that 90 percent claim to have tried alcohol, 50 percent have use marijuana, 17 percent claim to have tried cocaine and 13 percent have used some kind of hallucinogenic drug.

Why Do Students Take Drugs?

There are various reasons why school children resort to taking drugs. While some state that they do so because almost everyone is taking them, there are others that state that drugs help them in managing and handling school related stress. In others who have difficulty amongst those in their peer group, drugs help in overcoming shyness and increasing self esteem, however temporarily (and cyclically). There are also many who take to drugs due to a belief that drugs can enhance their performance by helping them to concentrate better.

How Different Drugs Affect School Performance

Various types of drugs are prevalent at school campuses. And such drug abuse leads to various kinds of issues with regards to school performance whether it is in the area of academics, extracurricular activities or peer group interaction.

Marijuana, for instance causes short term memory loss, distorted perceptions, issues with problem solving and logical thinking and a loss of motor coordination. Not only does this drug cause issues with academics, marijuana drug abuse can cause you to make errors that are likely to cause you embarrassment in front of your peer group too. Athletes also realize that their timing is off and that they are no longer capable of well coordinated movement.

Some serious athletes resort to anabolic androgenic steroids to increase their performance in school sports because of the desire to become the best. But while Methyltestosterone, Oxandrolone or Oxymetholone may increase your muscle mass, they have serious side effects like shrunken testicles, baldness and infertility in men or enlarged clitoris, increased body hair and a deeper voice in women. These can also lead to psychiatric disorders over time.

Stimulants are another commonly abused class of drugs. While these reduce fatigue and increase alertness and aggressiveness in the short term allowing you to give your best in the tournament or prepare for that most important exam, they result in irritability, insomnia, hallucinations, palpitations and convulsions too. It also is arguably unethical to take a drug in order to have an advantage on a test or in a competition.

Among these stimulants, Adderall and other prescriptions drugs that are used to treat ADHD are popular. This kind of drug abuse is very common among high performing students. These drugs are amphetamines that increase focus, enhance logical processing speed and reduce the need for sleep. More than 25 percent of college students are estimated to misuse ADHD medications. Along with the side effects that such drug abuse has, they also make the mind more structured and rigid, leading to a loss of creativity in children. They can also induce anxiety, psychosis and/or sexual dysfunction.

While there are many public awareness drives that are currently ongoing to make schools a drug free place, parents can help a lot by ensuring that they talk to their teens about drug abuse and the dangers associated. A conscious effort not to push the child to perform beyond his means or capability is also necessary. Stocking a home drug test at home can reduce drug abuse to a large extent too, and may be necessary to show your seriousness in dealing with a future or present problem.

- Article by Anne Hamilton

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The History of Cocaine

July 22nd, 2010   Add Comment

Cocaine is today a widely used drug in the United States. It comes from the leaf of the coca plant and has a history that spans years and cultures both.

The coca plant was associated with the sacred goddess in the Andean Indian culture. It was believed that coca goddess had to be pleased and satisfied to get a good harvest and this was something that the people did by chewing coca or coca mixtures so that they could connect with the spiritual powers. So exclusive were these coca mixtures that they were permitted to be chewed only by royalty or leaders. This exclusivity declined later as the lower classes were also encouraged to chew it to experience the various advantages.

During this period in South America, it was felt that the coca leaves produced a mild stimulating effect like coffee and could be used to heal asthma, malaria, ulcers and indigestion. It was also given by the ancient physicians to help in blood clotting. Interestingly, the drug was also considered to increase longevity and improve performance in sexual activities.

The Spanish tried to ban coca chewing but when they discovered that the Incas worked better when allowed to chew the leaves, the leaves were then given freely to boost their energy. It was also discovered that coca leaves (as cocaine was known at that time) were good for increase in stamina, mood stabilization, prevention of hunger and less fatigue.

Brought to Europe by the Spanish, it was soon discovered that the coca leaves lost a large part of their potency during the long travel. And this is when people started looking at ways and means of extracting the active ingredient in leaf.

Cocaine's Effects on the Body

The Effects of Cocaine

Cocaine was isolated scientifically for the first time in 1855 by Friedrich Gaedcke. Further purification processes were developed by Albert Niemann, who gave cocaine its name. This form was used as an anesthetic drug and could be found in various hospitals in powder form. At this point in time you could find cocaine in popular beverages, wine and in cigarettes. It was also used to treat depression and even alcohol and morphine addiction.

Cocaine consumption was promoted by cocaine users like Sigmund Freud and authors like Arthur Conan Doyle. He had inspirational and excessively intelligent characters like Sherlock Holmes consume cocaine in a large number of stories. At the height of its legal/social acceptance, cocaine was added in cough tinctures, pain killers and mood elevators, in addition to the products that already contained it. It was added in wines that were praised by the Pope himself. Cocaine was even used in the secret recipe that Coca Cola used and was only removed in 1903 when it was confirmed that cocaine had serious side effects on the brain as well. But before the adverse effects were known, it was touted as having all the virtues of alcohol without the negatives.

It was soon seen how consumers of cocaine would be obsessed with themselves, neither eat nor sleep and even if they did, they would get up craving more cocaine. Stigma about cocaine use began at the beginning of the 20th Century, although it was not listed as a “controlled substance” until 1970.

Cocaine is now part of the well known “War on Drugs” that was started by President Nixon due to the continued popularity of this and other drugs despite the negatives being known. And the war continues to this date, against the recreational use of cocaine and crack cocaine.

You can detect the use of cocaine with any one of our drug tests, including the hair drug test, which can go back up to 90 days after use. Saliva and urine drug tests will also detect cocaine, with varying detection times (in saliva – 5 to 10 minutes after use up to 24 hours after use; in urine, 2-5 hours after use up to 2 to 4 days after use).

- Article by Anne Hamilton

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Teen Drinking

July 21st, 2010   1 Comment

As in the case of many other teen social behaviors, parents seem to learn about teen drinking when it comes to their children once it’s already gone on. Kids can be drinking and the next day you might never know. You may only find out about your child’s alcohol habit once you find a wine bottle missing, or a gin bottle filled not with its actual contents, but with water. It is important then to be vigilant and to teach children about the dangers of drinking, particularly underage drinking.

Drinking And Teen Drinking Statistics

The stats about American drinking show us why this is so. In 2008, a federally funded “Monitoring the Future” study showed that 43.1% of 12th graders had consumed at least one drink in the month before they were surveyed. For 8th graders, it was 15.9%, and 10th graders drank at a rate of 28.8%. Considering that many kids are learning to drive or driving in 10th grade, the percentage of underage drinking that occurs is all the more alarming. 14.4% of 10th graders describe themselves as having been drunk in the past month; 27.6% of 12th graders did the same (and 5.4% of 8th graders).

Alcohol Use In Teens

% of Teens Between 12-20 Reporting Past Month Binge Alcohol Use, by State: 2003 and 2004

Parental Control And Its Positive Effects

A study conducted by the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) proved that parental monitoring can reduce high school drinking. And this was also linked with a lower proportion of drinking in college. In the study that involved 1200 college students questions were asked about college life and the level of teen drinking. Additional information was also collected about the level of control that was exercised by parents in school. The connection between parental supervision and relatively lower levels of drinking were obvious irrespective of gender, race or religion.

Facts about Teen Drinking that Parents need to Know

More than 1400 college students in the age group of 18-24 die from alcohol related injuries including motor crashes. The figures for injury are as high as 500,000. About 70,000 college students a year become a victim of sexual abuse in the same age group due to the effect of alcohol and 400,000 suffer the consequences of unsafe sex. A quarter of teens have academic problems due to teen drinking. About 5 percent of these teen drinking issues end up involving the police.

How can Parents Manage Teen Drinking?

The first thing that parents need to do when they are combating teen drinking is to be aware of the signs. Sudden lower grades, irritability, lack of interest in socializing, campus trouble and mood swings are some signs that parents need to be aware of. It is important that parents do not get into a blame game or a witch hunt to try and find the reasons for teen drinking. But there are ways to combat a teen drinking problem. If your teen has an alcohol problem, you can use an alcohol test to see if they have been drinking (they work just like a breathalyzer, but are a lot cheaper). Some steps that parents can take are listed here:

- Speak to the Dean or the high school/college counselor.
- Speak to the teen about the drinking and let them know that you are aware of the issue and are supportive of them, but not the drinking.
- Speak to their friends and understand the situation that they are in and how critical the teen drinking is.
- It is never too late to start the process of open communication. Come out clean with your teen about the drinking issue and other things if you have not been communicating
- At all times remember that the teen drinking is a reaction due to some issue that your teen may be having – with depression, or peer pressure, or alienation. Your teen is growing up and has different social needs. Understand those and think of when you were a teen before you react to the situation.

- Article by Anne Hamilton

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