11/21/11. Opiates - heroin and morphine. SE Asia Burma, Laos, Thailand SW Asia Afghanistan, Pakistan La>n America Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico

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1 11/21/11 Opiates - heroin and morphine Heroin is processed from morphine, a naturally occurring substance extracted from the seed pod of certain varieties of poppy plants. In the US, opium was used to treat soldiers during the Civil War ( ). During the late 1800s, doctors prescribed "tonics" containing opiates for many conditions. Because heroin abusers don t know the actual strength of the drug or its true contents, they are at risk of overdose and/or death. Older users (over 30) continue to be one of the largest user groups in the US. Heroin is particularly addictive because it enters the brain so rapidly (~7 sec). With heroin, the rush is usually accompanied by a warm flushing of the skin, dry mouth, and a heavy feeling in the extremities, which may be accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and severe itching. Cardiac and respiratory functioning is severely slowed. The brain produces its own heroin-like substances called endorphins runner s high. Sumerians called it SE Asia Burma, Laos, Thailand SW Asia Afghanistan, Pakistan La>n America Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico White Heroin most pure form Brown Heroin most common Heroin doesn't dissolve easily, so users have to dissolve it in a spoon with water before they can inject it. Heat is onen used to help it dissolve and many users suffer from "coqon fever" as they do not realize that hea>ng the coqon ball filter can cause extreme sickness and fever. Heroin can be injected intravenously (into a vein) or intra muscularly (into a muscle). Some users inject into the >ssue just under the skin: this is called 'skin popping. Injec>ng heroin into a vein results in an almost immediate effect, as the drug enters the bloodstream and arrives at the brain very rapidly. Injec>ng into muscle produces a slower reac>on. Mexican Mud Heroin 1

2 Heroin is smoked using a method called 'chasing the dragon'. This involves hea>ng up the powder on some foil, and then inhaling the fumes through a small tube. The effect from this is felt very quickly between two and five minutes aner smoking. Snorters can sniff the powder up their nose, like cocaine users do or: Tar users also dump out Visine, add water and drop a $20 hit or two in. They shake it un>l it dissolves then squirt the liquid up their nose. It burns and they walk around with a brown nose dirt or ring patch, but it s>ll gives them their desired effect. Because the drug enters the bloodstream so fast, there's a much greater chance of overdose. There is also a high risk of infec>on with HIV and hepa>>s, if more than one person shares a needle or even works. Abscesses, gangrene and collapsed veins can also result. Long term injectors some>mes experience heart disease and lung disorders. Effects of Heroin Heart, blood and circula>on Heroin slows down your circula>on and heart rate. Heroin also increases the size of certain blood vessels (making you feel warm). Stomach It depresses bowel ac>vity, which can result in cons>pa>on. Heroin can make you feel sick, and first >me users onen vomit. Lungs Heroin suppresses your cough reflex and slows down your breathing, causing hyperven>la>on. This can put you at risk of lung disease. An overdose of heroin can cause respiratory failure and death. Nervous system At higher doses, seda>on takes over and you become drowsy. An excessive dose can produce stupor and coma, and possible death. Sexual organs Heroin can cause irregular periods in women. In both men and women, it can make you lose interest in sex, and it affects your sexual performance. Heroin & Morphine CRANK - JIVE - SMACK -JUNK - DOPE Morphine and heroin act by overwhelming endorphin receptors causing a blockade of normal GABA inhibition resulting in increased dopamine levels. An endorphin is a natural brain signal that helps us feel good. Morphine, a chemical imposter, affects the emo>onal state by mimicking the brain s natural endorphins. 2

3 11/21/11 hqp:// Heroin Withdrawal 3

4 In the hippocampus, endocannabinoids enable individual neurons to disconnect briefly from their neighbors and encode informa>on. Allyn HowleQ, SLU In 2003 Giovanni Marsicano of the Max Planck Ins>tute of Psychiatry in Munich and his coworkers showed that mice lacking normal CB1 readily learn to fear the shock related sound, but in contrast to animals with intact CB1, they fail to lose their fear of the sound when it stops being coupled with the shock. 4

5 Marijuana smoke contains 50 percent to 70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than does tobacco smoke. It also produces high levels of an enzyme that converts certain hydrocarbons into their carcinogenic form, levels that may accelerate the changes that ul>mately produce malignant cells. Marijuana users usually inhale more deeply and hold their breath longer than tobacco smokers do, which increases the lungs' exposure to carcinogenic smoke. These facts suggest that, puff for puff, smoking marijuana may increase the risk of cancer more than smoking tobacco does. 5

6 11/21/11 Alcohol inhibits NMDA and AMPA receptors Alcohol triggers endorphin release Alcohol increases GABAergic transmission Alcohol increases dopamine levels in the nucleus accumbens hqp:// 6

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