Abused Drugs
Psychotropic Drugs Have Potential to Cause Birth Defects
Researchers at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Studies at University of Copenhagen (UC) have found that children of pregnant women who use psychotropic medications are at an increase risk of birth defects. UC Professors Lise Aagaard and Ebba Hansen’s study investigating the adverse drug reactions of psychotropic medications on children 17 years and younger over a ten-year period is available in the open access publication BMC Research Notes (http://www.biomedcentral.com/1756-0500/3/176/abstract).
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Prescription Drug Abuse: A Growing Problem
It is easy to assume that a drug problem is only possible if a person were to take illegal drugs and become addicted. The problem with this assumption is it ignores the growing problem of abuse in terms of prescription drugs.
The Reading Eagle recently posted a piece that highlights the ease in which “normal” individuals become addicted to drugs. For Brandi B., an illegal drug never entered her system. It was a prescription for Dilaudid to ease the pain of ulcerative colitis that led to an addiction that eventually ruined her life.
Online Information on Spice Drugs Misleading
Spice drugs are not necessarily causing concern among parents or even law enforcement, but the availability of such drugs online should gain attention. Science Daily recently published a release that summarized the findings of a paper to be published this month by University of Hertfordshire researchers.
A spice drug is the brand name for an herbal mix that is widely sold as an ‘incense’ or legal substitute for cannabis. It is available in a variety of flavors, such as ‘Spice Diamond’, ‘Spice Gold’, ‘Spice Silver’, ’2Spicy’ and ‘Spice of Life’.
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Cocaine Proving to be a Hard Drug to Crack
There are a number of individuals throughout the world that deal with addictions. For those with a cocaine addiction, this one has proven to be one of the most difficult to beat. Individuals who complete treatment for a cocaine addiction may or may not experience a full recovery as it can depend on other factors.
A recent Science Daily post examined study findings indicating that a high score on the so-called ‘scale of craving,’ an antisocial personality type and previous heroin abuse are all factors that are most commonly involved in situations where people fall back into the cocaine habit.
Ketamine Use Increasing Faster Than Any Other Drug in UK
It appears the drug ketamine – known as “K” or “Special K” – is increasing in use faster than any other drug in the UK. This finding is from the British Crime Survey, 2008 and featured in a recent Science Daily release.
The British Crime Survey is the first ever, large-scale, longitudinal study of ketamine users which shows the consequences of repeated ketamine use. To conduct their study, researchers from the University College London followed 150 people over the course of a year to see if changes in their ketamine use could predict changes in their psychological well-being, memory and concentration.
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Spice Drug Availability Prevalent Throughout Internet
To get around the illegal aspect of drugs such as marijuana or cannabis, while also achieving the same high, some recreational drug users are turning to a variety of “Spice” drugs. While they appear to be a safe alternative, new research suggests these assumptions are unfounded.
Science Daily recently posted a release summarizing the findings of two University of Herfordshire academics, Professor Fabrizio Schifano and Dr. Ornella Corazza from the University’s School of Pharmacy have released new evidence about the dangers of these drugs.
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Study Examines OxyContin Use and Abuse
The use of pain relievers to produce benefits other than pain relief has become a significant problem in the United States. The war on drugs used to include a focus on keeping heroin and cocaine off the streets and out of the hands of children. Now, these children can easily find drugs in the family medicine cabinet. Not only do these drugs deliver intense highs, they also fetch a nice price on the street.
OxyContin is one such powerful drug with a strong street presence. An opioid agonist, it is a pain reliever often prescribed by physicians. The drug is classified as a Schedule II substance by the Drug Enforcement Agency. Research in the industry suggests the popularity of OxyContin among recreational users is growing.
Study Measures Adolescent Marijuana Use and Perceived Risk
Marijuana use among adolescents is an important element to measure. It is also important to understand their perception of risk when engaging in this activity as it can have a significant impact on their likelihood to engage and the frequency of use.
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) released a report: Marijuana Use and Perceived Risk of Use Among Adolescents: 2202 to 2007, that examines trends in the past month marijuana use and the perception of risk among teens between the ages of 12 and 17 between 2002 and 2007. The report also uses data from 2007 to evaluate demographic differences between use and risk perception.
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Heroin Use Back on the Rise
A very popular drug in the 60s and 70s, heroin is finding its popularity growing once again. This time, it is appealing to younger children in suburban areas, according to an IndyStar article. The trend has been noted by police, prosecutors, defense lawyers, coroners and treatment centers.
“It’s not just something we thought we’d see, (but) our therapists and providers are seeing more of it,” said Flora Walker, the community liaison for the Pathway Family Center in Castleton, in the IndyStar.
While heroin was out of its heyday, experts have a few theories as to the return of this potent drug:
New Approaches for Cocaine Addiction
Results from two recent studies may offer the promise of new approaches in fighting cocaine addiction.
Blocking MCH in brain cells limits cocaine cravings
In the first study, which was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, pharmacological researchers at the University of California-Irvine discovered a blocking hormone related to hunger that may be able to limit cravings for cocaine.
Shinjae Chung and Olivier Civelli, the two UC-Irvine researchers, identified how the melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) works along with dopamine in the brain’s pleasure center and results in the body’s addictive response to using cocaine. Dopamine, a neurotransmitter, is essential to the normal functioning of the central nervous system. In addition, Chung and Civelli found that craving for cocaine was limited by blocking MCH in those brain cells.
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