Hydrocodone narcotics are able to bring about many bodily effects beyond the notorious addictive euphoria. Hydrocodone represents a narcotic developed to accentuate the cough suppression effect. It is somewhat more effective in this regard than codeine. The general effects of Hydrocodone are muscle relaxation, lowered blood pressure, lowered heart rate, and lowered respiratory rate. The medical complications are allergic reaction, difficulty breathing, closing of the throat, swelling of the lips, tongue or face, hives, seizures, loss of consciousness, and coma.
The long term effects are constipation, dry mouth, respiratory depression, physical tolerance as well as psychological and physical dependence may occur. (2) Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the U. S. a dry, shredded green/brown mix of flowers, stems, seeds, and leaves of the hemp plant Cannabis sativa, it usually is smoked as a cigarette(joint) or in a pipe. It also is smoked in blunts, which are cigars that have been emptied of tobacco and refilled with marijuana, often in combination with another drug. The main active chemical in marijuana is THC.
The membranes of certain nerve cells in the brain contain protein receptors that bind to THC. Scientists have learned a great deal about how TH C acts in the brain to produce its many effects. When someone smokes marijuana, THC rapidly passes from the lungs into the bloodstream, which carries the chemical to organs throughout the body, including the brain. (2) Marijuana has different effects on different parts of the body such as the effects of marijuana on the heart which the risk of heart attack quadruples in the first hour after smoking marijuana.
The researchers suggest that such an effect might occur from marijuana effects on blood pressure and heart rate and reduced oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood. (2) The effects of marijuana on the lungs in a study of 450 individuals found that people who smoke marijuana frequently but do not smoke tobacco have more health problems and miss more days of work that nonsmokers. Many of the extra sick days among the marijuana smokers in the study were for respiratory illness. Even infrequent use can cause burning and stinging of the mouth and throat, often accompanied by a heavy cough.
Someone who smokes marijuana regularly may have many of the respiratory problems that tobacco smokers do, such as daily cough and phlegm production, more frequent acute chest illness, a heightened risk of lung infections, and a greater tendency to obstructed airways. Smoking marijuana increases the likelihood of developing cancer of the head or neck, and the more marijuana smoked the greater the increase. A study comparing 173 cancer patients and 176 healthy individuals produced strong evidence that marijuana smoking doubled or tripled the risk of these cancers.
Marijuana use also has the potential to promote cancer of the lungs and other parts of the respiratory tract because it contains irritants and carcinogens. In fact, marijuana smoke contains 50 to 70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than dose 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 ultimately 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. (2) Some of marijuana’s adverse health effects may occur because THC impairs the immune system’s ability to fight off infectious diseases and cancer. In laboratory experiments that exposed animal and human cells to THC or other marijuana ingredients, the normal disease-preventing reactions of many of the key types of immune cells were inhibited. In other studies, mice exposed to THC or THC-related substances were more likely than unexposed mice to develop bacterial infections and tumors.
(2) As with marijuana, nicotine is another addictive drug that Americans are endangering their health and the health of others, due to the health problems that occur from second hand smoke. An estimated 46. 5 million adults in the United States smoke cigarettes even though this single behavior will result in death or disability for half of all regular users. Cigarette smoking is responsible, in some form, for more than 400,000 deaths each year; that’s one in every five deaths.
Additionally if current patterns of smoking persist, over 5-million people currently younger than 18 will die prematurely from a tobacco-related disease. (2) Nicotine is one of more than 4,000 chemicals found in tobacco smoke and is the primary component that acts on the brain. Smokeless tobacco product such as snuff and chewing tobacco also contain high levels of nicotine as well as many other toxins. (2) In addition, there is an enormous health toll which is the economic burden of tobacco use: more than $75 billion in medical expenditures and another $80 billion in indirect costs.
A typical smoker will take 10 puffs on a cigarette over a period of 5 minutes that the cigarette is lit. Thus, a person who smokes about 1-1/2 packs (30 cigarettes) daily gets 300 hits of nicotine to the brain each day. These factors contribute considerably to nicotine’s highly addictive nature. (2) The general effects of tobacco and nicotine are elevated heart rate and blood pressure, and respiratory rate, decreased appetite and skin temperature, physical and psychological dependence.
The long term effects are cancer of the lungs, mouth, and throat; respiratory disease, heart attack, stroke, stomach ulcers, and numerous others. (2) Another drug that causes health problems and is an American problem is Chloral Hydrate, which is the oldest of the hypnotic (sleep inducing) depressants. Chlora hydrate was first synthesized in 1832. Marketed as syrups of soft gelatin capsules, chloral hydrate takes effect in a relatively short time (30 minutes) and will induce sleep in about an hour.
A solution of chloral hydrate and alcohol constituted the infamous “knockout drops” or “Mickey Finn. ” At therapeutic doses, chloral hydrate has little effect on respiration and blood pressure; however, a toxic dose produces severe respiratory depression and very low blood pressure. Chronic use is associated with liver damage and a severe withdrawal syndrome. Although some physicians consider chloral hydrate to be the drug of choice for sedation of children before diagnostic, dental, or medical procedures, its general use as a hypnotic has declined. (2)