Drug Facts

Black-Tar Heroin Is Back!

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Addiction, Drug Facts on January 22nd, 2012

When the High Intensity Drug Task Force in Charlotte met last year, the discussion was mainly on black-tar heroin which has made its way to the market and has become the fastest-growing drug problem in the area.

black-tar heroinIt may not be known to many but black-tar heroin has been in demand for the last five years, which was also the time when prescription drug abuse surged and became the most alarming type of drug abuse not only in Charlotte but in the whole nation as well.

According to US Drug Enforcement Administration group supervisor and team leader for the High Intensity Drug Task Force Jeffrey W. Ferris, young people from middle to high income families comprise the market of black-tar heroin.

The Charlotte area has become the place to be when looking for heroin. Every day, people drive into the region to get their supply of the illicit drug to distribute among buyers within a week.

Ferris admits that the task in catching drug dealers and consumers of black-tar heroin is not easy. This is why they are enlisting the aid of school authorities, civic groups and other concerned volunteers in the proper information dissemination and education of parents, young adults, and kids on the said drug. “We want to use awareness and education in an attempt to dry up demand. We want to talk to Parent-Teacher Associations, faculties, as well as students.”

Black-tar heroin is sourced from crudely refining poppy plants in Latin America particularly in Mexico. Manufacturers use plastic grocery bags cut in squares and tied like balloons to package the drugs. These packages cost from $10 to $12 a piece and are color coded with white and yellow pertaining to cocaine and red for heroin.

It has become an alternative to pricey prescription drugs that could fetch up to $80 dollars a pill. This is why its demand is on the rise among teens and young adults.

Black-tar heroin, like any other type of opiates, is highly addictive physically and psychologically and getting out of an addiction may prove to be a challenge for any individual.

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Taking Too Many Medications Could Lead to Health Risks

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Facts on November 6th, 2011

The term polypharmacy pertains to the use of multiple medications to treat one’s illness. Most of the time, this multiple medication offer much more than what a person actually needs to get better.

too many medsThis is why there is a growing concern among doctors and pharmacists on the habit of people taking too many medications which could also lead to health risks. Yes, medicines could help prevent and cure diseases — but as they always say, anything in excess could be harmful.

American Pharmacists Association spokesperson Sophia De Monte explains the phenomenon of polypharmacy. “As you keep increasing the amount of prescriptions, it increases the chance of having a drug interaction or major side effect. It’s exponential. The more you add on, the more chances you’ll have something bad happen.”

This is why doctors and pharmacists are working together to safeguard their patient’s health. Prescriptions given by doctors are kept at a minimum, and pharmacists review these prescriptions when patients purchase from them.

“The whole goal is to try to fine-tune it,” De Monte said, “working with the patient to get the best medication with the best effects at the minimal amount.”

Some important steps have been shared by professionals to ensure that taking multiple medications will lead to cure, and not to more medical problems.

a. Patients should read information with regards to their medication to be wary of the possible complications that could arise from taking the said medicines.

b. It’s best to take medications with water rather than any other beverage to prevent further interaction.

c. Never disregard any discomfort that you might experience after taking new medication. Consult your health care provider immediately.

d. Have your doctor or pharmacists review your prescriptions.

The most important factor to consider in polypharmacy is the patient’s present condition and how the medications make the patient feel.

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Why Do Teens Take Drugs?

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Addiction, Drug Facts, Prescription Drug Abuse, Steroid Abuse on October 4th, 2011

In last year’s Drug Facts Chat Day organized by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a lot of questions were focused on the young people, and one query from a Pennsylvania student states: why do people take drugs?

drugsAs expected, hundreds of answers were given, each varying from person to person, but all answers were given corresponding “reality checks” so as to correct the misguided minds of most teenagers.

One of the most common responses among the participants was that drugs made them feel good. Drug users and addicts usually take these substances for pleasure and the sensations of euphoria which differs depending on the type of drugs. Cocaine, for example, can bring about a certain “high” boosting self-confidence and energy, while opiates like heroin causes feelings of satisfaction and relaxation.

The drug effects may give temporary escape from whatever worries and problems people may have, but after the effects subside, the same problems stay and solutions are still at loss. Situations can become worse when a person becomes addicted and he fails to have his regular dose and unpleasant symptoms of withdrawal occur like headache, nausea, and even mental problems.

Kids also said that drugs help them perform better, in academics and in athletics. It is true that drugs enhance one’s abilities which could lead one to continue with the habit. Yet these drugs called “performance-enhancing drugs” outweigh their positive effects with their negatives. Steroids, as an example, promotes breast growth among men and gives females deeper voices and more unwanted body hairs. More serious consequences of such drugs include heart failure and seizures.

Teens also said, “Everybody’s doing it.” In their quest to fit in and be accepted in groups, teens easily succumb to peer pressure and get into risky behaviors. This is why it is very important for kids to have strong values foundation to help them think before they do something dangerous and help them realize the damages that drugs can bring into their lives.

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Can Marijuana Prevent PTSD?

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Facts, Marijuana Use and Abuse on September 23rd, 2011

Post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD is the condition wherein an individual experiences anxiety disorder after surviving traumatic events in his life. When a person is exposed to, say, sexual abuse, physical abuse, war, or natural disasters, he can develop PTSD symptoms like frightening thoughts, nightmares or bad dreams, and unwanted memory recalls of the said events. This condition can be treated using medications or counseling, or both can be applied.

marijuanaA new study published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology is suggesting that marijuana may prevent PTSD. Using rats as their specimens, researchers were able to block the occurrence of the disorder using pot. Scientists claim that the “cannabinoid” compounds extracted from marijuana that were injected on the rodents helped prevent development of PTSD symptoms after they were exposed to extreme stressful situations.

Psychologist Dr. Irit Akirav from the University of Haifa added that the use of pot to prevent PTSD should be administered at the exact right time. The proponents of the study started by dividing the rodents into four groups and they were all exposed to extreme stress. One group did not receive the cannabinoid injection, another got the shots two hours after being exposed to the stress, the third group got it 24 hours after, and the last received their shots 48 hours after exposure to stress.

After a week, the groups of rodents who received the cannabinoid injections two hours and 24 hours after did not develop expected PTSD symptoms. The other two groups, one receiving the shots 48 hours after and the other group who did not receive the shots at all, all displayed typical PTSD symptoms and were highly anxious.

Could these findings also apply to humans? Researchers say further studies can be done to determine the right “windows of opportunity” for humans due to the significant differences of life expectancy rates among rats and humans.

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Nursing Home Falls Linked to Antidepressants

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Facts, Prescription Drug Abuse on July 27th, 2011

A new study has been released which links some types of antidepressants to cases of elders falling in nursing homes. In the first few days when residents are given non-SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) antidepressant such as bupropion or venlafaxine, elders become more at risk for falls which puts them in a dangerous situation.

antidepressantsIn a report from the Health Day News, Dr. Sarah D. Berry from the Institute for Aging Research of Hebrew Senior Life in Boston says that the increase in falling risks also applied to those who were given increased dosage of their current medications. “Our results identify the days following a new prescription or increased dose of a non-SSRI antidepressant as a window of time associated with a particularly high risk of falling among nursing home residents,” she said.

Dr. Berry adds that there is a need for closer monitoring of elders when any of the two factors apply to them to minimize injuries that could happen due to falling.

The results of the study show that fall cases among elders in nursing homes are up by almost 500% whenever they are given new prescription medicines or if their usual dosage is increased. This may be due to the non SSRI depressants that could affect cognitive and motor functions in the body.

There is also the possibility that non-SSRI can cause a significant decrease in blood pressure when elders stand up or the sedation and coordination problems linked to non-SSRI. The need for thorough examination of the side effects of these antidepressants is now being called for.

There are more than one-third of the 1.6 million nursing home residents that are under antidepressant medications. Dr. Berry admits that these drugs are effective and doctors don’t see the need to withhold these drugs based solely on the findings that they could pose greater falling risks for the elders.

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Autistic Child Benefits from Medical Marijuana, Mom Says

Posted by Drug Free in Drug Facts, Marijuana Use and Abuse on July 17th, 2011

With a severely autistic child who only weighs 42 lbs at 12 years old, Meiko Hester-Perez was desperate to find something that could help her child.

marijuanaShe Googled cannabis and autism, and was surprised to find the answer to her problems. It was there that she found out about other parents with autistic children who claimed that marijuana did wonders to their child’s condition. Meiko got her cue from them, and she immediately sought for a medical marijuana card for her son, Joey.

Today, Meiko gives Joey his regular serving of chocolate bar, but unlike those given to other kids, Joey’s candy is laced with medical marijuana. He has gained weight ever since, tipping the scale at 112 lbs which is a far cry from what he used to weigh before cannabis was introduced into his system.

It was not an easy decision for Meiko to give Joey marijuana, but she had to do it for the sake of keeping her child alive. “My son was absolutely withering away. You could see the bones in his chest,” she says.

Meiko claims that medical marijuana was the key to her child’s health recovery. During her interview with KSEE news, Joey was with her and he kept him busy with a bag of chips which he munched again and again. “Everything is improved. Right now he’s given one brownie every two to three days. Whereas the other medications he was taking every single day, twice a day. He’s now calm, sociable, happy, and more productive.”

Despite this mother’s testimony, doctors are still concerned with children being treated with medical marijuana. Dr. Seth Ammeran from the Stanford University understands the parent’s motive for using medical marijuana to help autistic kids, but as there is still a need for further studies regarding the matter, he is still reluctant to recommend cannabis to patients.

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