Other Drugs  

There are many other substances that are of concern with regard to health and wellness from pregnancy onward.  What are some effects of specific abused substances?

• Prescription medications, including opioid pain relievers (such as OxyContin® and Vicodin®), anti-anxiety sedatives (such as Valium® and Xanax®), and ADHD stimulants (such as Adderall® and Ritalin®), are commonly misused to self-treat for medical problems or abused for purposes of getting high or (especially with stimulants) improving performance. However, misuse or abuse of these drugs (that is, taking them other than exactly as instructed by a doctor and for the purposes prescribed) can lead to addiction and even, in some cases, death. Opioid pain relievers, for instance, are frequently abused by being crushed and injected or snorted, greatly raising the risk of addiction and overdose. Unfortunately, there is a common misperception that because medications are prescribed by physicians, they are safe even when used illegally or by another person than they were prescribed for.
• Inhalants are volatile substances found in many household products, such as oven cleaners, gasoline, spray paints, and other aerosols, that induce mind-altering effects; they are frequently the first drugs tried by children or young teens. Inhalants are extremely toxic and can damage the heart, kidneys, lungs, and brain. Even a healthy person can suffer heart failure and death within minutes of a single session of prolonged sniffing of an inhalant.
• Cocaine is a short-acting stimulant, which can lead users to take the drug many times in a single session (known as a “binge”). Cocaine use can lead to severe medical consequences related to the heart and the respiratory, nervous, and digestive systems.
• Amphetamines, including methamphetamine, are powerful stimulants that can produce feelings of euphoria and alertness. Methamphetamine’s effects are particularly long-lasting and harmful to the brain. Amphetamines can cause high body temperature and can lead to serious heart problems and seizures.
• MDMA (Ecstasy or “Molly”) produces both stimulant and mind-altering effects. It can increase body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, and heart-wall stress. MDMA may also be toxic to nerve cells.
• LSD is one of the most potent hallucinogenic, or perception-altering, drugs. Its effects are unpredictable, and abusers may see vivid colors and images, hear sounds, and feel sensations that seem real but do not exist. Users also may have traumatic experiences and emotions that can last for many hours.
• Bath Salts are a synthetic derivative of cathinone, a central nervous system stimulant, which is an active chemical found naturally in the khat plant. Mephedrone and MDPV are two of the designer cathinones most commonly found in bath salt products. Effects include rapid heart rate (which can lead to heart attack or stroke), chest pain, nosebleed, sweating, nausea, vomiting, agitation, insomnia, irritability, dizziness, depression, paranoia, delusions, suicidal thoughts, seizures, panic attacks, impaired perception of reality, reduced motor control, and decreased ability to think clearly.
• Khat is a stimulant derived from the fresh leaves of the evergreen shrub Catha edulis, which is native to parts of East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.  Khat chewing has been implicated in causing serious, clinically apparent acute and chronic liver injury.
• Rohypnol is a benzodiazepine similar to Valium® and Xanax®. It has been used to commit sexual assaults due to its ability to sedate and incapacitate unsuspecting victims
• Steroids, which can also be prescribed for certain medical conditions, are abused to increase muscle mass and to improve athletic performance or physical appearance. Serious consequences of abuse can include severe acne, heart disease, liver problems, stroke, infectious diseases, depression, and suicide.
• Marijuana impairs short-term memory and learning, the ability to focus attention, and coordination. It also increases heart rate, can harm the lungs, and can increase the risk of psychosis in those with an underlying vulnerability.
• Drug combinations. A particularly dangerous and common practice is the combining of two or more drugs. The practice ranges from the co-administration of legal drugs, like alcohol and nicotine, to the dangerous mixing of prescription drugs, to the deadly combination of heroin or cocaine with fentanyl (an opioid pain medication). Whatever the context, it is critical to realize that because of drug–drug interactions, such practices often pose significantly higher risks than the already harmful individual drugs.

There are additional substances that we can become addicted to that can deteriorate our health. Have you ever thought of caffeine, energy drinks, or food in general, as addictive substances? It is a natural desire for individuals to want to feel good.  Unfortunately, individuals may turn to substances with potential negative side effects instead of utilizing practices that give us “natural highs” without negative side effects.

Energy Drinks

Most people don’t even regard caffeine as a drug or something that is addictive.  People give it to their children and use it themselves on a daily basis.  However, ordinarily healthy people have ended up in emergency rooms as a result of the high doses of caffeine that caused their hearts to race uncontrollably. The fact that these products are available to anyone over-the-counter makes it an additional risk that people are unaware of.  In some countries, they have restricted the sale of energy drinks because of health and safety concerns.  However, in the US, it is the consumer’s responsibility to be aware of the risks.

Energy drinks are widely promoted as products that increase alertness and enhance physical and mental performance. Marketing targeted at young people has been quite effective. Next to multivitamins, energy drinks are the most popular dietary supplement consumed by American teens and young adults.

Although there’s very limited data that caffeine-containing energy drinks may temporarily improve alertness and physical endurance, evidence that they enhance strength or power is lacking. More important, they can be dangerous because large amounts of caffeine may cause serious heart rhythm, blood flow, and blood pressure problems.

Caffeine is the major ingredient in most energy drinks—a 24-oz energy drink may contain as much as 500 mg of caffeine (similar to that in four or five cups of coffee). Energy drinks also may contain guarana (another source of caffeine sometimes called Brazilian cocoa), sugars, taurine, ginseng, B vitamins, glucuronolactone, yohimbe, carnitine, and bitter orange.

• There’s not enough evidence to determine the effects of additives other than caffeine in energy drinks.
• The amounts of caffeine in energy drinks vary widely, and the actual caffeine content may not be identified easily.
• Large amounts of caffeine may cause serious heart and blood vessel problems such as heart rhythm disturbances and increases in heart rate and blood pressure. Caffeine also may harm children’s still-developing cardiovascular and nervous systems.
• Caffeine use may be associated with palpitations, anxiety, sleep problems, digestive problems, elevated blood pressure, and dehydration.
• Guarana, commonly added to energy drinks, contains caffeine. Therefore, the addition of guarana increases the drink’s total caffeine content.
• Young adults who combine caffeinated drinks with alcohol may not be able to tell how intoxicated they are.
• Excessive energy drink consumption may disrupt teens’ sleep patterns and may fuel risk-taking behavior.
• Many energy drinks contain as much as 25–50 g of simple sugars; this may be problematic for people who are diabetic or prediabetic.
• A significant percentage of all energy-drink related emergency department visits involved combining these beverages with alcohol or drugs (including marijuana, as well as central nervous system stimulants, like Ritalin or Adderall).
• Research suggests that college students who regularly consume energy drinks are at a greater risk for future alcohol use disorder, cocaine use or nonmedical use (misuse) of prescription stimulants.