Speech is blocked and incoherent. Chronic users of PCP report persistent memory problems and speech difficulties. Some of these effects may last 6 months to a year following prolonged daily use. Mood disorders, depression, anxiety and violent behavior also occur. In later stages of chronic use, users often exhibit paranoid and violent behavior and experience hallucinations. Large doses may produce convulsions and coma, heart and lung failure or ruptured blood vessels in the brain. Lysergic acid (LSD), mescaline and psilocybin cause illusions and hallucinations. The physical effects may include dilated pupils, elevated body temperature, increased heart rate and blood pressure, loss of appetite, sleeplessness and tremors. Sensations and feelings may change rapidly. It is common to have a bad psychological reaction to LSD, mescaline or psiocybin. The user may experience panic, confusion, suspicion, anxiety and loss of control. Delayed effects or flashbacks can occur even after use has ceased.
sprays also decrease the heart and respiratory rates and impair judgment. Amyl and butyl nitrite cause rapid pulse, headaches and involuntary passing of urine and feces. Long-term use may result in hepatitis or brain hemorrhage. Deeply inhaling the vapors or using large amounts over a short period of time, may result in disorientation, violent behavior, unconsciousness or death. High concentrations of inhalants can cause suffocation by displacing the oxygen in the lungs or by depressing the central nervous system to the point that breathing stops. Long-term use can cause weight loss, fatigue, electrolyte imbalance and muscle fatigue. Repeated sniffing of concentrated vapors over time can permanently damage the nervous system.
H. Designer Drugs
1. Designer drugs include analogs of fetanyl and analogs of meperidine (synthetic heroin), analogs of amphetamines and methamphetamines (such as “Ecstasy”), and analogs of phencycidine. 2. Illegal drugs are defined in terms of their chemical formulas. Underground chemists modify the molecular structure of certain illegal drugs to produce analogs known as designer drugs. These drugs can be several hundred times stronger than the drugs they are designed to imitate. The narcotic analogs can cause symptoms such as those seen in Parkinson’s disease – uncontrollable tremors, drooling, impaired speech, paralysis and irreversible brain damage. Analogs
G. Inhalants
1. Include such substances as nitrous oxide (“laughing gas”), amyl nitrite, butyl nitrite, chlorohydrocarbons (used in aerosol sprays), and hydrocarbons (found in gasoline, glue and paint thinner). 2. Immediate negative effects of inhalants include nausea, sneezing, coughing, nosebleeds, fatigue, and lack of coordination and loss of appetite. Solvents and aerosol
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2022-23 College Catalog and Student Handbook
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