DRUG INFORMATION RESOURCES - INTERNATIONAL
Methamphetamine – the Respiratory System & Covid-19: Bad Combination
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is the agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that leads public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the nation. SAMHSA's mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America's communities.
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Many Teens Overdose on Meds Prescribed for ADHD, Anxiety. (Not a Low Risk Option for the issue – What else is in Play?)
14/3/2022 (HealthDay News) -- Taken correctly, prescription drugs used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can help teens and young adults navigate their condition, but a new study finds many are dying from overdosing on these medications.
In 2019, benzodiazepines like Xanax and stimulants like Adderall accounted for more than 700 and 900 overdose deaths, respectively, in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"In recent years, there has been considerable attention devoted to risks of addiction associated with diverted or illicitly obtained benzodiazepines and stimulants," said senior researcher Dr. Mark Olfson. He is a professor of psychiatry, medicine and law at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City.
"The new study serves as a reminder that prescription benzodiazepines and stimulants also pose overdose risks to the patients who are prescribed them… Sadly, many of the overdose deaths among teens and young adults who had prescriptions for these drugs are intentional suicides,” Olfson said.
The upshot of the finding? Doctors and parents need to be careful about prescribing and having their kids take these drugs.
(also see The Politics of ADHD | Psychology Today)
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Ketamine is a medication that doctors use as an anesthetic to induce loss of consciousness. Effects include sedation and reduced sensation of pain.
Street names of ketamine include:
- Cat tranquilizer
- Jet K
- Cat valium
- Purple
- Kit Kat
- Special La Coke
- Super K
- Special K
- Super acid
- Vitamin K
Summary: Ketamine is a general anesthetic that doctors find useful in emergency room settings when performing proceduresTrusted Source, such as reducing fractures and treating joint dislocations.
Some studies suggest the drug may have other medical uses, but more research is necessary to prove its safety and effectiveness in these areas.
It is important to distinguish between the valid medical uses and the nonmedical uses of the drug. Although people with certain heart conditions should not take ketamine, it is generally safe when a trained professional administers it in clinical settings.
In contrast, no recreational use of the drug is safe, as it can cause addiction and adverse health effects that can lead to death.
(For more Ketamine: (medicalnewstoday.com)
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The genotoxicity of Cannabis has long been suspected, even acknowledged, be it only in part. Research over the last 5 to 10 years has confirmed the case. Much of this important research has been ‘buried’ in the deluge of ‘hopeful’ and even spectacular claims of the potential therapeutic capacity of cannabis.
Claims and promises that have persisted for well over 20 years, yet with little to nothing to show for it.
However, the harms associated with the use of this now heavily engineered plant/product are mounting, and the research is not only monitoring, but discovering these harms.
If science and health matter, then all research must be thorough and properly vetted to ensure that health is advanced, not mere ‘symptom abated’ whilst disease, disorder or other harms grow.
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Nearly a decade ago, the alarm was sounded to the wider public on the long-term dangers of alcohol and MDMA on young brains. The need to reduce demand is grown even more, and measures to promote or permit use, particularly of MDMA is incredibly disturbing. All energies should be put into diminishing, not endorsing or worse, enabling use.
Conclusions: The present findings indicate that the developing brain is highly vulnerable to the damaging effects of EtOH and/or MDMA, since mice receiving these drugs in a binge pattern during adolescence exhibit impaired learning and memory in adulthood.
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Causal inference multiple imputation investigation of the impact of cannabinoids and other substances on ethnic differentials in US testicular cancer incidence (springer.com)