stimulants - i: cocaine
DESCRIPTION
Psychoactive Plants Psychoactive plants act on the central nervous system - often by influencing neurotransmitters or endorphins Can be divided into three categories Stimulants – excite or enhance psychomotor activity (caffeine, cocaine) Depressants – reduce mental and physical performance (opiates, alcohol, kava) Hallucinogens – induce a dreamlike state and hallucinations (peyote, marijuana, morning glory seeds) May also be narcoticTRANSCRIPT
Psychoactive PlantsStimulants - I: Cocaine
Psychoactive Plants Psychoactive plants act on the central nervous
system - often by influencing neurotransmitters or endorphins
Can be divided into three categories Stimulants – excite or enhance psychomotor activity
(caffeine, cocaine) Depressants – reduce mental and physical performance
(opiates, alcohol, kava) Hallucinogens – induce a dreamlike state and
hallucinations (peyote, marijuana, morning glory seeds) May also be narcotic
Narcotic Compounds By definition a narcotic drug induces central nervous
system depression resulting in numbness, lethargy, sleep
In current use, a narcotic is a psychoactive drug that is dangerously addictive
Addictive compounds elicit: psychological dependence, physiological dependence, and/or tolerance
Psychoactive CompoundsStimulants Depressants Hallucinogens Cocaine Opiates THC (Marijuana) Ephedrine Heroin Mescaline Nicotine Alcohol Psilocybin/Muscarine Khat Kava lactones Ergot alkaloids (LSD) Betel nuts Tropane alkaloids Caffeine Salvinorin
StimulantsCompounds that excite or enhance psychomotor activity
Cocaine Major alkaloid in the coca plant
Erythroxylum coca Erythroxylum novogranatense
Small trees in genus Erythroxylum (Family Erythroxylaceae) native to Andes Mts. in South America
Ethnobotany and history Cocaine use by the Incas Spanish conquest Introduction to Europe US – 19th century Late 20th and 21st centuries Sources of cocaine
Forms of Cocaine Cocaine hydrochloride
Hydrochloride salt, or powdered form of cocaine, dissolves in water
Can be taken snorted or taken intravenously Freebase
Compound that has not been neutralized by an acid to make the hydrochloride
Hydrochloride is heated with water and sodium bicarbonate to form crack which is usually smoked
Cocaine Structure
Mode of Action on CNS Region most affected - deep within the brain (ventral
tegmental area) Nerve cells originating there extend to the nucleus
accumbens (one of the reward centers) At the synaptic level, cocaine blocks the re-uptake of
dopamine results in a build up of dopamine in the synapse which contributes to the high - later dopamine is depleted
Blocks reuptake of norepinephrine and adrenergic receptors activated
Action of cocaine on CNS
Effects of Cocaine Increased energy Decreased appetite Mental alertness Increased heart rate and blood pressure Constricted blood vessels Dilated pupils Increased temperature
Highs from cocaine Duration of cocaine's euphoric effects depends on
the route of administration The faster the absorption, the more intense the high
BUT the faster the absorption, the shorter the duration of action
High from snorting may last 15 to 30 minutes, while that from smoking may last 5 to 10 minutes (high from smoking starts in 10 sec)
Increased use can reduce the period of stimulation
Negative effects of cocaine use Addiction Tolerance Cardiovascular effects Direct effects on the heart Respiratory problems Psychological effects