Medline Plus defines drug abuse as the use of illegal drugs, or the misuse of prescription or over-the-counter drugs for at least a year. People who suffer from drug abuse tend to develop an addiction to the drug, or they have a compulsion to use...
While marijuana affects various people differently, there are certain side effects that are present for most every pot smoker, reports the National Institute on Drug Abuse, all of which can serve as motivation to quit. For some, heart rate...
People turn to alcohol and drugs for various reasons---they might like the relaxing feeling or use them to forget about troubles in their lives. But when a person relies on drugs and alcohol and starts neglecting responsibilities, it becomes...
Oxycontin is a semisynthetic opioid analgesic drug generally prescribed in the treatment of surgical or chronic pain, such as with cancer. Its active ingredient, oxycodone, is delivered in a tablet form over a 12-hour period. The therapeutic range...
Ativan is the trade name for the drug lorazepam. It's one of the members of a class of drugs called benzodiazepines. As a group, these are sedative-hypnotic medications. As the name implies, they slow the functioning of the central nervous...
An alcoholic can have a physical and a psychological dependence on alcohol, with the psychological aspect being as controlling as the physical. Helpguide.org states that alcoholism is considered more than seven drinks a week for women, and more...
Fentanyl is a opiate pain killer that is stronger than morphine. Fentanyl is prescribed for moderate to severe pain and used for individuals, especially cancer patients, who need continuous pain relief. Physicians do no prescribe fentanyl for mild...
Tylenol PM is an over the counter medication used to treat pain, fever, watery eyes and sleeplessness. Tylenol PM contains two active ingredients, acetaminophen and diphenhydramine , that work together to reduce pain and allergic reactions due to...
Prescribed to treat pain, narcotics, also called opiates, affect the opiate receptors in the brain. Even though narcotics have medical purposes, people often abuse these drugs and develop an addiction. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration...
Benzodiazepines, including alprazolam (Xanax), temazepam (Nocturne), diazepam (Valium) and lorazepam (Ativan), treat symptoms associated with anxiety and seizure disorders. Like alcohol, the drugs work by augmenting the function of the brain...
Speed drugs are classified as methamphetamines. They are highly addictive central nervous system stimulants. Speed drugs release excess amounts of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that stimulates brain cells to induce a feeling of euphoria,...
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health, published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, reports data on alcohol and illicit drug use. The most recent survey, published in 2008, states that approximately 22.2 million people in...
Fentanyl, a narcotic pain reliever, is similar to morphine but stronger. Like other narcotics it carries long-term side effects with use. Fentanyl is only for patients with documented chronic pain and narcotics tolerance. The U.S. Food and Drug...
Abuse of drugs, whether prescription or "street" drugs, has a range of deleterious effects on the user, the people surrounding him and even society at large. It is one of the most serious problems affecting almost every society today, and even...
The medication Ativan is the brand name for Lorazepam. This drug is a benzodiazepine and has sedative and hypnotic properties. The drug is also an anticonvulsant. Ativan's mechanism of action is slowing down central nervous system activities. It...
The National Institute on Drug Abuse estimates that nearly $500 billion are spent each year on abuse or addiction to alcohol and nicotine as well as illegal substances. Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant that impairs and ultimately...
Ambien is a brand name for the generic drug zolpidem. It is a medication prescribed for insomnia, which means it carries significant abuse potential. The likelihood that individuals will develop physical and psychological dependence to Ambien...
Opium is a narcotic drug derivative of the poppy plant. Drug Information Online describes this drug as available only by prescription, and typically issued for the abatement of diarrhea in cancer patients. It comes in liquid form usually given...
Klonopin is the brand name for the drug clonazepam. It is officially approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat certain kinds of epilepsy, a condition called Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and panic disorder; it is also used off-label in...
Hydromet is a brand name for a combination of hydrocodone and homatropine methylbromide. Hydrocodone is in a class of medications known as opioid analgesics and antitussives. It is often prescribed for pain management and cough suppression....
Bontril (phendimetrazine) is an appetite suppressant that works like an amphetamine by stimulating the central nervous system. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bontril and other anorectic drugs are manufactured to...
Overview According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug in the United States. The survey shows that 76.3 million people--about one in four--have tried marijuana at least once....
The crushing headache that you get from quitting diet Coke is most likely due to caffeine withdrawal. If you drink several glasses a day, you might also have a psychological dependence on the beverage. Consuming large quantities of diet Coke can...
Methadone is a synthetic opioid first developed by Germans for use in pain management in WWII. Because of its unique interaction with the brain, the Institute of Medicine reports studies and trials found methadone useful in breaking the heroin...
Drugs, despite their molecular mechanism or intended use, tend to effect the brain via the same chemical channels. Addictive substances work by initiating a section of the brain, the ventral tegmental area, that immediately floods it with the...
Oxycodone is a narcotic pain reliever that acts in the central nervous system to relieve pain. It is used to treat moderate to severe pain and is available in extended-release form for around-the-clock treatment of pain. According to drugs.com,...
Phentermine is a drug formulated to help patients lose weight. Its action works to lower appetite. Phentermine typically enables patients to decrease their weight when used in combination with exercise and a healthy diet. The treatment regimen...
A hand tremor is an involuntary shaking of the hands that can occur as a result of an underlying medical ailment. It can also result from the discontinuation of a certain drug. MedlinePlus says that hand tremors can be resting, kinetic or...
Clonazepam is a benzodiazepine medication used as a supplement to other antiepileptic drugs to treat a variety of seizure types in children. It is taken by mouth, usually two or three times daily. A variety of side effects may occur in children...
