Recently, a number of ** reported that a 13-year-old boy was overdosed on cough medicine, resulting in two consecutive drug screenings being positive, causing social concern and concern. The cough medicine is a combination of ephedrine. According to doctors, normal medicines contain trace amounts of ephedrine, which can be used to relieve clinical discomfort symptoms with its pharmacological effects, and a small amount of short-term medication will not cause addiction. However, if used in excess, it can cause poisoning and lead to addiction.
Many common medicines in life are also narcotic drugs that have been regulated. The use of narcotic drugs for medical treatment is a drug, and abuse is equivalent to drug abuse, which may destroy the physical health of the abuser, destroy the mental health of the abuser, and may also induce crime, which should be vigilant and attention. This issue of drug recognition edition has sorted out common addictive drugs for you, please follow the doctor's instructions to take drugs, and do not passively "take drugs"!
Cold medicines, cough medicines
Common medicines:Contec, Ephedrine Compound Preparation, Federal Cough Lotion, Compound Codeine Oral Solution, Strong Loquat Loquat, Levomethorphan, etc.
Common Ingredients:Pseudoephedrine hydrochloride, codeine phosphate or poppy husks. Codeine is a natural opioid alkaloid isolated from opium poppy plants, which has antitussive, analgesic and sedative effects, and is the best product in China.
Abuse Hazards:As a household medicine, a large part of cold medicines and cough drops are ephedrine compound preparations, which contain ephedrine substances, and excessive use can cause poisoning and can lead to addiction. Ephedrine substances are used by some criminals to refine**, and in 2005 they were listed as Class I precursor chemicals.
"Cough water" is a common name for codeine-containing compound oral liquid preparations, which are widely used in clinical practice and belong to the second class of psychotropic drugs controlled by the state. Clinical studies have shown that most of the patients who are dependent on "cough water" are adolescents. Long-term abuse of cough drops can cause damage to various body systems, including hypokalemia, osteoporosis, mental disorders, and folate deficiency. The direct inhibition of the respiratory center of the midbrain and medulla oblongata can lead to respiratory depression and death, and excessive use can produce pupil constriction (or dilated pupils due to hypoxia due to severe overdose), drowsiness or coma, slurred speech, attention or memory impairment and other poisoning symptoms, and in severe cases, it can even be life-threatening.
In addition to "cough water", there are also some common cough drugs that also belong to anesthetic drugs, such as levomethorphan is the most important product that has been controlled in China. In addition, in recent years, there has been a growing concern about the risk of abuse of a cough suppressant called dextromethorphan. Dextromethorphan is not currently included in the category of narcotic drugs controlled by China, but it is also addictive. It is a synthetic morphine derivative, and its antitussive effect is similar to that of codeine, but with the widespread use of the drug, the phenomenon of abuse and dependence has gradually appeared in the population, and under the super dose, it can cause euphoria, hallucinations and other symptoms. In December 2021, the State Food and Drug Administration issued an announcement to convert dextromethorphan oral unilateral preparation from an over-the-counter drug to a prescription drug. On December 1, 2022, the "List of Prohibited Online Sales of Drugs (First Edition)" formulated by the State Food and Drug Administration came into effect, and dextromethorphan was banned from online sales.
Analgesics
Common medicines:oxycodone hydrochloride tablets (extended-release tablets), tylenin (aminophen oxycodone tablets);Compound tramadol tablets, aminophen tramadol tablets (capsules), coloxril tablets;A combination of hydrocodone and methylcartropine bromide, compound diphenoxylate.
Common Ingredients:: Tramadol, pentazocine, morphine, demerol, methadone, buprenorphine, codeine, fentanyl, oxycodone, etc.
Abuse Hazards:Narcotic analgesics produce analgesic effects by activating opioid receptors in specific parts of the central nervous system, also known as opioid analgesics. Opioids include compounds extracted from the poppy family as well as semi- and synthetic compounds with similar properties that can interact with opioid receptors in the brain.
Opioids include morphine, codeine, fentanyl, methadone, tramadol, and other similar substances. Medications such as morphine, codeine, and fentanyl are commonly used for pain management. Methadone and buprenorphine for the maintenance of opioid dependence**. Regular non-medical use, long-term use, abuse, and use of opioids without medical supervision, can lead to opioid dependence and other health problems. Opioid dependence is an opioid use regulation disorder due to repeated or continued opioid use. Dependence is characterized by a strong internal drive to use opioids, which manifests itself in an impaired ability to control use, a higher emphasis on use than other activities, and continued use despite harms or adverse consequences. There may also be physiological features of dependence, including increased tolerance to the effects of opioids, withdrawal symptoms after cessation or reduction of use, or repeated use of opioids or pharmacologically similar substances to prevent or alleviate withdrawal symptoms. Due to their pharmacological effects, opioids can cause breathing difficulties, and overdose can lead to death.
Tramadol, the second class of psychotropic drugs, including Maduo injection, Maduo for injection, Maduo glucose injection, **Maduo sodium chloride injection, **Maduo tablets (capsules), *Maduo sustained-release tablets (capsules), *Maduo dispersible tablets, **Maduo suppositories, etc. There is a risk of addiction and abuse, and excessive use can lead to depression and seizures. It has the same dependence as morphine***, including respiratory depression, which can be fatal in severe cases. Long-term use in high doses can lead to dependence, and abrupt withdrawal can lead to withdrawal symptoms such as diarrhea, upper respiratory symptoms, insomnia, numbness, tingling, tinnitus, hallucinations, paranoia, anxiety, etc.
Tramadol compound preparations will be included in the second category of psychotropic drug management in 2023, including compound tramadol tablets, aminophen tramadol tablets (capsules), coloxril tablets, etc.
Sedative-hypnotics
Common medicines:Sinos, barbiturates, etc.
Common Ingredients:Diazepam, espam**, clonazepam, **Lun, Apu**, etc.
Abuse Hazards:Sedative-hypnotic drugs can relieve anxiety and improve sleep when used appropriately, while long-term abuse can cause the body to become dependent, leading to withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, irritability, insomnia, etc. It may also induce other diseases, such as liver disease, heart disease, and respiratory disease.
First-generation sedative-hypnotic drugs:Barbiturates
It is gradually eliminated due to unsafety, weak drug efficacy, and easy addiction.
Second-generation sedative-hypnotics: benzodiazepines
Zepam
The Catalogue of Psychotropic Drugs (2013 Edition) includes a total of 21 types of zopam-like drugs, including diazepam, clonazepam, etc., all of which are Class II psychotropic drugs. Among them, diazepam is the first "blockbuster drug" in history with annual sales of more than 1 billion US dollars, and has a well-known nickname - "diazepam". On this basis, zepam drugs almost all have an alias of "diazepam". This class of drugs can also be divided into three categories: long-acting, intermediate-acting, and short-acting, and the shorter the effect, the easier it is to become addictive. Diazepam is a common "diazepam", which belongs to the second category of psychotropic drugs controlled by the state. It is a benzodiazepine drug, which mainly plays an important role in anti-anxiety, sedation, hypnosis, muscle relaxation, anticonvulsant, anti-epilepsy, etc., and is a commonly used drug in clinical practice. It has the effect of stabilizing mood, reducing anxiety and tension, improving sleep, etc., and has a good effect on common emotional irritability, insomnia, etc., and is easy to be accepted by patients, but diazepam drugs have addiction and dependence, etc. In some cases, it can also affect mental health, causing distressing symptoms such as anxiety, irritability, hallucinations, nightmares, sleep disturbances, and more.
**Class of drugs
The Catalogue of Psychotropic Drugs (2013 Edition) includes a total of 10 kinds of ** drugs, including **Lun, Ace**, etc. Among them, **Lun is included in the first class of psychotropic drugs management (generally not used for insomnia**), and the rest of the ** drugs are included in the second class of psychotropic drugs management.
* Lun has hypnotic, sedative, anxiolytic and other effects, and the hypnotic and anesthetic effects are dozens of times stronger than ordinary diazepam, which can make people dizzy, drowsy and other symptoms. Because it has the characteristics of colorless and tasteless, soluble in water and various beverages, this drug has been used by some criminals as "used to carry out robbery, ** and other criminal activities." **Lun, also known as *** overdose, can make people quickly coma and faint. Criminals add this kind of "**** to candy, drinks and other foods, so that the user is temporarily unconscious, and then carry out illegal infringement, and some oral" ** can achieve the effect of stunning the victim within ten minutes or even a few minutes. "* It will cause people to have coma, amnesia and other poisoning symptoms, excessive use can cause severe drowsiness, shortness of breath or difficulty, etc.
Third-generation sedative-hypnotic drugs – non-benzodiazepinesclass
Zolpidem, zopiclone, zaleplon, their English names and Chinese names begin with the letter z, so they are called Z drugs, which belong to the third generation of sedative-hypnotic drugs. Compared to benzodiazepines, Z drugs are safer but still addictive. Zolpidem, zopiclone, and zaleplon are all included in the second category of psychotropic drug management, and the medication needs to be strictly followed by the doctor's instructions.
Sinosi (zolpidem tartrate tablets) is a sedative-hypnotic drug, which has sedative, hypnotic, muscle relaxing, anxiolytic and other effects, and is the second class of psychotropic drugs controlled by the state. Clinically, it is mainly used for transient insomnia and occasional insomnia. When used in small doses, it can shorten the time to fall asleep and prolong the sleep time, but there may be hallucinations, excitement, nightmares, irritability, dizziness, drowsiness, diarrhea, etc. Sinos has dominated the global insomnia** drug market for a long time, and entered the country in 1997. As a short-acting sedative-hypnotic drug, Sinos can help patients fall asleep quickly without significant drowsiness during the day, and is mainly used by clinicians for the short-term treatment of insomnia**.
How does common drug abuse occur?
Wen Zhang Ruimin.
In life, everyone will face a variety of physical and mental pressures, which may be related to illness, work, Xi, family, interpersonal relationships, etc. Similarly, in response to these problems, everyone will also use a "suitable" way to deal with them, and some will choose to use some common **drugs for self-treatment**. However, the drugs used in this kind of ** are often based on unreliable bases such as "hearsay, other people's experience, self-feeling, and disobedience to medical advice", and the consequences are often more harmful than we imagine, which makes people have to prevent it.
Reasons for abuse
First, the pressure of studying Xi and work is too high. Heavy academic workloads, exam pressure, and higher school pressure, as well as long working hours, high-intensity work tasks, and competitive pressure, can lead to physical and mental exhaustion, anxiety and depression, insomnia, and difficulty concentrating. At this time, some people often use central stimulant drugs to refresh their minds and fight fatigueUse of anti-anxiety and antidepressant medications to regulate and relieve mood. Common drugs are: psychostimulants, such as amphetamines, anxiolytic, sedative-hypnotic and antidepressants, anti-anxiety, sedative-hypnotic drugs such as diazepam, apu**, es**, clonazepam, oxazepam, zolpidem, **lun, etc., antidepressants such as mirtazapine, bupropion, etc.
The second is that there is too much pressure on family and interpersonal relationships. Tensions between family members, financial pressure, problems with children's education, and interpersonal problems can lead to feelings of loneliness, loss, and anxiety, as well as tremendous psychological stress. People with both conditions often use the anti-anxiety, antidepressants, and sedative-hypnotic drugs mentioned above to control their symptoms to regulate their mood and relieve stress.
The third is the occurrence of health problems. Illness, pain and disability can cause physical and mental discomfort and psychological stress. At this time, it is easy to develop drug abuse and dependence addiction, and the commonly used drugs are: opioid analgesics, such as morphine, demerol, methadone, oxycodone hydrochloride extended-release tablets, aminophen oxycodone tablets, aminophen tramadol tablets (capsules), kolotrol tablets, buprenorphine, codeine, tramadol, dihydroetorphine hydrochloride, diphenoxylate tablets;Cough suppressants, such as Federal Cough Lotion, Cofinil Syrup, Neotellochi, Federal Crean, Compound Codeine Phosphate Oral Solution, Lijianting, Kerryling, Aoting, Lady Pei Cough Lotion, Dr. Ou Cough Lotion, Dextromethorphan (syrup, tablets), etc. The above two types of drugs are characterized by rapid and strong effect on symptom control, often accompanied by varying degrees of "euphoric" effect, so that patients "feel good" after taking the drug, and cannot stop, improper use can lead to repeated long-term medication, dependence and addiction.
Process and characteristics
Drug addiction is a process of gradual aggravation of the condition, which can usually be divided into three stages: misuse, tolerance and abuse, and dependence and addiction.
One is the misuse phase. Refers to the wrong use of drugs, which are characterized by: not having a doctor's prescription, not taking drugs according to the drug indications, using drugs given by friends, taking drugs at the wrong time, taking drugs at random doses, and stopping drugs too quickly.
The second is the tolerance and abuse stage. As the drug continues to be used, the body gradually becomes tolerant to the drug, which is manifested by the need to increase the dose of the drug to achieve the same effect. Tolerance can lead to an individual's overuse of the drug, increasing the risk of drug addiction. Abuse is characterized by the use of drugs in order to obtain euphoria, to experience feelings associated with the effects of the drug (eg, excitement, relaxation, euphoria, etc.), and to believe that you need this better feeling. Abuse is characterized by unprescribed medications, overdosing, and chronic or long-term drug use.
The third is the stage of dependence and addiction. Long-term or excessive use of prescription drugs can lead to the body's dependence on drugs, making individuals unable to control their drug use behaviors (such as dosage, frequency, duration of treatment, etc.), and need to use drugs continuously to maintain a normal physical and mental state. Once the addictive drug is stopped, the individual may experience related withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, depression, irritability, insomnia, headaches, muscle pain, malaise, etc. Withdrawal symptoms can last for days, weeks, or months and can have serious negative effects on an individual's physical and mental health. Addicts can manifest as "compulsive, uncontrollable, reckless, and purposeful" drug-seeking, drug-seeking, and drug-taking behaviors, accompanied by varying degrees of impairment in personal, family, occupational, and social functioning.
Intervention with**
There are a number of areas that need to be focused on when it comes to common addictive drug abuse** and interventions.
The first is to properly relieve pressure. In the face of physical and mental stress, individuals can take some measures to relieve stress, such as proper exercise, good sleep, healthy diet, seeking social support, etc. If the pressure is too high, it is advisable to seek professional psychological counseling or**.
The second is to follow the doctor's instructions when using medicine. Prescription drugs should be used under the guidance of a doctor, strictly follow the doctor's instructions, and do not increase or decrease the dose or stop the drug on your own. If you find yourself or someone else with a prescription drug addiction problem, you should seek help from a professional medical institution in a timely manner.
The third is early detection and early **. Drug addiction is a gradually aggravating development process, early detection, early diagnosis, early diagnosis is the key to success, can minimize the damage of addiction to the user's personal function, family function, occupational function and social function, and restore their normal life.
Fourth, choose the right method. Addiction is a disease, and its diagnosis and treatment has a set of scientific, professional, systematic and comprehensive methods, therefore, the relevant ** must conform to the laws and characteristics of addiction diseases. Common addictive prescription drug abuse and addiction patients can go to the Addiction Department of Mental Health Center, Addiction** Specialized Hospital, Addiction** Outpatient Consultation, and **.
(The author is the chief physician and professor of Yunnan Institute of Drug Dependence Prevention and Control).
(The content of this edition is compiled by Li Shiting, a reporter from China Anti-Drug News, based on public documents).
*: China's anti-narcotics.