How do certain drugs affect the body?

[i_r_e_d]

We all know that marijuana can get you high, but can it harm or kill you? One of my friends Allegra died in september from cocaine overdose, what actually happened to her? How did it effect her body? What about heroin and other stuff?

[Khaiy]

Different dtugs affect the body in different ways. I know that drugs like cocaine and heroin affect receptors in the brain (dopamine reuptake? I need to brush up on my physiology...).

And for your first question, marijuana can have short term negative effects, but I heard once that you'd have to smoke a telephone pole's worth at once to risk having it kill you.

[i_r_e_d]

Good luck smoking that much... You'd probably pass out if you did...

[Linn]

Cocaine can cause myocardial infarction.
One reason is because it quickly raises blood pressure.

Marijuana kills brain cells and damages lungs.

Heroin, kills you nice and slow unless you OD.
first you would rather do that than eat.
It sucks the life out of you, depletes your vitamins
causes your teeth to fall out and destroys your soul.
you become an empty walking zombie who is no longer
sure of reality.

Lynne

[i_r_e_d]

well that motivates me enough to stay drug free!!!

[Linn]

IT should scare everyone, I cant understand
why people start in the first place?
And why its on the increase among young people.
I see it all around me.
and have close relatives who are addicts.
After they are addicted to heroin for
a few years they are different people
even if they quit its like they are no longer
the same person. its like there brain is permanently
damaged. they are very very empty looking.
A lot of crack heads too
around my neighborhood. I saw one in a dress
walking in 20 degree f walking down the middle
of the street laughing.
she is only about 29 and she is so rocked looking!!
bare legs and feet!!

Whatever problems someone has ie bad home life etc...
its not worth loosing your "soul" over
cause they WILL be MUCH worse off for sure.

[JordanNWMSU]

If a "Pot-Head" decided he/she wanted to stop smoking marijuanna, would the inflicted cells in the brain heal to normal? or would he/she be subjected to eternal cellular damage?

The reason I ask is that a friend of mine who is in the pre-professional med school has coersed me to smoke it. Although I decline, I am worried for his sake. He complains that there are no long term affects, yet his grades are slipping. Is this due to his lifestyle or his brian activity. He is in a challenging program at our school and I want to properly warn him if there is any warning needed.

Thank you,
Jordan

[Linn]

Hi Jorden
If you google marijuana and brain cells
you might be surprised to learn that new
studies seem to show that some compounds
in marijuana may actualy be helpfull in controlling cell death.

These studies are still on going and not all conclusive.

Like many drugs they can be harmfull if not used properly or at the correct dose.
Think of alchohol, it is now accepted that a few glasses of red wine is good for you. However getting drunk is harmfull,
just the opposite.

marijuana is known to damage memory among other things.
Isn't med school hard enough with a good memory?

http://www.nida.nih.gov/MarijBroch/Marijteenstxt.html


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[JordanNWMSU]

Thank you for your reply, very usefull tips in the links that you suggested. I'll have to look a little deeper into this to fully understand how marijuanna affects things on a cellular level. And yes, memory helps quite a bit here.