HOW DRUGS ARE CLASSIFIED AND HOW THEY

AFFECT THE BODY

Rufo, Yvette D.

9- Palo Santo
 Drugs can be classified in many ways.

For example, they can be classified according to:

 uses (medicinal or recreational)

 effect on the body (the specific effect on the central nervous
system).
 source of the substance (synthetic or plant)
 legal status (legal/illegal)
 legal status (legal/illegal)

 One of the most common and useful ways of classifying a drug is by the
effect that it has on a person's central nervous system. The brain is the
major part of the central nervous system, and this is where psycho-
active drugs have their main effect.
 The below sub-section summarises the major classifications of drugs
including stimulants, depressants and hallucinogens. The group
'others' includes those psycho-active drugs that do not fit neatly in any
other category. Some drugs can be classified in a number of
categories, e.g. cannabis and ecstasy.

Classifying drugs by their effect on CNS

Stimulants
 Tend to speed up the activity of a person's central nervous
system (CNS) including the brain.
 These drugs often result in the user feeling more alert and more
energetic.

Example Include.

 Amphetamines
 Cocaine
  Pseudoephidrine (found in medications such as Sudafed,
Codral Cold and Flu)
 Nicotine
 CaffeineTop

Depressants (also known as relaxants)

 Tend to slow down the activity of the CNS, which often results in
the user feeling less pain, more relaxed and sleepy. These
symptoms may be noticeable when a drug is taken in large
amounts. It is important to note that the term 'depressant' is
used to describe the effect on the CNS, not mood. CNS
depressants are more likely to result in euphoria than
depression, especially in moderate use.

Example Include.

 Alcohol
 Major tranquillisers
 Benzodiazepines (e.g. Valium, Temazepam) Opioids (heroin,
morphine)
 Volatile substances (can also be classified as 'other' (glue,
petrol, and paint).

Hallucinogens
 Have the ability to alter a user's sensory perceptions by
distorting the messages carried in the CNS. A common example
is LSD (trips).
 Hallucinogens alter one's perceptions and states of
consciousness.

Example Include.

 LSD
 Psilocybin (magic mushrooms)
 Mescaline (peyote cactus)

Includes psycho-active drugs that do not fit neatly into one of the
other categories, but which are clearly psycho-active, such as
antidepressants (e.g. Zoloft) and mood stabilisers (e.g. Lithium).

Example Include.

 MDMA (ecstasy)*
 Cannabis*
 Volatile substances (petrol, glue, paint)

Both ecstasy and cannabis can produce hallucinations,

especially in cases of heavy use, or inexperienced users.
However they are usually considered primarily as CNS stimulants
and depressants respectively, as these effects are almost always
present.

How Drugs Affects Your Body

 Different types of drugs affect your body in different ways.
 They can have short-term and long-term effects, which can be
both physical and psychological.
 You might think drugs won’t become a problem because you are
only a casual user.
 Drug use can quickly start to affect your health and other
aspects of your life.

What is Drug?
 a medicine or other substance which has a physiological
effect when ingested or otherwise introduced into the body.
 A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an
organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs
 are typically distinguished from food and substances that
provide nutritional support.

Drugs Affects On Behavior

 Paranoia.
 Aggressiveness.
 Hallucinations.
 Addiction.
 Impaired Judgment.
 Impulsiveness.
 Loss of Self-Control.

What the body does to Drug?

 Pharmacokinetics, sometimes described as what the body

does to a drug, refers to the movement of drug into, through,
and out of the body—the time course of its absorption.

What is the main part of the body that is affected by

Psychoative Drugs?
 Psychoactive drugs are drugs that affect the Central Nervous
System, altering its regular activity. They cause changes in a
person's mood, behavior, and awareness (like time and space).

How Drugs are classified and how they affect the body?
 Drugs can be categorised by the way in which they affect our
bodies: depressants – slow down the function of the central
nervous system. hallucinogens – affect your senses and
change the way you see, hear, taste, smell or feel things.
 stimulants – speed up the function of the central nervous
system.

What are the side effects of the Drugs?

Common Minor side effects of prescription Drugs.

 Diarrhea.
 Dizziness.
 Drowsiness.
 Fatigue.
 Heart issues (palpitations, irregular heartbeats)
 Hives.
 Nausea and vomiting.
 Rash.

FDA Serious adverse events include.

 Death
 A life-threatening condition
 Hospitalization
 Congenital anomaly – any affect from prior to conception through
pregnancy that may have an adverse outcome on the fetus or
child
 Intervention required to prevent permanent impairment or
damage

Drugs side effect on your body

 Seizures, stroke, mental confusion and brain damage. Lung disease.
Problems with memory, attention and decision-making, which make
daily living more difficult. Global effects of drugs on the body, such
as breast development in men and increases in body temperature,
which can lead to other health problems.