Drug Intoxication and Drug Withdrawal

There are a lot of Drugs of abuse medicines, ranging from Alcohol, benzodiazepine, marijuana, cocaine, MDMA (Ecstasy), Opioids, and so on. I grew up in an area where people are always doing drugs and when they get adicted, withdrawing isn't an easy process. These substances can intoxicate people when taken, and rehabilitation is done when these teenagers and youths are moed to change from taking drugs and during the withdrawal process, the users experience the exact opposite of what they feel when they take the drugs. For instance, if a drug is to excite a person when taken, during withdrawal process, the person would experience depression. I will be discussing these drugs' intoxication and withdrawals one after the other, so without wasting any more time, let's begin.

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Alcohol
A lot of people cannot do without getting intoxicated with alcohol on a daily basis. It starts with a simple shot of Tequilla, then the journey to intoxication continues. When people are intoxicated, they start to have slurred speech, ataxia, emotional lability, and disinhibition. You know that friend you know who is always intoxicated with alcohol will show these characteristics. They have difficulty moving their muscles, they have slurred speech, and they can also have temporary amnesia. Alcohol increases GABA levels which is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that will inhibit glutamate which is an excitatory neurotransmitter. Withdrawal of alcohol can come with Gastrointestinal upset, tremors, agitation, and insomnia which usually occur in the first 6 hours of withdrawal. In later hours, the patient would experience alcohol hallucinosis which is a visual hallucination but does not affect their orientation. During withdrawals, patients can experience withdrawal seizures. At 48 hours and beyond, patients can experience Delirium Tremens. Withdrawal in alcohol causes an increase in glutamate and a decrease in GABA causing lots of excitation causing sympathetic overdrive. Alcohol abuse associations include Beri-Beri, Cirrhosis, Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome, Pancreatitis, Peripheral neuropathy, and testicular atrophy.

Opioids
When patients are intoxicated with opioids, they experience euphoria (they feel good), respiratory depression, central nervous system depression, decreased gag reflex, and pupillary constriction. Withdrawal of Opiods would be Dilated Pupils, lacrimation, nausea, vomiting, Goodr flesh, Yawning, rhinorrhea, and sweating. Opioids Toxicity associations include Hepatitis, abscesses, Right-Sided Endocarditis, and HIV/AIDS.

Methamphetamine
Is a stimulant related to cocaine, and its intoxication can lead to pupil dilation, agitation, tactile hallucination, alertness, euphoria, and wakefulness. Withdrawal symptoms would include sleepiness, hunger, depression, dehydration, dysphoria, and anhedonia. Clinical association with Methamphetamine is meth Mouth.

Benzodiazepines
Benzodiazepine intoxication is similar to alcohol as they are sedative. Intoxication will express with Ataxia, somnolence, mild respiratory depression, and mild drowsiness to a coma-like. Withdrawals from benzodiazepine toxicity include insomnia, anxiety, and seizures.

Cocaine
It is a stimulant that acts as an anti-depresent increasing norepinerphrine, and dorpamine leading to pupil dilation, agitation, euphoria, tactile hallucinations, alertness, Tachypnea, gasping, apnea, and arousal during toxication. Withdrawal from cocaine includes sleepiness, hunger, Irritability, Anxiety, Cocaine cravings, Slowed thoughts and movements, and depression. Cocaine toxication association includes paranoia, nasal septum perforation, drug-induced depression, and Cocaine-induced cardiomyopathy.

Phencyclidine
Phencyclidine intoxication is associated with violence, aggression, psychosis, analgesia, delirium, slurred speech, and amnesia. Withdrawal of phencyclidine will cause symptoms such as Agitation, Anxiety, Insomnia, Irritability, Mood disturbance, Restlessness, Sweating, Headache, and Muscle twitches.

MDMA (Ecstasy)
MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) known as Ecstasy or molly is a drug that causes intoxication which is accompanied by hallucinations, euphoria, disinbition, bruxism, altered sensation,increased energy, and altered sense of time. Withdrawal symptom include anxiety, concentration difficulties, depression, loss of appetite. MDMA associations includes serotinin syndrome, bruxism, perception disorder, and hypotremia.

Marijuana
This is a very common one, and it functions by interacting with Cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) and Cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) receptors. Intoxication of marijuana comes with symptoms such as calmnes, altered judgenment, slow reaction time, conjunctiva injection, munchies, Dry mouth, and Impaired perception and motor skills. Withdrawal from marijuana comes with symptoms such as decreased apetite, insomnia, irritability, depression, and restlessness. Marijuana is associated with psychosis, paranoia, cannabinoid, hyperemesis syndrome.

Conclusion

When a person is intoxicated with drugs, they show different symptoms such as pupillary constriction with opioid intoxication and a stimulant withdrawal, while stimulant intoxication causes pupillary constriction. People intoxicated with marijuana show symptoms like conjuctiva injection, people intoxicated with Methamphetamine have Meth Mouth, people who experience thirst and euphoria during intoxication are those intoxicated with MDMA and during Opiod withdrawal comes with yawning.

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Reference
National Library of Medicine
emedicine.medscape.com
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msdmanuals.com
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
journals.lww.com
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americanaddictioncenters.org
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
americanaddictioncenters.org
American Addiction Centers
americanaddictioncenters.org
National Library of Medicine
americanaddictioncenters.org