drug abuse hotline

national drug abuse hotline

drug abuse

drug abuse hotline

Alcohol is one teratogen that could greatly have an effect on the woman’s pregnancy. People may not know of its danger and still allow a woman to drink alcoholic drinks during her pregnancy, but the effect of this would be carried by the baby for the rest of his or her life. Alcohol is one of the known causes of mental and physical birth defects specifically in the United States. Though, this is only a probability, the rate is high.

For one, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is a disorder that can occur to the embryo when a pregnant woman ingests alcohol during pregnancy. Alcohol crosses the placental barrier and can inhibit fetal weight, create distinctive facial stigmata, damage neurons and brain structures, and cause other physical, mental, or behavioral problems. The main effect of FAS is permanent central nervous system damage, especially to the brain. Developing brain cells and structures are malformed by before birth alcohol exposure, often creating an array of primary cognitive and functional disabilities including poor memory, attention deficits, impulsive behavior, and poor cause-effect reasoning, as well as secondary disabilities for example, mental health problems, and drug addiction.

There are different indications that can appear when one is diagnosed to have fetal alcohol syndrome. These indications include low birth weight, small head circumference, developmental interruption, organ dysfunction, facial abnormalities, including smaller eye openings, flattened cheekbones, and indistinguishable philtrum (an underdeveloped groove between the nose and the upper lip), epilepsy, poor management, poor socialization skills, such as difficulty building and maintaining friendships and relating to groups, lack of imagination, learning difficulties, including poor memory, inability to understand concepts such as time and money, poor language comprehension, poor problem-solving skills, behavioral problems including hyperactivity, inability to concentrate, social withdrawal, stubbornness, impulsiveness, and anxiety.

The primary characteristic of fetal alcohol syndrome is the damage it brings in the central nervous system. Central nervous system damage can be assessed in three areas such as structural, neurological, and functional impairments. Structural impairments may include microcephaly (small head size) of two or more standard deviations below the average, or other abnormalities in brain structure. During the first trimester of pregnancy, alcohol interferes with the migration and organization of brain cells, which can make structural deformities within the brain. During the third trimester, harm can be caused to the hippocampus, which plays a role in memory, learning, emotion, and encoding visual and auditory information, all of which can create neurological and functional CNS impairments as well.

When structural impairments are not observable, neurological impairments are assessed. Neurological problems are expressed as either hard signs, such as epilepsy or other seizure disorders, or soft signs. Soft signs are broader, nonspecific neurological impairments, such as impaired fine motor skills, neurosensory hearing loss, poor gait, clumsiness, poor eye-hand coordination.

When structural or neurological impairments are not observed, all four diagnostic systems allow CNS damage due to prenatal alcohol exposure to be assessed in terms of functional impairments. Functional impairments are problems due to prenatal alcohol exposure (rather than hereditary causes or postnatal insults) in observable and measurable domains related to daily functioning, often referred to as developmental disabilities.

No evidence exists that can determine exactly how much alcohol ingestion will produce birth defects. Individual women process alcohol differently. Other factors vary the results, too, such as the age of the mother, the timing and regularity of the alcohol ingestion, and whether the mother has eaten any food while drinking.

Alcohol easily passes the placental barrier and the fetus is not at all equipped to eradicate alcohol than its mother, so the fetus tends to accept a high concentration of alcohol, which lingers longer than it would in the mother’s system. this is the reason why the child is the one largely affected when in fact it is the mother who consumes the alcohol. Unfortunately true.

drug abuse helpline

national drug abuse helpline

national drug abuse hotline

drug abuse

Takin in heroin or methadone will have no effect at all when subutex binds tightly to the opiate receptors. This substance is generally used in narcotic drug treatment programs, and prescribed in varying doses. The effects of subutex are less distinct than those of other opiates, giving the individual the feeling of being somewhat “normal” once more. Buprenorphine is an opioid that is used to wean people off their addiction to stronger opioids such as morphine, diamorphine (heroin) and methadone. It is prescribed as a substitute for such drugs. By acting on the same opioid receptors as other opioids, buprenorphine prevents the physical withdrawal symptoms that occur when these drugs are blocked. Physical cravings is then being stopped. Over time, the dose of buprenorhpine is gradually lessen until it can be discontinued completely. Moreover, buprenorphine replacement therapy for opioid addiction must be used together with other medical, social and psychological treatment.

However, after medication, it is not an assurance that the person would become free from drug dependence. The body would eventually adjust to the effects of subutex and thus would possibly become reliant to it. Meaning to say, the person may be free from heroin addiction but in turn, become a subutex addict. Science has found a substance that could imitate the effects of certain drugs such as heroin and methadone, to stop withdrawal syndrome. However, just like any other drugs, subutex still has a negative effect on the body.

Drowsiness; dizziness; weakness; constipation; headache; nausea or vomiting; slow, shallow breathing; mental changes; mood changes (depression); stomach or abdominal pain; liver problems; dark urine; yellowing eyes; skin changes; vision changes; and death due to overdose are some of the side effects of subutex. These effects could be qualified upon taking subutex. Moreover, it could worsen if the drug is taken together with other substances such as alcohol.

Subutex (buprenorphine) can cause drug dependence. If the use of subutex is suddenly discontinued, the individual may experience withdrawal symptoms and/or the desire to relapse and consume the addictive drug once more. When mixed with other drugs (antidepressants, alcohol, sleeping medicine, etc.), subutex may enhance their effects and cause serious health hazards. Subutex can cause death from overdose if injected with a tranquilizer.

It’s easy access and less expensive price contribute to the increase in the number of subutex addiction cases. The fact that buprenorphine costs less than heroin and is more accessible has accelerated the development of illegal markets in various countries. Buprenorphine made in India, for example, is smuggled into Nepal and Sri Lanka, as well as Bangladesh, where it is used by 90 percent of the country’s intravenous drug users, according to a UN Drug and Crime story last year.

It is quite alarming to imagine that no single drug is free from becoming an object of dependence. People have to be watchful in taking both prescribed and non-prescribed drugs. These definite drugs could someway be considered of as a traitor. At first they act as if they are giving you positive effects. Then later on, you become dependent to the drug and take the drug

despite the negative effects it is eliciting. It’s like the devil that attracted you to eat the apple from the forbidden tree and then left you when everything else went wrong.