Drug addiction is a complex disease that affects the mind, body, and spirit. It changes the structure and functioning of the brain. Without treatment, these brain changes can be long lasting. Addiction is chronic and progressive, and if left untreated, it can be fatal. Individuals struggling with drug addiction often feel they cannot function normally without drugs, leading to issues that impact their lives. Over time, these side effects can worsen and become fatal without treatment.

4. Drug addiction is a complex neurobiological
disease that requires integrated treatment of
the mind, body, and spirit. It is considered a
brain disease because drugs change the brain
— they change its structure and how it works.
Without treatment, these brain changes can
be long-lasting. Addiction is chronic, it is
progressive, and if left untreated, it can be
fatal.
Individuals struggling with drug addiction often
feel as though they cannot function normally
without their drug of choice. This can lead to a
wide range of issues that impact professional
goals, personal relationships, and overall
health. Over time, these serious side effects
can be progressive, and if left untreated, fatal.

6. Drug abuse or drug use disorder, is a condition characterized by a self-destructive
pattern of using a substance that leads to significant problems and distress, which may
include tolerance to or withdrawal from the substance
•People can abuse virtually any substance whose ingestion can result in a euphoric
("high") feeling.
Teens are increasingly engaging in prescription drug abuse, particularly narcotics, also
called opioids (which physicians prescribe to relieve severe pain) and stimulant
medications, which treat conditions like attention-deficit disorder and narcolepsy.
While many are aware of the abuse of legal substances like alcohol or illegal drugs like
marijuana (in most states) and cocaine, less well-known is the fact that inhalants like
household cleaners and over-the-counter medications like cold medicines are some of
the most commonly abused substances.

7. Commonly Used Illegal Drugs
Heroin , Cocaine or crack , cocaine , Methamphetamine, Bath Salts, Methadone,
Ecstasy, Marijuana, LSD, Mushrooms, PCP
Drug Abuse Affects Every Organ in the
Body
These include:
•Cardiovascular disease
•Contraction of HIV, hepatitis and other illnesses
•Heart rate irregularities, heart attack
•Respiratory problems such as lung cancer, emphysema, and
breathing problems
•Abdominal pain, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea
•Kidney and liver damage
•Seizures, stroke, brain damage
•changes in appetite, body temperature, and sleeping patterns
•Stroke
•Pancreatitis
•Gastrointestinal problems
•Malnutrition
•Insomnia and sleep disorders

8. Effect on Your Brain
Your brain is wired to make you want to repeat experiences that make you feel good. So you’re
motivated to do them again and again.
The drugs that may be addictive target your brain’s reward system. They flood your brain with a
chemical called dopamine. This triggers a feeling of intense pleasure. You keep taking the drug
to chase that high.
Over time, your brain gets used to the extra dopamine. So you might need to take more of the
drug to get the same good feeling. And other things you enjoyed, like food and hanging out
with family, may give you less pleasure.
When you use drugs for a long time, it can cause changes in other brain chemical systems and
circuits as well. They can hurt your:
 Judgment
 Decision-making
 Memory
 Ability to learn
Together, these brain changes can drive you to seek out and take drugs in ways that are beyond
your control.

11. S.NO TYPE OF DRUG EXAMPLES EFFECTS
01. Sedatives and
Tranquilizer
Barbiturates, Benzodiazepines Depress CNS activity,
give feeling of calmness,
relaxation, drowsiness
02. Opiate narcotic Opium, Morphine, Heroin,
Codeine.
Suppress brain activity,
relaxed pain
03. Stimulants Amphetamine,
Caffeine, Cocaine
Make a person more
wakeful, alert and active,
cause excitement
04. Hallucinogens LSQ, Mescaline, psilocybin,
Ganja, charas, Hashish
Alter thoughts, Feeling
and perceptions.

12. 01.In the Indian society, the youth are often pushed beyond their limits to excel in every field.
Parents want their kids to outperform their peer in studies, sports, creativity, and every other
activity. Under excess pressure, the child often has the tendency to take up alcohol and drugs
as a resort.
02.Persistent counselling is required to teach the child to deal with failures, pressures, stress,
and disappointments. In fact, guiding them towards productive activities such as music,
painting, yoga, sports or one of their hobbies could also help.
03.Children often pick up habits from their closed ones. Thus, the attitude of parents and older
siblings towards alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs also affect the child’s choices.
04.In case the child is stressed out and on the verge of abuse, help must be sought from
parents or even trusted friends who may guide them in the right direction, thereby helping him
vent out their anxiety and guilt.
05.Parents must stay connected with the child, keeping a track of his whereabouts at all times.
06.Spending more family time together will help them stay close and honest with their parents.
07.If it is found that children have fallen prey to alcohol and drug abuse, their friends must
immediately bring this to the notice of their parents or teachers, so that the latter could take
remedial measures for the same.
08.However, despite all the prevention measures, if unfortunately, the child does get into the
abuse, seek professional aid. There are a number of rehabilitation centres, de-addiction
programs and qualified psychiatrists who would help to get rid of the problem.

13. In pharmacology, idiosyncrasy refers to an idiosyncratic reaction, which is an adverse
effect to an agent, such as a drug, which doesn't occur in most patients who've used the
same agent.
Idiosyncratic reactions are generally thought to be immune-mediated. There is no
agreement on their precise mechanism, and there are many exceptions to contradict
every hypothesis. In summary:
•Either the drug itself, or a reactive metabolite, binds to a protein
•That protein undergoes a chemical and morphological change, breaking self-tolerance
•The immune system reacts to this altered protein in a multitude of ways, which usually
resemble an adaptive immune response but can also feature eosinophilia

16. Tachyphylaxis is the continued or repeated exposure to a drug that may lead to a
weakened pharmacological response. This presumed to be a consequence of
diminished receptor sensitivity in response to consistent stimulation by a drug
agonist, which produces a diminished pharmacological response in consequence.
One of the first indications of tachyphylaxis is the return or worsening of your condition’s
symptoms. When your body stops responding to a medication, you are most likely to
start experiencing a recurrence of your condition’s symptoms.
Types
It’s possible for tachyphylaxis to occur when using any type of medication. However, some of the
most common types of tachyphylaxis include:
1.Antidepressant tachyphylaxis,&
2.Ocular allergy medications
There’s no specific treatment for tachyphylaxis. In most cases, treatment typically consists of
increasing the dosage of the medication. Here are some other treatment options that might
be considered:
1.Decreasing the dose,
2.Changing the type of medication,&
3.Combination treatment

18. MAXIMAL DRUG RESPONSES AND SPARE RECEPTORS
As the concentration of a drug in a human organ system increases, the response of that system
would be expected to increase until a maximal response is obtained. The level of response is
related to the number of receptors occupied. However, this relationship is complex.
In a linear relationship, 50 % of the total receptor population must be occupied to achieve 50
% of the maximal organ system response. It follows then that a maximal response will occur
only when all receptors are occupied. In most human systems the relationship between
receptor occupancy and drug response is hyperbolic.
Because of this hyperbolic relationship between occupancy and response, maximal responses
are achieved at less than maximal receptor occupancy. A certain number of receptors are
“spare.” Spare receptors are receptors that exist in excess of those required to produce a full
effect.

19. WHY ARE THERE SPARE RECEPTORS?
• allow maximal response without total receptor occupancy – increase sensitivity of
the system,
• spare receptors can bind (and internalize) extra ligand preventing an exaggerated response if
too much ligand is present.