Use of synthetic marijuana has been discussed within the LSU Athletic Department for some time now. Early warnings regarding the legality and dangers of smoking synthetic marijuana have been clearly outlined within LSU's ADAP Substance Abuse Policy. It is clear that this man-made product is very dangerous, having very negative consequences on one's ability to perform in the classroom and perform at high levels athletically. While we have heard cases of random deaths from the use of synthetic marijuana, it hit fairly close to home with the death of a Division I Men's Basketball player from Anderson University in South Carolina. Click the link below to read the details of this tradegy.
http://www.foxcarolina.com/story/15706199/coroner-synthetic-pot-killed-anderson-university-basketball-player
For years, the Athletic Training Department and it's Team Physicians have been warning about the use of energy drinks. During drug education meetings, supplements and energy drinks are thoroughly discussed because they are often the source of NCAA banned performance enhancing drugs: guarana, caffeine, and citrus aurantium to name a few. The use of these energy drinks becomes even more troublesome when combined with stimulant medications that are commonly used for the treatment of ADD/ADHD.
Consuming even one of these energy drinks could result in some negative side effects such as: increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, irregular heart beats, and sleep distrubances. With the hazards of heat illness and dehydration in the southern region of the United States, consumption of energy drinks could spell disaster.
The New York Times and MSNBC have interesting articles regarding the dangers of consuming energy drinks. To read these articles in their entirety, just click below:
New York Times: Scientists See Dangers in Energy Drinks...
MSNBC: Energy drinks can be dangerous for teens, report says...
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - An herbal mixture called "synthetic marijuana" because it gives a marijuana-like high when smoked is being banned in Louisiana.
For more information on this story, please click on the link below.
http://www.klfy.com/Global/story.asp?S=12713138
The LSU community has recently seen an unusually high number of students reporting that they may have received a ‘roofie’ at local Baton Rouge establishments. Be aware of what you can do to protect yourself...
What do Roofies do?
Roofies (hypnotic sedative type drugs) cause sedation, a feeling of extreme intoxication, and amnesia. The liquid (usually GHB) or powdered pills (Rohypnol, Lortab, Vicodin) are dropped into your drink usually by someone who wants to take sexual advantage of you. About 10 minutes after ingestion, you'll start to feel very drunk-like and have difficulty speaking or moving as well as the inability to remember anything; eventually, you may pass out.
The drug's amnesiac effect lasts anywhere from six to eight hours; even if you are not passed out, you'll have no memory of anything that occurred while you were under the drug's influence, nor will you be able to defend yourself. Besides making you vulnerable to sexual assault, roofies can also cause nausea, seizures, coma, liver failure, and even death from respiratory depression.
How Can I Protect Myself?
(Some of these tips are reprinted with permission from Iona College.)
What Should I Do if I Suspect I've Been Sexually Assaulted?
If you choose to file a police report, contact LSUPD at 225-578-3231.
Information in this blog provided by:
Katie McGee Barras
Assistant Dean of Students & Associate Director of Student Advocacy and Accountability
Louisiana State University
115 Johnston Hall
Beginning in the Fall of 2009, the NCAA has set forth stricter rules and regulations that pertain to the proper documentation and proper use of stimulant medications. According to the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Aspects of Sport, these new rules are designed to, "protect student-athlete's health and safety and ensure a level playing field."
Exceptions are made for those athletes with a documented medical history that demonostrates the need for the use of such drugs. The NCAA states that medical exemptions may be granted if the student-athlete has:
Louisiana State University has a protocol to address these specific issues as they relate to the need for medication, the testing required and the documentation process. The NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Aspects of Sports has developed an informative video to help answer some of the questions the student-athlete, their parent or guardian and the prescribing physician may have regarding use of these NCAA banned medications. Click on the URL provided below to watch the video:
http://web1.ncaa.org/web_video/health_and_safety/medexceptions.html All student-athletes who participate in Division I collegiate athletics are governed by the rules and regulations that were set forth by the NCAA. The rules that govern drug testing and the use of banned substances were put in place to protect the health and welfare of the student-athlete.
Click on the following URL to obtain the most recent list of substances that are banned by the NCAA:
http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/resources/file/ebb83308f4d9141/banned%20drugs%202008-09%2006-20-08.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&attachment=true
This "letter to the editor" appeared recently on the editorial pages of many national newspapers and has been seen on the internet in the form of a blog.
If you are a parent, a concerned citizen or a young adult just trying to do the right thing but are surrounded by peer pressure, consider your following options...
The other day, someone at a store in our town read that a Methamphetamine lab had been found in an old farmhouse in the adjoining county and he asked me a rhetorical question, "Why didn't we have a drug problem when you and I were growing up?" I replied, I had a drug problem when I was young: I was drug to church on Sunday morning. I was drug to church for weddings and funerals. I was drug to family reunions and community socials no matter the weather. I was drug by my ears when I was disrespectful to adults. I was also drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my parents, told a lie, brought home a bad report card, did not speak with respect, spoke ill of the teacher or the preacher, or if I didn't put forth my best effort in everything that was asked of me. I was drug to the kitchen sink to have my mouth washed out with soap if I uttered a profanity. I was drug out to pull weeds in mom's garden and flower beds and cockleburs out of dad's fields. I was drug to the homes of family, friends and neighbors to help out some poor soul who had no one to mow the yard, repair the clothesline, or chop some firewood, and, if my mother had ever known that I took a single dime as a tip for this kindness, she would have drug me back to the woodshed.
Those drugs are still in my veins and they affect my behavior in everything I do, say, or think. They are stronger than cocaine, crack, or heroin: and, if today's children had this kind of drug problem, America would be a better place. God bless the parents who drugged us.
Discontinuing prolonged use of high doses of CNS depressants can lead to withdrawal. Because they work by slowing the brain’s activity, a potential consequence of abuse is that when one stops taking a CNS depressant, the brain’s activity can rebound to the point that seizures can occur. Someone thinking about ending their use of a CNS depressant, or who has stopped and is suffering withdrawal, should speak with a physician and seek medical treatment.
In addition to medical supervision, counseling in an in-patient or out-patient setting can help people who are overcoming addiction to CNS depressants. For example, cognitive-behavioral therapy has been used successfully to help individuals in treatment for abuse of benzodiazepines. This type of therapy focuses on modifying a patient’s thinking, expectations, and behaviors while simultaneously increasing their skills for coping with various life stressors.
Often the abuse of CNS depressants occurs in conjunction with the abuse of another substance or drug, such as alcohol or cocaine. In these cases of polydrug abuse, the treatment approach should address the multiple addictions.
http://www.drugabuse.gov/infofacts/PainMed.html
CNS depressants slow normal brain function. In higher doses, some CNS depressants can become general anesthetics. Tranquilizers and sedatives are examples of CNS depressants. CNS depressants can be divided into two groups, based on their chemistry and pharmacology:
Barbiturates, such as mephobarbital (Mebaral) and pentobarbitalsodium (Nembutal), which are used to treat anxiety, tension, and sleep disorders.
There are many CNS depressants, and most act on the brain similarly—they affect the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Neurotransmitters are brain chemicals that facilitate communication between brain cells. GABA works by decreasing brain activity. Although different classes of CNS depressants work in unique ways, ultimately it is their ability to increase GABA activity that produces a drowsy or calming effect. Despite these beneficial effects for people suffering from anxiety or sleep disorders, barbiturates and benzodiazepines can be addictive and should be used only as prescribed.
CNS depressants should not be combined with any medication or substance that causes drowsiness, including prescription pain medicines, certain OTC cold and allergy medications, or alcohol. If combined, they can slow breathing, or slow both the heart and respiration, which can be fatal.
Long-term use also can lead to physical dependence—the body adapts to the presence of the substance and withdrawal symptoms occur if use is reduced abruptly. This can also include tolerance, which means that higher doses of a medication must be taken to obtain the same initial effects. Note that physical dependence is not the same as addiction—physical dependence can occur even with appropriate long-term use of opioid and other medications. Addiction, as noted earlier, is defined as compulsive, often uncontrollable drug use in spite of negative consequences.
Individuals taking prescribed opioid medications should not only be given these medications under appropriate medical supervision, but also should be medically supervised when stopping use in order to reduce or avoid withdrawal symptoms. Symptoms of withdrawal can include restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, cold flashes with goose bumps ("cold turkey"), and involuntary leg movements.
Individuals who become addicted to prescription medications can be treated. Options for effectively treating addiction to prescription opioids are drawn from research on treating heroin addiction. Some pharmacological examples of available treatments follow:
Opioids are commonly prescribed because of their effective analgesic, or pain relieving, properties. Studies have shown that properly managed medical use of opioid analgesic compounds is safe and rarely causes addiction. Taken exactly as prescribed, opioids can be used to manage pain effectively.
Among the compounds that fall within this class—sometimes referred to as narcotics—are morphine, codeine, and related medications. Morphine is often used before or after surgery to alleviate severe pain. Codeine is used for milder pain. Other examples of opioids that can be prescribed to alleviate pain include oxycodone (OxyContin—an oral, controlled release form of the drug); propoxyphene (Darvon); hydrocodone (Vicodin); hydromorphone (Dilaudid); and meperidine (Demerol), which is used less often because of its side effects. In addition to their effective pain relieving properties, some of these medications can be used to relieve severe diarrhea (Lomotil, for example, which is diphenoxylate) or severe coughs (codeine).
Opioids act by attaching to specific proteins called opioid receptors, which are found in the brain, spinal cord, and gastrointestinal tract. When these compounds attach to certain opioid receptors in the brain and spinal cord, they can effectively change the way a person experiences pain. In addition, opioid medications can affect regions of the brain that mediate what we perceive as pleasure, resulting in the initial euphoria that many opioids produce. They can also produce drowsiness, cause constipation, and, depending upon the amount taken, depress breathing. Taking a large single dose could cause severe respiratory depression or death.
Opioids may interact with other medications and are only safe to use with other medications under a physician's supervision. Typically, they should not be used with substances such as alcohol, antihistamines, barbiturates, or benzodiazepines. Since these substances slow breathing, their combined effects could lead to life-threatening respiratory depression.
http://www.drugabuse.gov/infofacts/PainMed.html
Q: What are stimulants?
A: As the name suggests, stimulants increase alertness, attention, and energy, as well as elevate blood pressure and increase heart rate and respiration. Stimulants historically were used to treat asthma and other respiratory problems, obesity, neurological disorders, and a variety of other ailments. But as their potential for abuse and addiction became apparent, the medical use of stimulants began to wane. Now, stimulants are prescribed for the treatment of only a few health conditions, including narcolepsy, ADHD, and depression that has not responded to other treatments.
Q: How do stimulants effect the brain and body?
A: Stimulants, such as dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine and Adderall) and methylphenidate (Ritalin and Concerta), have chemical structures similar to a family of key brain neurotransmitters called monoamines, which include norepinephrine and dopamine. Stimulants enhance the effects of these chemicals in the brain. Stimulants also increase blood pressure and heart rate, constrict blood vessels, increase blood glucose, and open up the pathways of the respiratory system. The increase in dopamine is associated with a sense of euphoria that can accompany the use of these drugs.
Q: What are the possible consequences of stimulant use and abuse?
A: As with other drugs of abuse, it is possible for individuals to become dependent upon or addicted to many stimulants. Withdrawal symptoms associated with discontinuing stimulant use include fatigue, depression, and disturbance of sleep patterns. Repeated use of some stimulants over a short period can lead to feelings of hostility or paranoia. Further, taking high doses of a stimulant may result in dangerously high body temperature and an irregular heartbeat. There is also the potential for cardiovascular failure or lethal seizures.
Q: Is it safe to use stimulants with other medications?
A: Stimulants should be used in combination with other medications only under a physician's supervision. Patients also should be aware of the dangers associated with mixing stimulants and OTC cold medicines that contain decongestants; combining these substances may cause blood pressure to become dangerously high or lead to irregular heart rhythms.
http://www.drugabuse.gov/ResearchReports/Prescription/prescription4.html#Stimulants
Scientists have found that whether an individual has positive or negative sensations after smoking marijuana can be influenced by heredity. A 1997 study demonstrated that identical male twins were more likely than nonidentical male twins to report similar responses to marijuana abuse, indicating a genetic basis for their response to the drug. (Identical twins share all of their genes.)
It also was discovered that the twins' shared or family environment before age 18 had no detectable influence on their response to marijuana. Certain environmental factors, however, such as the availability of marijuana, expectations about how the drug would affect them, the influence of friends and social contacts, and other factors that differentiate experiences of identical twins were found to have an important effect.
http://www.drugabuse.gov/infofacts/marijuana.html
Long-term marijuana abuse can lead to addiction for some people; that is, they abuse the drug compulsively even though it interferes with family, school, work, and recreational activities. Drug craving and withdrawal symptoms can make it hard for long-term marijuana smokers to stop abusing the drug. People trying to quit report irritability, sleeplessness, and anxiety. They also display increased aggression on psychological tests, peaking approximately one week after the last use of the drug.
http://www.drugabuse.gov/infofacts/marijuana.html
Research has shown that some babies born to women who abused marijuana during their pregnancies display altered responses to visual stimuli, increased tremulousness, and a high-pitched cry, which may indicate neurological problems in development. During the preschool years, marijuana-exposed children have been observed to perform tasks involving sustained attention and memory more poorly than nonexposed children do. In the school years, these children are more likely to exhibit deficits in problem-solving skills, memory, and the ability to remain attentive.
http://www.drugabuse.gov/infofacts/marijuana.html
