With cannabis, also commonly known as marijuana, in the national and world news so much lately you’d be hard pressed to find someone who isn’t at least vaguely aware of what this drug is.

Other Names for Cannabis

Known by hundreds of nicknames like spliff, ganja, weed, hash, skunk, and herb to name just a few, cannabis actually has a lot of myths surrounding it for a substance that is so widely known.

To get some straight facts about cannabis beyond this article you can call Rehab Clinic at 0800 118 2892 any time, day or night.

What is Cannabis

Cannabis is a naturally growing plant that when ingested or smoked acts as a relaxant, mood enhancer, appetite stimulant, and sometimes very mild hallucinogenic.

Users usually report feeling the effects are quite quickly from smoking and prefer marijuana as medicine to ease the pain and nausea of cancer, AIDS and other extremely serious health conditions. However, like most psycho-interactive substances the effects of cannabis can differ from one person to the next, with some users feeling intensely anxious and paranoid.

Cannabis Rehab Clinics

Because cannabis has long been the subject of much controversy in the medical and law enforcement fields, credible statistics about the level of use are hard to acquire. Many people can smoke cannabis regularly, as much as several times per day, and maintain a normal career and their health. Others contend that cannabis may not seem as harmful as other drugs but that it serves as a “gateway” drug, meaning that people who try marijuana are opening a gateway into a whole world of drug abuse.

Findings About Cannabis

The primary findings from a recent study from the official Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (UK) were that while there are some health risks associated with inhaling smoke of any kind, even frequent use of cannabis cannot be rightfully associated with major health problems for individual users or society as a whole.

Unlike almost any other recreational drug, the risk acute toxicity of cannabis is extremely low; studies have found an unusually large factor of separation (more than 10,000:1) between pharmacologically effective and lethal doses. In other words, it is nearly physically impossible to consume enough cannabis to die as a result of overdose.

There have been some suggestions that there is a minor risk of bronchitis or lung cancer from smoking marijuana, but study by the United States’ National Toxicology Program found “absolutely no evidence” to support these claims.

Extremely heavy and consistent use of cannabis will probably lead to dependence in some form, but its physically addictive potential is almost trivial compared to even tobacco and alcohol.

Think You or a Friend Has a Problem With Cannabis?

It is becoming more widely accepted societal wisdom that the occasional use of cannabis is less dangerous than socially accepted drugs like alcohol and tobacco, but sale and possession remains a criminal offence in the

UK and most countries. Cannabis can be discovered in the urine through drug testing for as many as to 2-7 days after a few sessions, but up to 30 days after the last time for heavy users.

Like a lot of information in the War on Drugs, facts about crystal methamphetamine can be hard to pin down. Also known by a plethora of street names such as crank, tweak, and ice, crystal methamphetamine is a very powerful stimulant concocted from a wide range of source substances and chemicals.

The Effects of Crystal Meth

The effects of meth are highly volatile because there can be potentially so many different toxic substances involved in a mix. After coming down last decade, rates of meth abuse have disturbingly been on the rise in recent years. If you know someone who needs help with crystal methamphetamine addiction, call the Rehab Clinic at 0800 118 2892.

Meth use really exploded in the 1980’s especially amongst certain demographics like the United States gay community, motorcycle gangs, and some long-haul truckers in order to drive long journeys with little or no sleep. However, a dip in prices to as little as £25 for half a gram, enough to last the majority of users a couple of days, has spread meth use deeper into mainstream culture. Until recently, meth use was rather rare in the UK but lately it has become more widely available even to suburban housewives.

Methamphetamine can be snorted, injected or smoked in a pipe to produce very strong feelings of euphoria, energy, and a perceived (but false) sense of focus. Smoking it provides the most intense sensation as the drug directly enters the bloodstream with results that can last from 2-16 hours.

Users describe a range of feelings and mental patterns ranging from obsessive compulsive behaviours to extremely strong sex drive and lack of sexual inhibitions.

This last effect is worth noting because it greatly increases the odds of unprotected sex. It is shocking but studies in the US have shown that crystal meth use has been a factor in as many as half of all new AIDS cases in recent years.

What About Short Term Use?

Short-term use of methamphetamine causes a rapid increase in body temperature, blood pressure, and cardiac rate. The drug can have unpleasant cognitive effects such as hallucinations, intense paranoia, and bizarre, psychotic behaviours.

Overdose is easily achieved with meth, marked by severe convulsions and circulatory and respiratory collapse, and death. Long-term abuse can create memory loss, wild rages, mood swings, and damage to the immune system.

Prescription drugs such as Benzies are used to both counter the effect of ‘uppers’ like cocaine, speed and E and ‘downers’ like heroin and booze.

Addiction to prescribed drugs can be extremely harmful to a persons physical and mental health.

Prescription Drug Rehab

Prescription drugs are often used as a ‘chill out’ drug on the club scene or as a downer, the drug comes in tablet form, although it can be injected introducing the risk of septicaemia, abscesses and attendant perils of using shared needles.

Prescription drugs are doctor-prescribed drugs commonly used for reducing stress and anxiety, promoting calmness, relaxation and sleep and as anti-depressants.

Types of Prescription Drugs

• estazolam (ProSom)
• flurazepam (Dalmane)
• quazepam (Doral)
• temazepam (Restoril)
• triazolam (Halcion)
• alprazolam (Xanax)
• chlordiazepoxide (Librium)
• clorazepate (Tranxene)
• diazepam (Valium)
• halazepam (Paxipam)
• lorazepam (Ativan)
• oxazepam (Serax)
• prazepam (Centrax)

Common Side Effects

Users can experience forgetfulness, confusion and drowsiness – so don’t drive on them. And if you work in an industrial crushing plant, perhaps it’s not a good idea to come in buzzing on benzies!

Always see your doctor before getting repeat prescriptions. Try not to use prescription drugs for long periods – restrict use to a 2-3 week period and if you’re using them as sleeping tablets, give yourself the occasional break of a few days.

Health Risks

Prescription drugs can cause physical addiction. Prescription drugs can become less effective as sleeping tablets after only 2 weeks of solid use and ineffective on controlling anxiety after 4 months of regular use – so users run the risk of taking ever increasing doses. Overdose is rarely fatal unless mixed with booze or heroin.

Statistics

US reports state that approximately 50 percent of people entering treatment for narcotic or cocaine addiction also report abusing Prescription Drugs.

Don’t try and stop overnight – it is best to come off the drug gradually. Ask your doctor or drug service for advice – swapping from longer- acting benzodiazepines to shorter acting ones (e.g. diazepan) can be helpful.

Withdrawal symptoms can drag on for weeks or months and come in the shape of anxiety attacks, agitation, insomnia, nausea and convulsions. A change of scene and diet can help, along with increased exercise and relaxation techniques.

The Law

It is not illegal to possess Prescription Drugs without a prescription – except temazepam which carries a 2 yr prison sentence and/or unlimited fine. Supplying any benzodiazepines is illegal, with a maximum punishment of up to 5yrs in prison and/or an unlimited fine.

Why would anyone become addicted to cocaine?

The effects of cocaine are immediate, extremely pleasurable, and brief. Cocaine produces intense but short-lived euphoria and can make users feel more energetic. Like caffeine, cocaine produces wakefulness and reduces hunger.

Psychological effects include feelings of well-being and a grandiose sense of power and ability mixed with anxiety and restlessness. As the drug wears off, these temporary sensations of mastery are replaced by an intense depression. The drug abuser will then “crash”, becoming lethargic and typically sleeping for several days.

How does cocaine produce its effects?

A great amount of research has been devoted to understanding the way cocaine produces its pleasurable effects, and the reasons it is so addictive. One mechanism is through its effects on structures deep in the brain. Scientists have discovered regions within the brain that, when stimulated, produce feelings of pleasure. One neural system that appears to be most affected by cocaine originates in a region, located deep within the brain, called the ventral tegmental area (VTA).

Nerve cells originating in the VTA extend to the region of the brain known as the nucleus accumbens, one of the brain’s key pleasure centres. In studies using animals, all types of pleasurable stimuli, such as food, water, sex, and many drugs of abuse, cause increased activity in the nucleus accumbens. Cocaine in the brain – In the normal communication process, dopamine is released by a neuron into the synapse, where it can bind with dopamine receptors on neighbouring neurons.

Normally dopamine is then recycled back into the transmitting neuron by a specialised protein called the dopamine transporter. If cocaine is present, it attaches to the dopamine transporter and blocks the normal recycling process, resulting in a build-up of dopamine in the synapse which contributes to the pleasurable effects of cocaine.

Researchers have discovered that, when a pleasurable event is occurring, it is accompanied by a large increase in the amounts of dopamine released in the nucleus accumbens by neurons originating in the VTA. In the normal communication process, dopamine is released by a neuron into the synapse (the small gap between two neurons), where it binds with specialised proteins (called dopamine receptors) on the neighbouring neuron, thereby sending a signal to that neuron.

Drugs of abuse are able to interfere with this normal communication process. For example, scientists have discovered that cocaine blocks the removal of dopamine from the synapse, resulting in an accumulation of dopamine. This build up of dopamine causes continuous stimulation of receiving neurons, probably resulting in the euphoria commonly reported by cocaine abusers.

As cocaine abuse continues, tolerance often develops. This means that higher doses and more frequent use of cocaine are required for the brain to register the same level of pleasure experienced during initial use. Recent studies have shown that during periods of abstinence from cocaine use, the memory of the euphoria associated with cocaine use or mere exposure to cues associated with drug use, can trigger tremendous craving and relapse to drug use even after long periods of abstinence.

What are the physical effects of cocaine addiction?

With the accumulating medical evidence of cocaine’s deleterious effects and the introduction and widespread use of cocaine, the public and government have become alarmed again about its growing use. To many, especially health care and social workers who deal with cocaine users and have witnessed the personal and societal devastation it produces, cocaine addiction is by far the most serious drug problem.

Cocaine use increases the risk of sudden heart attack and may also trigger stroke, even in users who otherwise are not at high risk for these sometimes fatal cardiovascular events. The risk is related to narrowing of blood vessels and increases in blood pressure and heart rate. Recently, NIDA-supported researchers at the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research Centre at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts, have identified changes in blood components that may also play a role in cocaine-related heart attack and stroke.

Changes in blood pressure, heart rates, and breathing rates, nausea, vomiting, anxiety, convulsions, insomnia, loss of appetite leading to malnutrition and weight loss, cold sweats, swelling and bleeding of mucous membranes, restlessness and anxiety, damage to nasal cavities, damage to lungs, possible heart attacks, strokes, or convulsions.

What effect does cocaine have on health?

Even though the public is often regaled with highly publicized accounts of deaths from cocaine, many still mistakenly believe the drug to be non-addictive and not as harmful as other illicit drugs. Cocaine’s immediate physical effects include raised breathing rate, raised blood pressure and body temperature, and dilated pupils.

By causing the coronary arteries to constrict, blood pressure rises and the blood supply to the heart diminishes. This can cause heart attacks or convulsions within an hour after use. Chronic users and those with hypertension, epilepsy, and cardiovascular disease are at particular risk. Studies show that even those with no previous heart problems, risk cardiac complications from cocaine.

Increased use may sensitize the brain to the drug’s effects so that less of the substance is needed to induce a seizure. Those who inject the drug are at high risk for AIDS and hepatitis when they share needles. Allergic reactions to cocaine or other substances mixed in with the drug may also occur.

What are the short-term effects of cocaine?

Cocaine’s effects appear almost immediately after a single dose, and disappear within a few minutes or hours. Taken in small amounts, cocaine usually makes the user feel euphoric, energetic, talkative, and mentally alert, especially to the sensations of sight, sound, and touch. It can also temporarily decrease the need for food and sleep. Some users find that the drug helps them to perform simple physical and intellectual tasks more quickly, while others can experience the opposite effect.

Increased energy, decreased appetite, mental alertness, increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, constricted blood vessels, increased temperature, dilated pupils, a feeling of euphoria, excitement, a feeling of strength and power.

The duration of cocaine’s immediate euphoric effects depends upon the route of administration. The faster the absorption, the more intense the high. Also, the faster the absorption, the shorter the duration of action. The high from snorting is relatively slow in onset, and may last 15 to 30 minutes, while that from smoking may last 5 to 10 minutes. The short-term physiological effects of cocaine include constricted blood vessels; dilated pupils; and increased temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure.

Large amounts (several hundred milligrams or more) intensify the user’s high, but may also lead to bizarre, erratic, and violent behaviour. These users may experience tremors, vertigo, muscle twitches, paranoia, or, with repeated doses, a toxic reaction closely resembling amphetamine poisoning. Some users of cocaine report feelings of restlessness, irritability, and anxiety.

In rare instances, sudden death can occur on the first use of cocaine or unexpectedly thereafter. Cocaine-related deaths are often a result of cardiac arrest or seizures followed by respiratory arrest.
Various doses of cocaine can also produce other neurological and behavioural effects such as:
Dizziness, Headache, Movement problems, Anxiety, Insomnia, Depression, Hallucinations.

What are the long-term effects of cocaine?

Cocaine is a powerfully addictive drug. Once having tried cocaine, an individual may have difficulty predicting or controlling the extent to which he or she will continue to use the drug. Cocaine’s stimulant and addictive effects are thought to be primarily a result of its ability to inhibit the re-absorption of dopamine by nerve cells. Dopamine is released as part of the brain’s reward system, and is either directly or indirectly involved in the addictive properties of every major drug of abuse.

Irritability, Mood disturbances, Restlessness, Paranoia, Auditory hallucinations, Addiction.

An appreciable tolerance to cocaine’s high may develop, with many addicts reporting that they seek but fail to achieve as much pleasure as they did from their first experience. Some users will frequently increase their doses to intensify and prolong the euphoric effects. While tolerance to the high can occur, users can also become more sensitive (sensitization) to cocaine’s anaesthetic and convulsant effects, without increasing the dose taken. This increased sensitivity may explain some deaths occurring after apparently low doses of cocaine.

Use of cocaine in a binge, during which the drug is taken repeatedly and at increasingly high doses, leads to a state of increasing irritability, restlessness, and paranoia. This may result in a full-blown paranoid psychosis, in which the individual loses touch with reality and experiences auditory hallucinations.

What are the medical complications of cocaine use?

There are enormous medical complications associated with cocaine use.

• Cardiovascular effects : Disturbances in heart rhythm and heart attacks.
• Respiratory effects : Chest pain and Respiratory failure.
• Neurological effects : Strokes, seizures and headaches.
• Gastrointestinal effects : Abdominal pain and nausea.

Cocaine use has been linked to many types of heart disease. Cocaine has been found to trigger chaotic heart rhythms, called ventricular fibrillation; accelerate heartbeat and breathing; and increase blood pressure and body temperature. Physical symptoms may include chest pain, nausea, blurred vision, fever, muscle spasms, convulsions and coma.

Different routes of cocaine administration can produce different adverse effects. Regularly snorting cocaine, for example, can lead to; loss of sense of smell, nosebleeds, problems with swallowing, hoarseness, and an overall irritation of the nasal septum. This can lead to a chronically inflamed, runny nose. Ingested cocaine can cause severe bowel gangrene, due to reduced blood flow.

Persons who inject cocaine have puncture marks and “tracks,” most commonly in their forearms. Intravenous cocaine users may also experience an allergic reaction, either to the drug or to some additive in street cocaine, which in some cases can result in death. Because cocaine has a tendency to decrease food intake, many chronic cocaine users lose their appetites and can experience significant weight loss and malnourishment.

Research has revealed a potentially dangerous interaction between cocaine and alcohol. Taken in combination, the two drugs are converted by the body to cocaethylene. Cocaethylene has a longer duration of action in the brain and is more toxic than either drug alone. While more research needs to be done, it is noteworthy that the mixture of cocaine and alcohol is the most common two-drug combination that results in drug-related death.

What are the symptoms of cocaine withdrawal?

Regular use of cocaine can lead to strong psychological dependence (addiction). Those who abruptly stop their cocaine use can experience cocaine addiction withdrawal symptoms as they readjust to functioning without the drug. The length of cocaine addiction withdrawal varies from person to person and also depends on the amount and frequency of use. Agitation, depression, intense craving for the drug, extreme fatigue, anxiety, angry outbursts, lack of motivation, nausea/vomiting, shaking, irritability, muscle pain and disturbed sleep.

Ecstasy is a powerful stimulant and mood changer that speeds up your body system and alters your perception of the world.

Ecstasy addiction is not as common as other class a drug addictions and it is not possible to become physically addicted to ecstasy in the same way as other class A drugs such as cocaine or heroin.

Long terms effects of ecstasy use are loss of memory and mood swings. Though ecstasy is not physically addictive, some users find it extremely seductive and during times of craving they can become stressed and lose the ability to concentrate.

If you think that you may be suffering from ecstasy addiction and would like some free advice on steps to take regarding treatment and recovery, call us or fill out the short online form.

It can make you feel both uplifted and relaxed and feeling very happy, usually with an overwhelming urge to dance. The effects of E vary considerably from one person to the next, depending on who you’re with, where you are and how you’re feeling at the time.

Usually coming in the form of small pills selling at around £8 – £12, or more rarely as MDMA powder, the effects of E can be felt for anything up to 8 hours, although this time reduces considerably for regular users.

Effects of Ecstasy

Within 20 minutes to an hour after taking ecstasy, your heart may go into bangin’ gabba overdrive and you might feel a bit hot and sticky while your mouth goes dry. Sometimes, you’ll come up with a huge exhilarating rush and possibly experience hallucinations.

During the two hours when the effects are their strongest, even the sound of a cutlery tray being dropped will sound unbearably danceable, you’ll be walking around with a ludicrous grin on your face and even a set of Millwall fans will appear hugely huggable.

Lights will seem brighter and colours more intense. You’ll feel firmly locked into the groove on the dancefloor and feel happy and confident. These feelings will slowly diminish as the drugs wear down.

Because E removes all feelings of tiredness and thirst it is vital that you keep yourself hydrated if you’re dancing non-stop. Try to drink around a pint of fluid an hour (not alcohol) to replace fluids lost by dancing – isotonic drinks are particularly good. If you’re not dancing then you don’t need to drink so much as it can be harmful – as in the tragic case of Leah Betts.

Side Effects of Ecstasy

Like most strong drugs, expect to appear very strange when encountering straight friends. E can make you strut wildly and enthusiastically to some of the worst tunes in the world while hugging very unsavoury characters. You will also quite probably talk a whole load of bullshit and any photographs taken of you in this state will prove wildly amusing to your friends afterwards.

Avoid taking ecstasy if you’re on anti-depressants, and try to avoid wolfing down cans of Super Tennents as the alcohol will dehydrate you – as well as weaken the effects of the E. Ecstasy puts a tremendous strain on your heart, liver and kidneys, and it’s important to take time out in a chill-out area during the night.

The Dangers

Most of the dangers come from people overheating and not replacing enough fluids while dancing, so it is essential to keep drinking water if you’re dancing. We can’t stress this fact enough. But also be careful not to drink too much – about about a pint an hour is right if you’re on the dancefloor.

Remember that water is not an antidote to E, it just helps combat the dehydrating qualities of the drug.

Always make sure that you can get home safely before taking E, and don’t try to drive. Because E is a stimulant, the comedown is much like that from speed. Once you’ve come down you might feel a bit depressed, anxious, hungry and tired with some people getting it worse than others. You might also notice a laxative effect. Long-term frequent users often get run-down from exhaustion and suffer colds, sore throats and flu. Women can be susceptible to cystitis and thrush.

How long do the effects last? MDMA: 4-6 hours, MDEA: 3-5 hours, MDA: 8-10 hours, MBDB: 4-6 hours. Note: These are approximate times as duration and intensity depend on a variety of factors including the amount of the drug taken, its strength, purity, body weight and the physical and psychological makeup of the individual concerned.

Health Risks of Ecstasy Use

There has been much hysterical speculation about the dangers of taking Ecstasy, and although the vast majority of these articles seem more interested in pursuing a moral agenda than dealing with the health issues, it’s important to recognise that there are some risks involved.

Although it’s true to say that E is a comparably safe drug, in 1999, Ecstasy was mentioned on 26 UK death certificates in 1999 (although on most of these other drugs were listed too).

Ecstasy use in the UK has remained constant over past 5 years, estimated at around 300,000 people per week. Depending on figures and assumptions made, the death rate for first time users ranges from 1 in 10,000 (the same as road accidents) to just 1 in 2,000 (source: Times, 6.Dec.01)

MDMA appears to disturb the body’s ability to regulate its temperature and this can lead to serious problems with overheating and ‘heat shock’. There is no conclusive evidence to the long-term effects of ecstasy, although some experts suspect that there may be a link between brain damage and long term ecstasy use.

In 1995 Leah Betts tragically died after taking an ‘E’ and drinking water to counter the drug’s effect.

Detection Periods

Ecstasy can be detected in the urine up to 2-4 days after use at common levels.

The Law

MDMA and Ecstasy are categorised as Class A drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act, 1971

Ketamine can produce vivid dreams or hallucinations, and make the user feel as though the mind is separated from the body. This effect is called “dissociation,” which is also the effect of the related drug PCP.

When Ketamine is given to humans for medical reasons, it is often given in combination with another drug that prevents hallucinations.

Ketamine Street Names

Special K, K, Ket, Vitamin K, Cat Tranquilizers

Ketamine effects take two different forms: physical and mental. Ketamine effects are most detrimental to the mental aspect of the user and can be devastating. In fact the same reasons that cause the Ketamine effects to be destructive are the same reasons why they are so seductive. Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic.

This means that the drug allows a person to disassociate themselves from their own consciousness. This is what is known as the ‘near death feeling’ or “k-hole” in slang terms. This is the desired Ketamine effect.

What does Ketamine look like?

The Ketamine that is manufactured for medical use is sold in a liquid form, though it is usually converted into a white powder before it is sold illegally. The powder is snorted, mixed into drinks or smoked with marijuana or tobacco. The liquid is added to drinks, or injected. It is usually injected into a muscle, because injecting it into a vein usually causes loss of consciousness.

Ketamine Users

Ketamine is only available legally to veterinarians and medical doctors and has been used for its veterinary properties for nearly 30 years. However, it is then stolen or diverted, and sold illegally on the street or in clubs for recreational use.

There has been a recent increase in the popularity of the drug among young people, which may be linked to its accessibility as a “club drug” at parties and “raves.” Ketamine dissolves in liquid, allowing it to be slipped into drinks, and its sedative effects have been used to prevent victims from resisting sexual assault. For this reason, Ketamine has been commonly referred to in the media as a “date rape” drug. Hence it is advisable to take caution at parties and bars and watch your drink.

How does Ketamine make you feel?

The way Ketamine – or any other drug – affects you depends on many factors: age and body weight, how much you take and how often you take it, how long you’ve been taking it, the method you use to take the drug, whether or not you have certain pre-existing medical or psychiatric conditions, and if you’ve taken any alcohol or other drugs (illicit, prescription, over-the counter, herbal or otherwise).

The effects of Ketamine are usually felt between one and ten minutes after taking the drug. Users report a drunken and dizzy feeling and a quick numbness in the body. The range of visual experiences are reported to include blurred vision, seeing “trails,” “astral travel” and intense and terrifying hallucinations. Some report feelings of weightlessness, and “out-of-body” or “near-death” experiences.

When Ketamine is taken in lower doses, users may feel sleepy, distracted and withdrawn. They may find it difficult to think clearly, or feel confused, having a distorted perception of time and their body. At higher doses a Ketamine user may babble, stumble (if they try to walk), have an increased heart rate, find it difficult to breathe and most likely not remember who or where they are . Too high a dose of Ketamine causes loss of consciousness.

The mildest effect of Ketamine is an increase in heart rate along with a slight euphoric feeling. This feeling of euphoria can be deceiving; when something is truly wrong the user may not know it. Furthermore, If their body is being affected in a fatal way the euphoria will not draw their attention to the problem. This can lead to more use and can sometimes lead to death.

How long do the effects of Ketamine last?

The effects of Ketamine usually last about an hour. Some users may feel low or anxious, or even have some memory loss. In some cases the user can experience flashbacks of their drug experience long after the effects of the drug have worn off.

Dangers of Ketamine

Users of Ketamine put themselves at risk a number of ways.

Like all anaesthetics, Ketamine prevents the user from feeling pain. This means that if injury occurs, the user may not know it. Depending on the amount of drug taken, those under its effects may have difficulty standing up or speaking, resulting in an increased risk of injury.

As with other anaesthetics, Ketamine may cause vomiting. Eating or drinking before taking the drug increases the risk of choking on vomit.

When taken in higher doses, Ketamine may depress the central nervous system. This can reduce the level of oxygen that gets to the brain, heart and other muscles, and may even cause death.

The Ketamine sold at clubs may be mixed with other drugs, which in combination could make it even more dangerous. Combining Ketamine with alcohol or other sedatives can be fatal.

Driving or operating machinery while under the influence of Ketamine, or any drug, increases the risk of physical injury to the user, and increases the risk of injury to others.

Is Ketamine addictive?

If Ketamine is used regularly, the user becomes more tolerant to the effects of the drug; meaning more and more is needed to achieve the same initial effect. However, there have been no reports of typical symptoms of drug withdrawal when users stop taking Ketamine.

What are the long-term effects of using Ketamine?

Since there has been little research about the long-term, non-medical use of Ketamine, the long-term effects are not known. Of all the Ketamine effects the most sought after is this feeling of disassociation. With the acquisition of this feeling come many consequences.

If the user continues use to the point of “k-hole” (see above) they can begin to do irreparable damage. The perforation in their consciousness can become permanent. This then creates a neurosis that is inescapable, which leads to periodic episodes of complete consciousness perforation. If this continues the person can become insane beyond psychological assistance.

Is ketamine a problem for you? Are you considering drug rehab or drug detox to help overcome your problem? Get in touch with one of our drug councillors who will be happy to assist you in making the right decision. 0800 118 2892.

Methadone treatment is now common throughout the UK and overseas since it is prescribed for people suffering from methadone addiction.

Methadone Rehab Clinic

A methadone clinic is rather like most drug clinics in that you go through a detox phase, as well as group counselling and one on one counselling.

If you think you or a member of your family or even a friend is suffering from methadone or heroin addcition there is help available to you.

Methadone Hydrochloride is an opioid (a synthetic opiate) that was originally synthesised by the German pharmaceutical company Axis during the second world war.

It was first marketed as ‘Dolophine’ and was used as an analgesic (a painkiller) for the treatment of severe pain. It is still occasionally used for pain relief, although it is more widely used now as a substitute drug for people addicted to other opiates (primarily heroin).

Methadone is usually available as a liquid – linctus or methadone mixture – which should be swallowed. Tablets and injectable ampoules are sometimes prescribed, and like many other medicines some of these prescribed drugs are diverted and become available illegally.

Effects of Methadone

When methadone is prescribed to people addicted to other opiates (primarily heroin), the guidelines for the dosage are that enough should be given to prevent physical withdrawal symptoms – when you are prescribed methadone it is not supposed to give you a buzz, or get you high. If you take methadone orally (mixture or linctus), it will take around thirty minutes before you feel the effects.

If you are using injectable methadone (Physeptone) then the drug takes effect much more rapidly.

Physical Changes

As an opiate, regular use of methadone causes physical dependency – if you’ve been using it regularly (prescribed or not) once you stop you will experience a withdrawal. The physical changes due to the drug are similar to other opiates (like heroin); suppressed cough reflex, contracted pupils, drowsiness and constipation.

Some methadone users feel sick when they first use the drug. If you are a woman using methadone you may not have regular periods – but you are still able to conceive. Methadone is a long-acting opioid; it has an effect for up to 36 hours (if you are using methadone you will not withdraw for this period) and can remain in your body for several days.

Keeping Safe When Using Methadone

Methadone is a very powerful drug, and individual doses vary for each person. If you are using methadone that you have bought illegally be aware that you could overdose on an amount that would seem ‘normal’ to somebody else – especially if you are not using opiates regularly, and therefore have a low tolerance (it doesn’t take very much to affect you).

If you are using methadone regularly – prescribed or not – taking a higher dose than normal or using other depressant drugs (like alcohol, heroin, tranquillisers or sleeping tablets) on top could cause you to overdose.

If you do lose consciousness and vomit you may well choke. If you become drowsy you should not try to drive or operate machinery – you could easily have an accident. Methadone is very dangerous for children.

You should store methadone where children are not able to get to it – in a high cupboard, not by your bed or in the fridge. If a child does swallow methadone they should be taken to the Accident and Emergency Department at your local hospital immediately – let the doctors know what has been taken, and if possible at what time and what quantity.

Methadone Laws in the UK

Methadone is controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 as a schedule 2 drug, that is a substance considered to have medical therapeutic use, and legal to possess only if prescribed by a doctor, and then only if taken in accordance with the doctor’s instructions. Methadone is a Class A drug.

Methadone Fact

Contrary to popular belief, Dolophine was not named after Adolph Hitler. Methadone was first synthesized by German pharmacologists before WWII began, its properties were not discovered until after the war. ‘Dolophine’ (the original trade name for methadone hydrochloride), was not derived from the name ‘Adolph’, but from the Latin ‘dolor’ (pain) and ‘fin’ (end)