Signs And Symptoms Associated With Drug Abuse

Marijuana

Someone using marijuana can:

  • get dizzy
  • laugh for no reason
  • have red, bloodshot eyes
  • forget things that just happened

Marijuana makes you feel like time is slowing down. Minutes can feel like hours. At the same time, everyday sights, sounds, and tastes may seem really interesting or funny.

Marijuana can make you feel very hungry. You want to eat lots of junk food. Some people call this “the munchies.”

People who smoke marijuana often smell like it afterwards. Marijuana smells sweeter than cigarette smoke. A person might use incense, cologne, or perfume to try to hide the smell.

Signs and Symptoms of Marijuana Overdose

While rare, marijuana poisoning is still possible in some cases. Signs and symptoms of marijuana poisoning might include:

  • Extreme anxiety or panic attacks.
  • Psychotic reactions in which someone loses touch with reality or becomes paranoid, sometimes in the form of hallucinations, delusions, or a loss of personal identity.
  • Decreased judgment, perception, and coordination that can lead to injuries or even death.
  • A fast heart rate, chest pain, or heart attack.
  • Uncontrollable shaking or seizures.
  • Pale skin color.
  • Unresponsiveness
  • Sudden high blood pressure with headache.

IF POISONING SIGNS ARE PRESENT CALL 911

Opioids

Opioid use disorder is defined by not being able to abstain from using opioids, and behaviors centered around opioid use that interfere with daily life.  Being physically dependent on an opioid can occur when someone has an opioid use disorder, and is characterized by withdrawal symptoms such as cravings and sweating.  However, people can misuse opioids and not have physical dependence.  When a person has physical dependence, it can be particularly hard to stop taking opioids, and that dependence can interfere with daily routines, including personal relationships or finances.

Opioid use disorder can be diagnosed by a doctor. Someone struggling with opioid use disorder may not display symptoms right away. However, over time, there may be signs that they need help.

Opioids include heroin, fentanyl, carfentanyl, hydrocodone, vicodin, percocet, oxycontin and other prescription and non-prescription substances.

Nodding Off

Nodding off or frequently falling asleep during inappropriate times is one of the most common indicators of Opioid abuse. Often the individual will deny fatigue and/or that they are falling asleep.

Common signs of opioid abuse include:

  • The inability to control opioid use or using prescription medication more often or in larger quantities than prescribed
  • Using opioids without a prescription
  • Uncontrollable cravings
  • Drowsiness/frequent nodding off or falling asleep while sitting or standing often with denial of fatigue
  • Changes in sleep habits
  • Weight loss
  • Frequent flu-like symptoms
  • Decreased libido
  • Lack of hygiene
  • Changes in exercise habits
  • Isolation from family or friends
  • Stealing from family, friends or businesses
  • New financial difficulties
  • Drug seeking behavior also known as doctor shopping when physicians refuse to provide pain medications
  • Frequent emergency room visits with non-specific or clinically unidentifiable complaints of pain
  • Anger with physicians who refuse to provide prescription pain relievers
  • Refusal to try or discuss alternative treatments for pain relief
  • Self inflicted injury to obtain prescription pain relievers

Opioid withdrawal symptoms can be mild to severe.  Mild withdrawal signs include:

  • muscle aches
  • anxiety
  • watery eyes
  • runny nose
  • excessive sweating
  • inability to sleep
  • yawning very often

More severe signs of withdrawal include:

  • severe nausea and vomiting
  • stomach cramps
  • diarrhea
  • goose bumps on the skin
  • dilated pupils and possibly blurry vision
  • rapid heartbeat
  • high blood pressure

Opioid Overdoses can be distinguished by the following signs:

  • Pupils will contract and appear small
  • Muscles are slack and droopy
  • They might “nod off”
  • Scratch a lot due to itchy skin
  • Speech may be slurred
  • They might be out of it, but they will respond to outside stimulus like loud noise or a light shake from a concerned friend.
  • Loss of consciousness
  • Unresponsive to outside stimulus
  • Awake, but unable to talk
  • Breathing is very slow and shallow, erratic, or has stopped
  • For lighter skinned people, the skin tone turns bluish purple, for darker skinned people, it turns grayish or ashen.
  • Choking sounds, or a snore-like gurgling noise (sometimes called the “death rattle”)
  • Vomiting
  • Body is very limp
  • Face is very pale or clammy
  • Fingernails and lips turn blue or purplish black
  • Pulse (heartbeat) is slow, erratic, or not there at all

If someone is making unfamiliar sounds while “sleeping” it is IMPERATIVE to try to wake him or her up.  Many loved ones have thought a person was snoring, when in fact the person was overdosing with tragic results. 

IF THESE POISONING SIGNS ARE PRESENT DO NOT HESITATE- CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY

Stimulants

Stimulants ranging from ADHD medication to methamphetamines and cocaine are often abused for their effects, from alertness to the euphoric high. Those who frequently abuse stimulants, regardless of their intentions, are at risk of becoming addicted. Knowing what to look for in a person abusing stimulants can help you identify if someone has a problem with these drugs.

 

Stimulants include but are not limited to:

 

  • Cocaine/crack
  • Methamphetamines
  • Amphetamine
  • Caffeine
  • Cigarettes
  • Ephedra
  • Khat
  • MDMA
  • OTC cold medications
  • Ritalin
  • Adderall
  • Concerta
  • Phenphedrine (Fenphedrine)
  • Adapexin-P
  • Testoripped
  • Hoodia
  • Guar gum
  • Conjugated linoleic acid
  • Country mallow
  • Xenical
  • Dexedrine

Common signs of stimulant abuse include:

  • Dilated pupils
  • Flushed skin
  • Restlessness/hyperactivity
  • Loss of appetite
  • Weight loss
  • Excessive sweating
  • Deceptive behavior, such as lying or stealing
  • Doctor shopping, or meeting with multiple doctors to get prescriptions
  • Using prescriptions more than prescribed
  • Using stimulant drugs without a prescription
  • Using illicit stimulant drugs
  • Exhibiting excessive energy or motivation
  • Aggressive behavior or anger outbursts
  • Mood-swings
  • Risky or impulsive behaviors
  • Tremors or shaking
  • Rapid heartbeat
  • Elevated blood pressure
  • Hyper-focus
  • Flight of ideas
  • Racing thoughts
  • Anxiety or nervousness
  • Increased sense of well-being or confidence
  • Paranoia/panic attacks
  • Loss of coordination
  • Visual and auditory hallucinations
  • Chronic sleep problems
  • Vomiting
  • Abdominal cramps

Other signs that may indicate that your loved one is struggling with abuse are:

  • They spend a majority of their time seeking out and using the drug.
  • They continue to seek the drug despite adverse effects on their life and health.
  • They have tried to give up or cut down on their use but have been unsuccessful.
  • They have to take larger and larger amounts to feel the same effects.

Stimulant withdrawal symptoms can include:

  • Inability to feel pleasure
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Drug cravings
  • Depression
  • Fatigue
  • Poor quality of sleep
  • Mood swings
  • Loss of cognitive function
  • Disinterest in surroundings
  • Paranoia or extreme fear

Amphetamine poisoning symptoms can range from uncomfortable to life-threatening.

People overdosing often act extremely agitated. They may be paranoid, aggressive, and even violent, they can possibly become a serious risk to themselves and others.

Some common signs and symptoms of an amphetamine poisoning can include:

  • Psychosis
  • Hallucinations
  • Paranoia
  • Agitation/irritability
  • Behavioral disturbances
  • Elevated body temperature (Hyperthermia)
  • Delirium
  • Increased respiratory rate.
  • Increased heart rate (Tachycardia)
  • Heart palpitations.
  • Chest pain.
  • Dehydration and urine retention.
  • Rapid speech
  • Persistent, repetitious tasks
  • Compulsive behavior such as cleaning, picking at themselves
  • Restlessness.
  • Dilated pupils that react slowly to light
  • Repetitive movement, pacing, or muscle tremors

IF POISONING SIGNS ARE PRESENT CALL 911

  Long-term negative health effects of stimulant abuse include:

  • Extreme weight loss
  • Reduced sexual functioning
  • Gastrointestinal problems
  • Muscle deterioration
  • Chronic exhaustion
  • Cardiovascular damage
  • Breathing problems
  • Headaches
  • Cerebral hemorrhage
  • Stroke
  • Seizure

Hallucinogens

Hallucinogens also known as psychedelic drugs interfere with the brain by flooding the brain with serotonin (the neurotransmitter responsible for mood regulation, sensory perception, sleep cycles, hunger, body temperature, sex drive, and muscle control). The excess of serotonin can cause the body to develop a dependence on the use of hallucinogens. The abuse of hallucinogens can cause the inability to physically produce adequate amounts of serotonin on its own, leading to post use depression and other negative mental health conditions.


Hallucinogens include:

  • LSD
  • DMT or N,N-Dimethyltryptamine,
  • PCP, or Phencyclidine,
  • Ketamine 
  • Mescaline
  • Psilocybin/magic mushrooms
  • Bath Salts
  • GHB or Gamma-Hydroxybutyric Acid
  • Ecstasy or MDMA

Short term effects from abusing hallucinogens include:

  • Hallucinations
  • Fluctuations in heart rate
  • Intense feelings and sensory feedback
  • Feelings of distorted time
  • Dry mouth
  • Anxiety or paranoia

Abuse signs can be harder to detect with hallucinogenic drug types than others.  If one is taking LSD, for the most part, they will have a hard time hiding it. This is because a typical LSD experience can last for as long as 10 hours.

During that time, they will have a difficult time communicating like they normally would and the follow can occur:

  • dilated pupils
  • struggles to form meaningful sentences
  • taking awkwardly long pauses
  • avoids contacting you for long periods of time to prevent use detection
  • uncontrolled laughter over ordinary things
  • staring at objects or images for long periods of time

Other hallucinogens, such as DMT, are more difficult to detect. A typical DMT experience only lasts around twenty minutes to half an hour. Other drugs, like salvia, can last as little as 5 minutes.

You might not notice the actual effects of the drug in your loved one, but you may notice the after-effects.

If they’re abusing psychedelic drugs, they may exhibit:

  • mood swings
  • significant personality changes
  • may begin to express a newly formed interest in existential topics, like religion or philosophy 
  • depression and anxiety

Withdrawal symptoms are characterized by:

  • Anxiety or depression
  • Restlessness
  • Agitation and irritability
  • Insomnia
  • Increasing tolerance to the hallucinogens positive feelings with enhancement of negative effects like dysphoria and anxiety

Poisoning symptoms include but are not limited to:

  • Extended more intense trip or experience time
  • Psychosis
  • Muscle spasm or seizures
  • Loss of coordination
  • Convulsions
  • Heart or lung failure
  • Catatonic state
  • Ruptured vessels in the brain
  • Coma

IF POISONING SIGNS ARE PRESENT CALL 911

Long term health damages that can occur due to the abuse of hallucinogenic drugs include:

  • Hallucinogenic Perception Disorder or visual snow 
  • Flashbacks, or experiencing hallucinations again, even years later
  • Impaired motor function
  • Loss of memory and neural function
  • Severe depression and mental health issues
  • Permanent changes in sensory perception
  • Speech problems 
  • Bladder ulcers and kidney problems from Ketamine use
  • Paranoia
  • Visual disturbances