When a female is pregnant, caution should be taken as to what she consumes into her body, because everything she consumes passes into the baby’s bloodstream.    Pregnant females who have substance abuse problems risk dangers to her unborn child.  The danger involved depends on the type of substance used, the amount of substance used and the time during the development of the fetus.

Although there are some prescribed medications that some females have to take while pregnant, it could also have a risk danger to the developing fetus.  Alcohol should be avoided at all cost because it has an even higher risk where an infant can/may suffer fetal alcohol syndrome.

Other substances such as cocaine, crack and meth that has been exposed to the unborn fetus has a strong impact and can cause a condition in an infant known as NAS (neonatal abstinence syndrome), a term used to describe what an infant goes through while coming off drugs and is the same reaction as an adult withdrawing from drugs.

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All drugs are different and because they are different, the withdrawal symptom of each drug that a person has stopped taking varies as to whether it is emotional or physical.  Some drugs like alcohol, opiates and tranquilizers have significant physical withdrawals along with emotional withdrawal, whereas drugs like cocaine, marijuana and ecstasy have emotional withdrawal and some people could experience very little withdrawal despite the drug in use.

The symptoms that could occur with emotional withdrawal are anxiety, insomnia, headaches, a lack of concentration, depression and social isolation.

The symptoms of physical withdrawal are sweating, palpitations, muscle tension, breathing difficulties, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.

Alcohol and tranquilizers emit the most dangerous physical withdrawal because stopping to use alcohol or tranquilizer abruptly can lead to seizures or heart attack in high risk patients.  Going through a medically administered detox program can limit some withdrawal symptoms and reduce risky complications.

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The human brain is the most complex organ in the body, sitting at the center of all human activities.  It is made up of many parts that work together as a team, when one member of the team becomes weak, the whole team weakens, and this is the effect of substance abuse and the brain.

There are areas in the brain that are affected by substance abuse and these areas are:

The brain stem controls heart rate, breathing and sleeping.

The limbic system controls the human’s feel for pleasure and is responsible for our positive and negative insight of other emotions.

The cerebral cortex controls specific functions that facilitate sight, touch, taste, and hearing, the front part of the cortex, is the thinking part that gives us our ability to think, plan, problem solve and make decisions.

Each nerve cell in the brain sends and receives messages in the form of electrical impulses and once a nerve cell sort out a message, it sends it to other neurons, which carries the messages between neurons by chemicals called neurotransmitters, which attaches itself to a receptor.

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About Drugs

Some things you may be interested in to know about drugs.  Drugs are a substance used in all forms from inhaling through the nose to injecting in your veins.

There are types of drugs categorized according to its effects, drugs that are opiates and narcotics are powerful painkillers that cause drowsiness and sometimes feelings of euphoria, these types of drugs are opium, heroin, codeine, Demerol and oxycontin.  These substances are usually in the urine from twelve (12) to thirty-six (36) hours (1/2 day to 1 ½ days) from the last use and it also depends on the frequency and amount used.

Another category is the stimulant drugs that attack the central nervous system, such drugs are amphetamines, cocaine, methamphetamine and Ritalin, these drugs can lead to tolerance. Any of these substances can be found in the urine from one (1) to twelve (12) days, again, depending on frequency and amount used.

Then there are the depressants that attack the central nervous system also, these substances are alcohol, barbiturates, valium, ativan, xanax, chloral hydrate and paraldehyde which can sedate you and reduce your anxiety level and can lead to dependence or abuse and eventually addiction.  These substances can be found in urine up to seven (7) days after use, depending how quickly it is removed from the body.

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Can the drinking habits of different ethnic groups have a significant effect on death rates?

It seems so, according to a study published in the journal Alcohol and Alcoholism. The research concluded that a native-born Scot has double the risk of an alcohol-related death as compared to someone who lives in Scotland but who was born south of the border with England.

Also, people born in Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland have double the risk of dying of an alcohol-related death as someone from England or Wales. And Welsh or English males are 64 per cent less likely to die of alcohol-related causes than a male from Scotland.

The data was assembled between 2000 and 2005.

The results showed similar death rates between Scots of both sexes and Irish people of both sexes. Native Scots also have about the same rates of alcohol-related deaths as people born in India. But, Pakistani-born males were 72 per cent less likely to die from this cause as Scottish-born males.

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After conducting some tests, Health Canada discovered that an erectile dysfunction product called “E.O.D. Erection on Demand” contains the prescription drug, tadalafil.  “E.O.D. Erection on Demand” is advertised as an herbal product and its label does not disclose that it contains talafadil.  Tadalafil is a prescription drug that’s used to treat erectile dysfunction, but it can be life-threatening for people suffering from heart problems or those who are at risk of stroke.

Although consumers haven’t reported any adverse effects thus far, Canadians who have purchased “E.O.D. Erection on Demand” should contact their healthcare provider if they are concerned about their health.  Health Canada has recalled “E.O.D. Erection on Demand” and is working with the Canada Border Services Agency to stop future shipments of the product from entering Canada.

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is taking the appropriate actions to get the diet pill, Meridia, pulled off the market.  According to recent data, the pill, which is made of the drug sibutramine, increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.  The FDA just posted a safety review of Meridia on its website and will be holding a meeting with outside experts, who’ll provide their take on the cardiovascular risks associated with Meridia.

Meridia has been sold in the United States since 1997, but according to data that was released late last year, patients taking the drug have an 11 percent risk of heart attack and stroke, compared with 10 percent of those taking a placebo.  Europe took the diet pill off of the market in January, and Health Canada is currently reviewing the results of the sibutramine cardiovascular outcomes trial to determine what actions it will take.

In October of 2007, Health Canada had announced that healthcare professionals should review sibutramine’s guidelines prior to prescribing the drug.  In addition, they recommended that consumers review the guidelines regarding when sibutramine should not be used and suggested them not to use unapproved health products that contain undeclared sibutramine.  In January, Health Canada told the press that it was conducting a review of the new safety information for sibutramine.  Health Canada is still reviewing the results of the recent trial and will inform healthcare professionals and Canadians as soon as possible if new healthcare concerns are identified.

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