Medical Complications and Withdrawal Symptoms of Psychoactive Drug Use

Medical Complications and Withdrawal Symptoms of Psychoactive Drug Use

Psychoactive drug users, especially those who are addicted, are often diagnosed with numerous medical complications. Drug usage has significant and damaging effects, which could either be long-term or short-term. These medical complications can be brought about by several factors, including the type of drug being used, the amount of drug taken, and the combination of drugs taken by the person, among others. Some of these medical complications include cancer, stroke, lung or heart disease, and mental health conditions like psychotic behavior. Our assignment help will hone your writing prowess for papers that will awe your professors.

For example, methamphetamine is a drug that induces psychosis, with some users, especially chronic users, developing a persistent psychotic syndrome similar to that seen in schizophrenia (Chapin & Russell-Chapin, 2013). Notably, drug use can trigger or worsen the mental health of a person with mild mental illness like anxiety and ADHD. In addition, drug use increases the risk of an individual contracting other diseases, including Hepatitis, cellulitis, and HIV, just to name a few.

A second medical complication of psychoactive drug use is memory loss which is seen when one consumes drugs like GHB, also known as date rape drugs (Chapin & Russell-Chapin, 2013). Another example of a medical complication from a psychotic drug is the interference with the body’s ability to maintain optimum temperature. Notably, high dosages of these drugs can cause serious body reactions leading to seizures, coma, or death. Drugs such as molly can cause severe spikes in the body’s temperature, which can bring about the failure of major organs like the liver, kidney, and heart.

Further, the common withdrawal symptoms following the use of psychoactive drugs include restlessness, irritability, agitation, heavy sweating, nausea, headaches, low energy, vomiting, low mood, and mood swings (Alderson, 2019; Chapin & Russell-Chapin, 2013). The extreme withdrawal symptoms include hallucinations, suicidal thoughts, depression, violence, racing heart, aggression, and extreme anxiety and panic.

References

Alderson. K. G. (2019). Addictions counseling today: Substances and addictive behaviors (1st ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc.

Chapin, T. J., & Russell-Chapin, L. A. (2013). Neurotherapy and neurofeedback: Brain-based treatment for psychological and behavioral problems. Routledge.

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Instructions
Explain the medical complications and withdrawal symptoms of psychoactive drug use.

Length: Your post should be roughly 4-6 paragraphs in length (a paragraph generally consists of 5 sentences that are organized around a central theme), and your responses to peers and professor at least 2 paragraphs (200 words).

References: Cite sources you reference in-text and under a “References” section in APA format. You should utilize at least one additional scholarly resource from the NU library in addition to your course material reading, for a total of two (2) scholarly resources.