Date: Thu, 27 May 1999 17:01:24 -0400
From: "NIDA Announcement List" Add to Address Book
Subject:News from the National Institute on Drug Abuse
To:"'listmaster@lists.nida.nih.gov'"
Reply To:Announce-NIDA@lists.nida.nih.gov
New additions to the NIDA web site.
**************
Research Report on Cocaine
This compilation of scientific information on cocaine will help to inform
readers about the harmful effects of cocaine abuse, and will assist in
prevention and treatment efforts.
See the full report: Cocaine: Abuse and Addiction at
http://www.nida.nih.gov/researchreports/cocaine/cocaine.html
***************
NIDA Notes, Volume 14, Number 1
Our bimonthly newsletter covers substance abuse treatment and prevention
research, epidemiology, neuroscience, behavioral research, health services
research and AIDS.
View the latest issue at
http://www.nida.nih.gov/NIDA_Notes/NNVol14N1/Index.html
***************
NIDA Sponsored Meeting at FASEB
Pulmonary Pathophysiologic and Immune Consequences of Smoked Substance Abuse
The purpose of this conference is to stimulate creative cross-disciplinary and
collaborative research that will broaden our understanding of the effects of
smoked marijuana and cocaine on the lung and the immune system.
**Note** Registration is due by June 4, 1999 for this meeting
For the details go to
http://www.nida.nih.gov/Meetings/FASEB.html
Thank you for your interest in NIDA and NIDA research.
NIDA on the world wide web, http://www.nida.nih.gov/
Date: Wed, 24 Jun 1998 16:04:57 -0400
From: "NIDA Announcement List" <Announce-NIDA@lists.nida.nih.gov>
Subject: **News from the National Institute on Drug Abuse
To: "'Listmaster@lists.nida.nih.gov'" <Listmaster@lists.nida.nih.gov>
Reply To: Announce-NIDA@lists.nida.nih.gov6/24/98
Two media advisories have been released this week:
Gene Variant Found That Can Help Protect Against Nicotine Addiction (released
6/24)
and
Cocaine Reward Does Not Require Dopamine or Serotonin Transporters - The Brain
Sites Previously Implicated (released 6/22)
the text of these advisories is available at
http://www.nida.nih.gov/MedAdv/MAs-Index.html
Also online, the latest issue of NIDA Notes is now available.. go to:
http://www.nida.nih.gov/NIDA_Notes/NNIndex.html
And to check on other additions to the NIDA web site, go to our What's New page
at
http://www.nida.nih.gov/WhatsNew.html
Thank you for your interest in NIDA and NIDA research.
****This announcement is from the NIDA Announcements Mailing List****
Date: Wed, 13 May 1998 12:03:55 -0400
From: "NIDA Announcement List" <Announce-NIDA@lists.nida.nih.gov>
Subject: **NIDA Announcement - New Materials on the NIDA Web Site
To: "'Listmaster@lists.nida.nih.gov'" <Listmaster@lists.nida.nih.gov>
New materials on the National Institute on Drug Abuse web site:
Media Advisories:
- Economic Costs of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Estimated at $246 Billion in the
United States, released 5-13-98
- Severity of Brain Changes During Nicotine Withdrawal Comparable to Those for
Other Drugs of Abuse, released 5-6-98
- Popular TV Shows and Movies Receive Prism Awards for Scientific Accuracy in
Showing Tobacco, Alcohol and Drug Abuse, released 5-5-98
For the complete advisory, please go to:
http://www.nida.nih.gov/MedAdv/MAs-Index.html
Therapy Manuals for Drug Addiction:
- Manual 1: A Cognitive-Behavioral Approach: Treating Cocaine Addiction.
http://www.nida.nih.gov/TXManuals/CBT/CBT1.html
- Manual 2: A Community Reinforcement Approach: Treating Cocaine Addiction
http://www.nida.nih.gov/TXManuals/CRA/CRA1.html
This message is from the NIDA Announcement list. For the latest information
check the What's New page at http://www.nida.nih.gov/WhatsNew.html.
Thank you for your interest in NIDA.
Date: Tue, 07 Apr 1998 17:14:33 -0500 From: "NIDA Announcement List" Subject: **NIDA Announcement - New Addiction Treatments To Be Focus of NationalConference in Washington To: listmaster@lists.nida.nih.gov More than two decades of research clearly shows that drug addiction is a chronic relapsing illness that comes about because of the effects of long-term drug use on the brain. State-of-the-art approaches to treating drug addiction will be the focus of the National Conference on Drug Addiction Treatment: From Research to Practice being held April 8-9 at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park Hotel(formerly Sheraton Washington), 2660 Woodley Road, N.W., Washington, D.C. Media Advisory from the National Institute on Drug Abuse: New Addiction Treatments To Be Focus of National Conference in Washington.
For the full advisory, please go to: http://www.nida.nih.gov/MedAdv/98/MA-47.html
For additional meeting information, please go to: http://www.nida.nih.gov/Meetings/TXIntro.html
Thank you for your interest in NIDA, visit our website at http://www.nida.nih.gov/
****From the NIDA Announcements Mailing List **** Cocaine Abuse
Cocaine is one of the most powerfully addictive drugs of abuse. Most clinicians estimate that approximately 10 percent of people who begin to use the drug "recreationally" will go on to serious, heavy use. Once having tried cocaine, an individual cannot predict or control the extent to which he or she will continue to use the drug.
Extent of Use
Monitoring the Future StudyThe Monitoring the Future Study assesses the extent of drug use among adolescents and young adults across the country.
Data show that cocaine use among high school seniors had been on a downward trend since its peak in 1985. The proportion of seniors who have used cocaine at least once in their lifetimes dropped from 17.3 percent in 1985 to 7.1 percent in 1996. Current use of cocaine decreased from 6.7 percent in 1985 to 2.0 percent in 1996. In 1996, 6.5 percent of 10th-graders had tried cocaine at least once, up from 5.0 percent in 1995. The percentage of 8th-graders who had ever tried cocaine rose significantly from 2.3 percent in 1991 to 4.5 percent in 1996. Lifetime prevalence of cocaine use by 8th-, 10th-, and 12th-graders
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 8th-graders 2.3% 2.9% 2.9% 3.6% 4.2% 4.5% 10th-graders 4.1 3.3 3.6 4.3 5.0 6.5 12th-graders 7.8 6.1 6.1 5.9 6.0 7.1
Of college students in 1995, 3.6 percent had used cocaine within the past year, and 0.7 percent had used cocaine in the past month. In 1995, 4.4 percent of young adults 1 to 4 years beyond high school but not in college had used cocaine within the past year, and 1.5 percent had used cocaine in the past 30 days.
National Household Survey
In 1996, 22 million Americans age 12 and older had tried cocaine at least once in their lifetimes; about 4.0 million had used cocaine during the past year; and about 1.7 million had used cocaine in the past month. These were significant decreases in cocaine use from its peak in 1985. In 1996, about 4.6 million people had used crack cocaine at least once in their lives, and about 1.3 million people had used crack within the past year.
Drug Abuse Warning Network
The Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) collects data on drug abuse morbidity and mortality through reports from hospital emergency departments and a selected sample of medical examiners in 21 metropolitan areas. Data from the DAWN system continue to show increases in adverse health consequences associated with the use of cocaine.
The estimated number of cocaine-related emergency department episodes has fluctuated since 1988 when it totaled 101,578. After decreasing significantly to 80,355 in 1990, the number of cocaine-related ER incidents began an increasing trend in 1991 that reached an estimated 142,494 in 1995. In preliminary figures for 1995, the number of cocaine-related ER incidents was highest for persons aged 35+. The number for males (94,502) was more than twice that for females (46,544). Blacks accounted for 77,201 mentions of cocaine use, significantly more than the 41,700 for whites and 11,581 for Hispanics.
Methods of Use
Cocaine use ranges from episodic or occasional use to repeated or compulsive use, with a variety of patterns between these extremes. The major methods of administration of cocaine are sniffing or snorting, injecting, and smoking (including free-base and crack cocaine). Snorting is the process of inhaling cocaine powder through the nostrils where it is absorbed into the bloodstream through the nasal tissues. Injecting is the act of using a needle to release the drug directly into the bloodstream. Smoking involves the inhalation of cocaine vapor or smoke into the lungs where absorption into the bloodstream is as rapid as by injection.There is great risk no matter how cocaine is ingested. It appears that compulsive cocaine use may develop even more rapidly if the substance is smoked rather than taken intranasally. Smoking allows extremely high doses of cocaine to reach the brain very quickly and brings an intense and immediate high. The injecting drug user is at risk for transmitting or acquiring HIV infection/AIDS if needles or other injection equipment is shared.
"Crack" is the street name given to cocaine that has been processed from cocaine hydrochloride to a free base for smoking. Rather than requiring the more volatile method of processing cocaine using ether, crack cocaine is processed with ammonia or sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and water and heated to remove the hydrochloride, thus producing a form of cocaine that can be smoked. The term "crack" refers to the crackling sound heard when the mixture is smoked (heated), presumably from the sodium bicarbonate.
Health and Psychological Hazards
Cocaine is a strong central nervous system stimulant that interferes with the reabsorption process of dopamine, a chemical messenger associated with pleasure and movement. Dopamine is released as part of the brain's reward system and is involved in the high that characterizes cocaine consumption.Physical effects of cocaine use include constricted peripheral blood vessels, dilated pupils, and increased temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. The duration of cocaine's immediate euphoric effects, which include hyperstimulation, reduced fatigue, and mental clarity, depends on the route of administration. The faster the absorption, the more intense the high. On the other hand, the faster the absorption, the shorter the duration of action. The high from snorting may last 15 to 30 minutes, while that from smoking may last 5 to 10 minutes. Increased use can reduce the period of stimulation.
Some users of cocaine report feelings of restlessness, irritability, and anxiety. An appreciable tolerance to the high may be developed, and many addicts report that they seek but fail to achieve as much pleasure as they did from their first exposure. Scientific evidence suggests that the powerful neuropsychologic-reinforcing property of cocaine is responsible for an individual's continued use, despite harmful physical and social consequences. In rare instances, sudden death can occur on the first use of cocaine or unexpectedly thereafter. However, there is no way to determine who is prone to sudden death.
High doses of cocaine and/or prolonged use can trigger paranoia. Smoking crack cocaine can produce a particularly aggressive paranoid behavior in users. When addicted individuals stop using cocaine, they often become depressed. This also may lead to further cocaine use to alleviate depression. Prolonged cocaine snorting can result in ulceration of the mucous membrane of the nose and can damage the nasal septum enough to cause it to collapse. Cocaine-related deaths are often a result of cardiac arrest or seizures followed by respiratory arrest.
Added Danger: Cocaethylene
When people mix cocaine and alcohol consumption, they are compounding the danger each drug poses and unknowingly forming a complex chemical experiment within their bodies. NIDA-funded researchers have found that the human liver combines cocaine and alcohol and manufactures a third substance, cocaethylene, that intensifies cocaine's euphoric effects, while possibly increasing the risk of sudden death.
Greater Risk for Women
Estimates on the extent of drug abuse by women vary. One NIDA study reported in 1994 that more than 220,000 women had used an illicit drug during their pregnancies. Of this group, more than one-fifth had used powdered cocaine or crack.
When a woman uses drugs, she and her unborn child are exposed to significant health risks. During pregnancy, almost all drugs cross the placenta and enter the bloodstream of the developing baby. The most serious possible adverse effects on the unborn child's health include premature delivery and low birthweight. Other possible problems include ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth, sudden infant death syndrome, and small gestational size. The woman who uses drugs is herself at increased risk of hemorrhage, spontaneous abortion, toxicity, sexually transmitted diseases, and nutritional deficiencies. In addition, drug use by women puts them and their children at risk for HIV/AIDS.
Treatment
The widespread abuse of cocaine has stimulated extensive efforts to develop treatment programs for this type of drug abuse. According to the State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Profile, in FY 1994, States reported 326,031 patients entering treatment with cocaine as the primary drug of abuse, representing 43 percent of treatment admissions. Another study, NIDA's Drug Services Research Survey, estimates that 31 percent of a sample of drug treatment clients had used cocaine or crack cocaine within 30 days prior to admission for treatment. Data from treatment programs using different therapeutic approaches indicate that outpatient cocaine treatment can be successful. One report suggests that from 30 percent to 90 percent of abusers remaining in outpatient treatment programs cease cocaine use.NIDA has initiated a program with the purpose of discovering new medications that can be used in the treatment of cocaine abuse. Several medications are currently being investigated to test their safety and efficacy in treating cocaine addiction.
In addition to pharmacological treatments, behavioral interventions also have been developed that are effective in decreasing drug use by patients in treatment for cocaine abuse. Providing the optimal combination of treatment services for each individual is critical to successful treatment outcome.
Part of the NIDA Capsule Series - (C-82-02) [Revised September, 1997]
For additional information about NIDA send e-mail to Information@lists.nida.nih.gov
[Home |Map |News |Chemistry |Questions|Controversy |Illussion |Links |Quit ]
Copyright © 1999
