Drugs - with Ruth from Drugscope
Ruth Goldsmith from DrugScope returns to chat to answer your questions on the effects of different drugs; addiction; weed; paranoia; antidepressants and more.
ghostlife: Why do drugs affect people differently? For example, some people feel happier when they take drugs and others don't.
Ruth: That's a really good question. A lot depends on the sort of drug you're taking. A stimulant drug like cocaine will make your body act faster but a depressant drug like cannabis slows everything down. It also depends on your expectations of what's going to happen.
ghostlife: So if you think it will make you feel happier, is there more chance it will?
Ruth: Your mood can have an effect yes. If you're already feeling excited you might feel more excited. If you're anxious it might increase your anxiety. Does that make sense?
ghostlife: Yes, thank you :-)
Ruth: It might also be worth adding in that your size can have an impact. If you're small and light, then the same amount of a drug might affect you differently to someone who is larger and heavier.
You might know people who can drink more alcohol than others without feeling drunk and a lot of this can be due to sheer physical size.
Anon: When I smoke weed I become very secluded and annoyed. I've smoked pot for two years and got caught up in it for a while. I stopped for about four months and now when I smoke, I get crazy paranoid with "He's watching me" kinda stuff and it's starting to piss me off. I can't even go in to public places when I'm high anymore without tweakin. I don't really care but I just need advice.
Ruth: Paranoia is unfortunately one of the most common side effects of using cannabis. This may worsen if you're using it heavily or regularly.
There may well be no link at all between the break that you took and the increase in paranoia you're experiencing. It could be something to do with the type of cannabis that you're now buying, four months down the line.
My advice would be to try and ease off on the weed, particularly as we know there are links between smoking cannabis and some mental health problems. If you managed without it for four months, it would be good to see if you can do it again.
ghostlife: If you take a drug just once, can you get addicted to it or become reliant on it?
Ruth: There are a lot of myths and rumours about different drugs. At DrugScope we're not aware of any substance which can make you become immediately addicted. The experience of taking a drug may be overwhelming, and you may want to repeat it, but that's not quite the same as becoming immediately addicted. Becoming addicted to a drug takes time, usually weeks or months. Of course, a lot of drugs do have addictive properties, for example heroin - which becomes physically addictive. Many other drugs such as cocaine and cannabis can cause you to become psychologically dependent.
Physical dependence means that if you become dependent on, for example, heroin, if you stop taking it, you will get a physical reaction which is called 'cold turkey'. This can include nausea, vomiting, chills, diarrhoea and aching joints.
With drugs that you become psychologically dependent on, the dependence, while very real, is in your mind. You feel you cannot get by without the drug.
Jo7: We have an article about addiction, might be worth a read.
ghostlife: Thank you. So are you able to slowly ease yourself off it and avoid those symptoms?
Ruth: If you have become dependent on a drug, with the right help and support, you will be able to come off it. It does depend what drug you are using as to whether you can come off it on your own, or whether you might need professional help.
Most people are able to ease off and manage the situation themselves. Does that answer your question?
ghostlife: Yes, thank you.
"The experience of taking a drug may be overwhelming, and you may want to repeat it, but that's not quite the same as becoming immediately addicted. Becoming addicted to a drug takes time, usually weeks or months."
Posy: Can you drink alcohol if you take antidepressants?
Ruth: I'm afraid this isn't completely my area of expertise Posy, but a lot of antidepressants don't mix particularly well with alcohol. Alcohol is a depressant in itself, so if you're experiencing depression anyway, it's not a great time to be drinking a lot.
Some antidepressants can make the effect of alcohol worse so you might get drunk more quickly than usual.
Posy: I see, thanks.
Ruth: If you're taking antidepressants, have a look at the leaflet in the box as they will all have advice on whether or not you should be mixing alcohol with your medication.
Posy: I'm not taking them anymore but I drank once when I was and felt really weird.
Ruth: I see, well that might have been why then. Probably best to avoid it in the future. I hope you are feeling better now. It's definitely good to ask for advice on these things if you're not sure.
Nina: Can I ask a little silly question about paracetamol or are you talking about illegal drugs like cocaine?
Ruth: Of course you can ask about paracetemol, that's fine. I'll do my best to answer.
Nina: What would happen to a person if they took too much paracetamol, could it be fatal? My friend keeps threatening to take too many.
Ruth: Hi Nina, first of all, in extreme cases yes, it could be fatal. Symptoms of an overdose could include nausea, vomiting and stomach pains.
They could also include confusion, drowsiness or losing consciousness. Unfortunately, if untreated, an overdose of paracetamol can cause severe liver damage.
Nina: How many would it take to be that bad?
Ruth: It's difficult to answer that question. There are no exact figures because it would depend on the person, but it's not advisable to go over the recommended daily limit. If your friend is experiencing suicidal thoughts, it might be a good idea to point them in the direction of some support. Have you seen the info on TheSite.org about supporting a friend who is suicidal?
Nina: OK. Yes, I've told her which websites may be helpful.
Jo7: It's really great that you're there to support her. It can't be easy.
Nina: Thank you, that's helped though. I can explain to her a little more about the risks.
Ruth: It's worth making sure that you get support for yourself as well, she's lucky to have you. Glad to have helped Nina, that's great.
Nina: Thanks Ruth, take care :)
Ruth: Ok, well I'm off now. It was good to speak to you all.
Drugs - with Ruth from Drugscope
Ruth Goldsmith from DrugScope returns to chat to answer your questions on the effects of different drugs; addiction; weed; paranoia; antidepressants and more.
ghostlife: Why do drugs affect people differently? For example, some people feel happier when they take drugs and others don't.
Ruth: That's a really good question. A lot depends on the sort of drug you're taking. A stimulant drug like cocaine will make your body act faster but a depressant drug like cannabis slows everything down. It also depends on your expectations of what's going to happen.
ghostlife: So if you think it will make you feel happier, is there more chance it will?
Ruth: Your mood can have an effect yes. If you're already feeling excited you might feel more excited. If you're anxious it might increase your anxiety. Does that make sense?
ghostlife: Yes, thank you :-)
Ruth: It might also be worth adding in that your size can have an impact. If you're small and light, then the same amount of a drug might affect you differently to someone who is larger and heavier.
You might know people who can drink more alcohol than others without feeling drunk and a lot of this can be due to sheer physical size.
Anon: When I smoke weed I become very secluded and annoyed. I've smoked pot for two years and got caught up in it for a while. I stopped for about four months and now when I smoke, I get crazy paranoid with "He's watching me" kinda stuff and it's starting to piss me off. I can't even go in to public places when I'm high anymore without tweakin. I don't really care but I just need advice.
Ruth: Paranoia is unfortunately one of the most common side effects of using cannabis. This may worsen if you're using it heavily or regularly.
There may well be no link at all between the break that you took and the increase in paranoia you're experiencing. It could be something to do with the type of cannabis that you're now buying, four months down the line.
My advice would be to try and ease off on the weed, particularly as we know there are links between smoking cannabis and some mental health problems. If you managed without it for four months, it would be good to see if you can do it again.
ghostlife: If you take a drug just once, can you get addicted to it or become reliant on it?
Ruth: There are a lot of myths and rumours about different drugs. At DrugScope we're not aware of any substance which can make you become immediately addicted. The experience of taking a drug may be overwhelming, and you may want to repeat it, but that's not quite the same as becoming immediately addicted. Becoming addicted to a drug takes time, usually weeks or months. Of course, a lot of drugs do have addictive properties, for example heroin - which becomes physically addictive. Many other drugs such as cocaine and cannabis can cause you to become psychologically dependent.
Physical dependence means that if you become dependent on, for example, heroin, if you stop taking it, you will get a physical reaction which is called 'cold turkey'. This can include nausea, vomiting, chills, diarrhoea and aching joints.
With drugs that you become psychologically dependent on, the dependence, while very real, is in your mind. You feel you cannot get by without the drug.
Jo7: We have an article about addiction, might be worth a read.
ghostlife: Thank you. So are you able to slowly ease yourself off it and avoid those symptoms?
Ruth: If you have become dependent on a drug, with the right help and support, you will be able to come off it. It does depend what drug you are using as to whether you can come off it on your own, or whether you might need professional help.
Most people are able to ease off and manage the situation themselves. Does that answer your question?
ghostlife: Yes, thank you.
Posy: Can you drink alcohol if you take antidepressants?
Ruth: I'm afraid this isn't completely my area of expertise Posy, but a lot of antidepressants don't mix particularly well with alcohol. Alcohol is a depressant in itself, so if you're experiencing depression anyway, it's not a great time to be drinking a lot.
Some antidepressants can make the effect of alcohol worse so you might get drunk more quickly than usual.
Posy: I see, thanks.
Ruth: If you're taking antidepressants, have a look at the leaflet in the box as they will all have advice on whether or not you should be mixing alcohol with your medication.
Posy: I'm not taking them anymore but I drank once when I was and felt really weird.
Ruth: I see, well that might have been why then. Probably best to avoid it in the future. I hope you are feeling better now. It's definitely good to ask for advice on these things if you're not sure.
Nina: Can I ask a little silly question about paracetamol or are you talking about illegal drugs like cocaine?
Ruth: Of course you can ask about paracetemol, that's fine. I'll do my best to answer.
Nina: What would happen to a person if they took too much paracetamol, could it be fatal? My friend keeps threatening to take too many.
Ruth: Hi Nina, first of all, in extreme cases yes, it could be fatal. Symptoms of an overdose could include nausea, vomiting and stomach pains.
They could also include confusion, drowsiness or losing consciousness. Unfortunately, if untreated, an overdose of paracetamol can cause severe liver damage.
Nina: How many would it take to be that bad?
Ruth: It's difficult to answer that question. There are no exact figures because it would depend on the person, but it's not advisable to go over the recommended daily limit. If your friend is experiencing suicidal thoughts, it might be a good idea to point them in the direction of some support. Have you seen the info on TheSite.org about supporting a friend who is suicidal?
Nina: OK. Yes, I've told her which websites may be helpful.
Jo7: It's really great that you're there to support her. It can't be easy.
Nina: Thank you, that's helped though. I can explain to her a little more about the risks.
Ruth: It's worth making sure that you get support for yourself as well, she's lucky to have you. Glad to have helped Nina, that's great.
Nina: Thanks Ruth, take care :)
Ruth: Ok, well I'm off now. It was good to speak to you all.