DBB Psychostimulants, cocaine, & amphetamines

At about what periods in history did cocaine reach its first and second peaks of popularity, and when was amphetamine’s popularity at its highest?

5,000 B.C. of what was to become the Inca Empire in Peru

How did Mariani, Halsted, and Freud popularize the use of cocaine?

- It was Mariani’s coca wine, though, that made him rich and famous.

-Dr. W. S. Halsted, who was later referred to as “the father of modern surgery,” experimented with the ability of cocaine to produce local anesthesia.

-Sigmund Freud, who studied the drug for its potential as a treatment medication for several conditions including depression and morphine addiction.

How are coca paste, freebase, and crack similar?

coca paste- coca leaves are mixed with an organic solvent, such as kerosene or gasoline. After thorough soaking, mixing, and mashing, the excess liquid is filtered out

freebasing- in order to produce smokable cocaine, the hydrochloride portion has to be removed. This can be done by adding a volatile organic solvent

Crack, smokable cocaine, can be easily made by mixing powder cocaine with baking soda and water, and then drying it

Following cocaine use, how long does it take for the drug (or its metabolites) to be eliminated from the body and not detected in the urine?

In any case, cocaine itself is rapidly removed, with a half-life of about one hour. The major metabolites, which are the basis of urine screening tests, have a longer halflife of about eight hours. It takes about three days for complete elimination of cocaine metabolites from the urine following moderate use of the drug.

What similarities and what differences are there in the toxic effects of cocaine and amphetamine?

Extraordinarily large doses of cocaine can lead to profound CNS stimulation, progressing to convulsions, which can lead to respiratory or cardiac arrest. The same is true for amphetamines and other stimulants

How does the chemical difference between methamphetamine and amphetamine relate to the behavioral effects of the two drugs?

methamphetamine molecule, which simply has a methyl group added to the basic amphetamine structure. This methyl group seems to make the molecule cross the blood-brain barrier more readily and thus further increase the CNS potency. (If more of the molecules get into the brain, then fewer total molecules have to be given.)

Describe the effects of amphetamines on mental performance

In a series of studies, they found that low oral doses of methamphetamine (5 and 10 mg) reduced shift-related performance disruptions and mood alterations.32 Low doses of the stimulant modafinil (Provigil) have also been demonstrated to produce similar effects. Thus, it seems clear that stimulants administered at low doses can improve performance that had been disrupted by fatigue or sleep deprivation

amphetamine reliably reduces fatigue and offsets performance decrements