Toxicology

Toxic
*credits to owner 

In our society today, there is no one who wouldn't know what 
drugs (illegal drugs and medicine) and alcohol are. People may already be addicted and still doesn't know it. In this post, I would focus on Toxicology and the things that fall under it. 


Toxicology. It is defined as the branch of science that deals with the adverse effects of chemicals on living organisms. It includes the study of the symptoms, the mechanisms involved, the treatment and the methods involve in detecting the toxic substance.  

Toxic Substances are substances that are usually not present in the body like DRUGS, which could be classified as Therapeutic Drugs or Drugs of Abuse. ALCOHOL and CIGARETTE are also toxic substances and they are the most abused substances.


***For more information regarding toxicology click Understanding Toxicology: Video : Gary Ginsberg (Toxicologist) gives expert video advice on: What is 'toxicology'?; How are toxicology studies conducted?; What is 'epidemiology'? and more. Toxicology.


***Before dealing with the classification of drugs we must first know the branches of toxicology and the different  routes of administration.***


Branches of Toxicology

a. Clinical Toxicology or Emergency Toxicology
     - deals with the effects of toxins on human patients
     - deals with emergencies such as overdoses, poisonings and attempted   suicides

b.  Forensic Toxicology    
     - deals with detecting the criminal use of toxic agents
     - Medico- legal cases
     - also deals with determining if drugs contributed to the death of a person

c. Environmental Toxicology
    - deals with the effects of industrial and agricultural toxins on human health and the environment

d. Regulatory Toxicology
   - deals with risk assessment and emphasis on public policy

e. Occupational Toxicology
   - deals with the toxic exposure in the workplace



Routes of Administration

Routes of Administration

a. Oral Ingestion
    - chemicals enter the mouth in pure form and is absorbed rapidly into the blood stream
    - most prevalent technique used because it is convenient and safe for the patient
    - may be in liquid or solid (drug)

b. Inhalation or Respiratory route
   - principal mode of entry for chemicals in the form of vapors and gases

c. Intravenous 
   - direct means of introducing a drug into the system

d. Intramuscular
   - not as direct as the intravenous administration
   - advantage includes the decreased early conversion of the drug before reaching the circulation



**A therapeutic drug is considered to be a drug of abuse if it is misused. Usually, therapeutic drugs are those that are used to treat a disease or a symptom of disease.

Classification	Examples
Analgesics	Aspirin, acetaminophen, codeine
Antiarrythmias	Lidocaine, quinidine,procrainamide
Antibiotics	Gentamicin, peniciliin, sulfa
Anticoagulants	Heparin
Anticonvulsants	Dilantin, phenobarbital. Valproic acid
Antidepressants	Nortriptyline, doxepin
Antineoplastics	Methotrexate
Bronchodilators	Theophylline
Cardiac Stimulants	Digoxin, disopyramide
Diuretics	Thiazides
Immunosuppresives	Cyclosporin
Tranquilizers	Phenothiazines, haloperidol

**Drugs of Abuse, generally are not available without physician's prescription. Are mistreated because of their psychotropic or mood altering effect

Classification	Examples
Hallucinogens	LSD,phencyclidine, marijuana
CNS stimulants	Amphetamines, cocaine
CNS depressants	Opiates, barbiturates, alcohol
Anticholinergics	Atropine, belladonna

** Poison, substances not normally given to a person. Administration is accidental or purposeful

                                        

Arsenic

Carbon Monoxide

Halogenated hydrocarbons

Heavy metals

Oxidizing agents

Pesticides/ Weedkillers

Strychnine

Below is a video that talks about Addiction and its effects to the brain

What is Addiction? How does one know if he or she is suffering from addiction? 

Addiction. It happens when one person becomes dependent on a substance. They are serious chronic brain diseases which have a biological, psychological and social implications.

Signs and Symptoms of Addiction (*from http://addictions.about.com/od/howaddictionhappens/a/symptomslist.htm)

SYMPTOMS

• Tolerance
• Withdrawal
• Difficulty cutting down or controlling the addictive behavior
• Social and occupational roles being jeopardized

SIGNS

• Extreme mood changes 
• Sleeping a lot more or less than usual, or at different times of day or night
• Changes in energy
• Weight loss or weight gain
• Unexpected and persistent coughs or sniffles
• Seeming unwell at certain times, and better at other times
• Pupils of the eyes seeming smaller or larger than usual
• Secretiveness
• Lying
• Stealing
• Financially unpredictable, perhaps having large amounts of cash at times but no money at all at other times
• Changes in social groups, new and unusual friends, odd cell-phone conversations
• Repeated unexplained outings, often with a sense of urgency
• Drug paraphernalia such as unusual pipes, cigarette papers, small weighing scales, etc

TREATMENT

• Medication
• Rehabilitation

*For more information regarding treatment, click the word treatment. :)

References:

Alba's Medical Technology Volume 1
http://www.drugabuse.gov/
Addictionsabout.com




Photocredits:
About.com
dacts.com
businessgrowers.com
http://browse.deviantart.com/?order=9&q=addiction&offset=48#/d8xjo9 

Videocredits:
http://www.youtube.com/user/TimBrunsonHypnosis