Ephedrine is a drug that has become a drug. Now its storage, use and sale in Russia are limited, because it causes dependence almost from the first use and leads to sad consequences.
Drug Ephedrine as a drug
Ephedrine is a toxic alkaloid, a plant-based psychostimulator. The substance is contained along with pseudoephedrine in various types of ephedra, which grows in the mountains of Central Asia and Western Siberia.
Previously, this alkaloid was widely used as a medicine. However, currently in Russia the turnover of preparations with the concentration of ephedrine is more than 10% strictly controlled at the state level.
By structure and action on the body, ephedrine has much in common with amphetamines and methamphetamines - CNS stimulants. In medicine, it is used in the form of ephedrine hydrochloride as part of a comprehensive treatment of bronchial asthma, allergies, the effects of poisoning with hypnotics and drugs.
Because of the affordable price of ephedrine in Russia, it has also become common to use addicts to achieve a state of euphoria. The substance is used in its pure form or becomes a raw material for the handicraft production of methamphetamine and ephedrine, which have a stronger stimulating effect on the central nervous system.
Properties of
Ephedrine has many useful properties:
- raises blood pressure;
- couples allergy symptoms;
- narrows the vessels;
- excites the central nervous system.
The properties of ephedrine allow it to be used for the therapy of many diseases, although now this remedy is considered obsolete. The effect of the drug on the vessels is to narrow their walls, which causes an increase in blood pressure. Therefore, it is used in the general treatment of hypotension, coma and shock conditions, extensive blood loss, shock caused by burns.
In addition, ephedrine interferes with the action of histamine, which is released in the body in response to the irritating effect of allergens. As a result, itching, runny nose, tear, redness and other manifestations of allergic reactions.
The ability of ephedrine to constrict blood vessels makes it possible to use it for the treatment of sinusitis and rhinitis. Its stimulating effect on the central nervous system helps to combat asthma attacks.
As a result of excitation, which the body responds to taking ephedrine, the patient improves mood, depression decreases. The person becomes more relaxed and sociable. In addition, ephedrine acts as a counterweight to hypnotic drugs, reducing the effect of them and facilitating the effects of an overdose on these drugs.
Unexpected discovery of doctors was made by manufacturers of fat-burning agents. So, in the 90-ies. In the 20th century, the best drug in this group was ECA - a combination of ephedrine, aspirin and caffeine. Caffeine enhances the stimulating effect of ephedrine, and aspirin prolongs it.
ECA preparations have immediately gained popularity among bodybuilders, as they not only accelerate the burning of fats during drying, but also help athletes overcome the craving for sweets and flour in this period. However, later ephedrine was equated with drugs, therefore it was banned in Russia, Canada and the United States.
Forms of drug release
Ephedrine hydrochloride is available in four dosage forms:
- In tablets 0.001, 0.002 and 0.003 mg for children.
- Adult tablets at 0.025 mg.
- Solutions for the preparation of injections in ampoules of 1 ml.
- 2% and 3% solutions for the treatment of ENT organs in 10 ml vials( drops).
Mechanism of action
Ephedrine activates alpha and beta-adrenergic receptors. On the effect on the peripheral part of the sympathetic nervous system, the substance is similar to adrenaline, but its effect is more mild and prolonged. At the same time, ephedrine stimulates the CNS in a specific way.
In the sympathetic system, the nerve nodes are outside the organs, and in a stressful situation, their activation takes place. As a result, a person gets the opportunity to run very quickly, escaping from pursuit, or to stand on the snow with bare feet, without feeling frostbite and pain. There is a mobilization of all the defenses of the body, which is sometimes accompanied by the release of adrenaline, and all domestic energy reserves are sent to fight the danger.
It is difficult to drive an organism into this state in a natural way, but it becomes possible considering the effect of ephedrine on the body.
It activates receptors, as a result of which processes are started that require significant energy inputs:
- increases pressure;
- heart rate increases;
- increases blood glucose;
- increases the tone of the muscles of the skeleton.
The use of ephedrine leads to the fact that the intellectual and physical abilities of a person increase sharply, he feels vivacity, clarity of mind, is in high spirits. In fact, the substance "spurs" the body, acting as a whip.
Often ephedrine athletes who try to improve their results in competitions. The drug causes an increase in the contractile activity of the muscles of the skeleton and increases the anabolic effectiveness of steroids.
Because of its low cost, ephedrine is common among addicts. They prepare from it self-made drugs, with a stronger psycho-stimulating effect, which quickly leads to dementia.
Both athletes and drug addicts experience a sharp decline in strength after the end of the action of ephedrine and are tempted to take a new dose to alleviate the condition. In this regard, ephedrine in its action was equated with drugs that cause dependence often after a single use.
On the video about the mechanism of action of the drug Ephedrine:
The effect of
Drug intoxication after using ephedrine has specific features, characteristic exclusively for this drug.
The action of the substance is expressed in:
- a strong desire to talk with someone;
- loss of sense of time;
- high spirits;
- fussiness;
- motor activity.
The first phase of drug intoxication is the euphoria that accompanies the hypokinetic syndrome. Drug addicts call this a "coming".When the drug enters the body, a wave of heat immediately passes through the body causing a pleasant chill - similar sensations occur when you immerse yourself in a hot bath.
Simultaneously there is a psychostimulating effect. There is a sharp emotional rise, which is accompanied by a strong joy, delight, and the surrounding world is filled with bright colors. These effects last 3-5 minutes after the first use of ephedrine, but with each subsequent use of the substance, the duration of the action of the drug becomes less and less.
Simultaneously, a person feels himself talented, brilliant, he has a conviction in the limitlessness of his capabilities. Thoughts become clear and clear. They quickly flow, changing one another and not lingering in memory, so after sobering up the "ingenious" ideas are not restored.
Because of excessive motor activity there is a senseless fussiness, talkativeness. A person makes a lot of unnecessary movements - impetuous and awkward, can not focus his eyes on a certain point.
On all of his experiences, the patient strongly wants to share with someone. He can not concentrate on anything, he is constantly distracted. These effects last about 3-4 hours.
The person who consumed ephedrine, it is easy to calculate by external signs, among which:
- pale grayish face;
- dry skin and mucous membranes of the mouth, nose, lips;
- dry bright red tongue with a whitish coating on the edges;
- a dense white coating on the teeth;
- dilated pupils.
Being in a state of drug intoxication, the patient looks sharply aged. His gaze becomes restless, running, and the lower jaw constantly moves - as if something is chewing on.
While the effect of ephedrine lasts, the addict does not feel hunger, thirst, drowsiness and fatigue. During the first 3-5 months of using the drug, sexual activity may increase, which leads to frequent changes in sexual partners. However, later libido is reduced, men have impotence, and teenage girls lose menstruation.
As the sobering state of the person begins to change, euphoria follows:
- sharp drop in mood;
- severe depression;
- irritability;
- aggression;
- strong weakness;
- tachycardia;
- high pressure.
The way out of intoxication with ephedrine is always very painful, and it lasts 3-5 hours. During this entire period, a person feels broken and helpless.
Dependence development
The peculiarity of the addiction to ephedrine is that at first the use occurs occasionally - up to twice a month, but soon the frequency of narcotization rises. Already after two or three receptions of the substance, and often after the first injection, habituation is formed.
A person likes the emotional uplift that causes ephedrine, so one to two months of regular admission or three to four months of episodic reception develops dependence on the mental level. During this period, tolerance to ephedrine sharply increases, so a person begins to use it more often, producing a certain rhythm.
Initially, the doses of the drug increase slowly. There are also protective mechanisms, and, therefore, using more drugs at a time, a person feels deterioration.
Addiction is accompanied by symptoms of intoxication:
- trembling in the body;
- tingling in the limbs;
- chills;
- pain in the occipital region;
- increase in blood pressure.
Simultaneously, both euphoric phases are shortened: the first - up to 1 minute, the second - up to 2 hours. This leads to more frequent methods of ephedrine and an increase in the daily tolerance of the substance.
The exit from intoxication is accompanied by dry mouth, strong weakness, palpitations. The person has an obsessive craving for drugs, because taking the drug seems to him the only way to raise the mood and improve well-being. The patient remembers his feelings and experiences in a state of intoxication, he wants to experience them again.
The lack of a drug causes a feeling of dissatisfaction, irritation, anguish. The person is haunted by obsessive thoughts about ephedrine, which excludes the productive intellectual activity of the brain. Taking the drug quickly normalizes the patient's condition, so get rid of the dependence independently it does not work.
Side effects of
Taking ephedrine not for the doctor's prescription leads to the development of side effects, which include:
- trembling in the hands;
- increased sweating;
- rapid pulse;
- dizziness;
- causeless concern.
As you become accustomed to the drug, these side effects are reduced. However, vital organs quickly develop irreversible violations.
On the video about the side effects of ephedrine:
Overdose and the consequences of using
Exceeding the maximum permissible dose of ephedrine is accompanied by:
- skin rashes;
- vomiting;
- with insomnia;
- strong weakness;
- excited state;
- by strong pressure increase;
- with delayed diuresis;
- lack of appetite;
- increased sweating.
Prolonged use of ephedrine leads to negative consequences that affect both physical and mental health of a person.
This manifests itself as:
- depressions with suicide attempts;
- psychosis;
- disorders of brain function;
- hypertensive crisis;
- myocardial infarction;
- cerebral hemorrhage;
- metabolic disorders;
- exacerbations of chronic diseases.
The greatest danger is the most severe depletion of the central nervous system and the whole organism as a whole, which often causes death. Before death, a person has convulsions and greatly increases blood pressure. Often an overdose of ephedrine leads to acute heart failure with a pulse of more than 140 beats per minute and respiratory arrest.