Ask a medical mind (about drugs)

I'm actually considering med-school. My current major is Computer Science, so if I keep at this major and then go for another degree I'd probably end up in med school before 2012. I haven't done my MCAT yet, but I have read-over a large percentage of the suggested textbooks, and I have a photographic memory.

 

Substance: Tobacco
Your height: 5'8"
Your weight: 135lbs
Gender: Male
Blood pressure or heart problems?: Probably not
Any prescribed medications that you are currently taking(IMPORTANT): None
Age: 17, nearly 18
Any known diseases or illnesses you have (chronic)(IMPORTANT): None
Any short-term illnesses you have(IMPORTANT): None
Any respiratory issues (IMPORTANT): No

 

dang an eidetic memory you suck- I'm sure you've checked SDN...

 

An addition to my response to Chantecleer, I looked over the drug interactions and the effects on the brain once more and have determined the following undesired side-effects can be expected:
Headache (moderate to heavy, depending on dose)
Tongue Biting (this is a side-effect of the *-ine)
Jaw Clenching (again, *-ine)
Bruxism (*-ine, this is tooth grinding, similar to Ecstasy's *-ines)
Possible intense fatigue, bodily and mentally
Last but not least, pain in general. The stimulation of the muscles followed by relaxation will cause pain similar to a workout, throughout random smaller muscles in your body. This is dependent on your physical condition, of course.

 

@SMR: The effects of Nicotine are generally the same throughout every user.
Smoking tobacco will degrade your bronchioles steadily, based on how often you smoke and how much. There is the risk of developing active cancer cells (cancer is already present in everyone to an extent) within your lungs, though there is no plausible way to tell where the cancer cells will actually effect. Cigarette smoking can incidentally be linked to testicle cancer and the like, as cancer is unbiased as to where it is. The exact cause of this from smoking any substance is relatively trivial but can be linked to the earlier mentioning of degredation of the bronchioles. When part of your lungs become weak, they'll have more trouble oxygenating your blood cells (including T-cells) which will in turn weaken your immune system. It is speculated that the cause of cancer can be linked to weakened immune system, but this is unknown due to the fact that a perfectly healthy person could contract any type of cancer.
It's really a risk vs. pleasure sort of deal when it comes to smoking tobacco.

As far as chewing, you will develop gum disease through chronic use. There is no fighting it, there are microshards of glass in chewing tobacco (leaf or shredded) and they cut and introduce harmful substances into your oral capillaries.

As far as SNUS (smokeless tobacco) no link to cancer or gum disease has been found (though there are still microshards of glass cloth fiber in the packets) there is still the distinct possibility.
The only adverse effect I noted when using SNUS was high blood pressure.
My norm is usually 115/72, when using SNUS it averaged 135/90.

My 2c.

Edit: I should add some information on Nicotine:
Nicotine itself is not a carcinogen, it's as harmful as caffeine. One can use the general rule that the -ine suffix means it is a stimulant in this case. Nicotine readily passes the blood-brain barrier and binds to a wealth of neurotransmitters. Nicotine will cause them to work more efficiently at first, but as tolerance builds (as well as addiction) it will overwork your central nervous system.

 

I've never once in my life visited the Student Doctor Network. The only way I could through my school is to be a medical student, which I am not.

Here's where the sources come from:
-My mother's med-school textbooks.
-My father's expertise in organic chemistry.
-My desire to further knowledge in what effects my body and how.
-Self-experimentation.

The photographic memory helps though. It's selective, I can only memorize numbers, formulas, and chemical/medical definitions readily. The rest takes work. Incidentally the numbers and formulas part really helps with programming, which I do often with my major.

 

Tilex - Just thought i would mention that the responses you are giving are very well explained and very easy to read and understand. Nice Job.

 

Thank you. I try my best to give technical explanations without getting too messy.

 

well it works lol... i did have a First Aid Thread a little while ago and i would have to explain everything like as simple as i could lol...

 

Dude that's crazy! If you do get serious about the MCAT there are some good tips and such at SDN.

 

Substance: Marijuana/Weed
Your height: 5'8
Your weight: 180
Gender: Male
Blood pressure or heart problems?(IMPORTANT): No
Any prescribed medications that you are currently taking(IMPORTANT): No
Age: 15
Any known diseases or illnesses you have (chronic)(IMPORTANT): No
Any short-term illnesses you have(IMPORTANT): No
Any respiratory issues (IMPORTANT): No

 

Substance: Multivitamin.
Your height: 171cm.
Your weight: 75kg / 165lbs.
Gender: Male.
Blood pressure or heart problems?: No.
Any prescribed medications that you are currently taking: No.
Age: 17.
Any known diseases or illnesses you have (chronic): Asthma
Any short-term illnesses you have: -
Any respiratory issues: Asthma.

Ive heard from word of mouth multivitamins shorten your life span signifigantly. >5 years.
This is the label.

 

Substance: Welbutrin
Your height: 5'11
Your weight: 180
Gender: Male
Blood pressure or heart problems?(IMPORTANT): None that I know of.
Any prescribed medications that you are currently taking(IMPORTANT): The Welbutrin, against my will >8(
Age: 16
Any known diseases or illnesses you have (chronic)(IMPORTANT): No
Any short-term illnesses you have(IMPORTANT): No
Any respiratory issues (IMPORTANT):Nope

 

I'll get to the next requests tomorrow night.

 

Hey Tilex,

thanks for the info! Now I know what to expect when I take it once my food poisoning goes away... Funny thing is, last night I felt like crap, so i had a miniature weed bowl, and voila: my nausea went away and I could sleep in peace.

Also, I researched about the opiates a bit and if I do a cold water extraction process on them I can eliminate the aspirin/ tylenol so all that is left is the codeine or whatever opiate the pill has, so that's something to keep in mind in case you ever stumble across a huge box of tylenol

 

THC is in fact a nausea reducer, good call.

About the aspirin/tylenol, I think that unless you're outside the U.S. you won't be able to get any amount of opiates from them, though there are a few states that will sell Tylenol1-4 UTC (Tylenol+Codeine).

Edit:
After exams tomorrow I get back to answering the post.
Been busy lately.

 

Substance: Mitsubishi Ecstacy
Your height: 5'6
Your weight: 155-160lb
Gender: male
Blood pressure or heart problems?(IMPORTANT): no
Any prescribed medications that you are currently taking(IMPORTANT): no
Age: 13
Any known diseases or illnesses you have (chronic)(IMPORTANT): asthma
Any short-term illnesses you have(IMPORTANT): no
Any respiratory issues (IMPORTANT): asthma

OTHER: im NEVER taking ANY drugs i just wanna know if its really like having an orgasm every 2 seconds LOL

 

Substance: Ibuprofen
Your height: 5'8
Your weight: 152lbs
Gender: Male
Blood pressure or heart problems?(IMPORTANT): No
Any prescribed medications that you are currently taking(IMPORTANT): No
Age: 13
Any known diseases or illnesses you have (chronic)(IMPORTANT): Nope.
Any short-term illnesses you have(IMPORTANT): I had a viral infection a few weeks ago.
Any respiratory issues (IMPORTANT):

 

Refer to my previous post on THC, the effects are generally the same for every user.

Some may experience slight nausea depending on dose.

I have actually experienced ecstasy. It was the most enjoyable drug experience of my life. I would NOT however suggest using it, as the unpredictability of impurities and what each pill actually contains gives you a very high risk of unpleasant effects such as death.

On another note, the effects I noticed:
Extreme euphoria.
Visual hallucinations (I took with LSD).
Extreme sensitivity (good) to the touch. Rolling on my carpet gave me a boner, rubbing my pillow finished the job.
Pupil dilation (though not a product of the LSD, I'm sure) which lasted for 2-3 days afterwards.
Sexual appetite++.
And many others that I could go on about.

The dangers of ecstasy, even when the pill is only MDMA and a normal dose:

-E releases large amounts of serotonin, and prevents the reuptake (thus depleting it). This can cause serotonin syndrome, and in higher doses the MDMA will block the receptors more often than not permanently, which leads to chronic depression that the user might not even notice.

-If you are lucky enough to not experience s-syndrome at high doses, or even if you do, you will also expose yourself to a high chance of developing Olney's Lesions (literally small holes in the brain).

-You will, WILL, WILL experience intense dehydration feelings, while the dehydration itself is much less than what you feel. Do not engage in a lot of physical activity unless you are prepared to drink water, and piss a hell of a lot.

-You will clench your jaw mucho.

There are many many more undesireable effects, too many to list.

Ibuprofen is Advil, which should be limited to 200mg doses if my memory serves me correctly. It has no positive effects from abuse.

At normal doses, it should have the following effects:
-Fever reduction
-Pain reduction
-Short-lived blood pressure reduction as well as short-lived blood thinning.
-Anti-nausea in few users.

At overdose:
-Abdominal pain
-Vomiting (uncommonly blood)
-Gastrointestinal bleeding (uncommonly profuse)
-High blood pressure
-Increased head-pain
-Death

My advice is to not exceed between 800 and 1200mg over the course of 16-18 hours. That is, evenly spaced out.

If you are only taking the prescription dose, your risks (though uncommon) are (potentially):

-Tremor
-Seizures (light)
-Excessive sweating
-Nausea
-Insomnia (recursive / unpredictable)
-Ringing of the ears (tinnitus)

 

Vitamins A, E, and Beta-carotene all have potential studies showing that they produce a slight reduction in life-span. It is suggested that eating a balanced diet is healthier than taking multivitamins containing A, E, and B-C. Other vitamin supplements (B6, 12, C, etc) are perfectly fine as far as the majority of studies show. Most B supplements will actually increase energy and energy recovery during REM sleep, resulting in a more well-rested life.