Ask a medical mind (about drugs)

NOTE/DISCLAIMER: I will not tell you to take any substance, I will only describe the effects to the best of my ability and give adverse effects and what causes them. If it is implied that you should take something, it is only the mind of the user, and I will not be held responsible for any actions you take.

Hi. I'm Tilex. I'm not a med student (yet) but I will be, and I've been reading medschool textbooks since I was 11.

I will try and answer this thread as often as possible, but as I'm engaged and a college student it's kinda hard to get online every day.

The purpose of this thread is to help inform recreational users of OTC/prescription medications, and illegal substances and their effects on the body. I will ask for personal information (not like, contact, but about your physical self) and attempt to inform you about whatever substance you should chose to abuse. I do not entirely condone the use of a lot of substances and in some illegal drugs such as ecstasy or weed can contain unknowns, but I will do my best.

Research chemicals are excluded, as I only know about a few tryptamines and their doseages and effects, I can perhaps give a small amount of information about a few of them. Tryptamines being *-MeO-*MTs that is.

The information I will request:

Substance:
Your height:
Your weight:
Gender:
Blood pressure or heart problems?(IMPORTANT):
Any prescribed medications that you are currently taking(IMPORTANT):
Age:
Any known diseases or illnesses you have (chronic)(IMPORTANT):
Any short-term illnesses you have(IMPORTANT):
Any respiratory issues (IMPORTANT):

Try and answer all of them. And as far as substances, please include ALL active ingredients in the medication if you know them, if not at least the brand name and variety.

Substances you should NOT abuse:
Anything with acetaminophen.
Anything with guafenesin.
Any APAPs or OTC painkillers.

Do not exceed 25-35% less maximum doseage without previous experience (e.g. max dose is 1000mg, do not exceed between 650mg and 750mg.).

Ask away.

 

Substance: Panadol
Your height: 179cm
Your weight: 72 Kg
Gender: Male
Blood pressure or heart problems?(IMPORTANT): No
Any prescribed medications that you are currently taking(IMPORTANT): No
Age: 19
Any known diseases or illnesses you have (chronic)(IMPORTANT): Hepatitis C
Any short-term illnesses you have(IMPORTANT): No

Yes i have hepatitis C (chronic) tragic but i have to live with it. Just wondering as i often take Panadol which contains 500mg Paracetamol for headaches or flu symptoms, does it harm my liver? since it metabolizes in the liver.
Any respiratory issues (IMPORTANT):

 

Substance: Creatine
Your height: 6'1"
Your weight: 180
Gender: Male
Blood pressure or heart problems?(IMPORTANT): Nope
Any prescribed medications that you are currently taking(IMPORTANT): Nope
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

I'm not sure if the above substance is appropriate for your questioning, but will it harm my kidneys/liver if I take the substance regularly in a normal dosage- 30 grams or so.

 

Substance: Marijuana (active ingredient: thc, brand name: miami crip)
Your height: 6'5"
Your weight: 190lbs
Gender: Male
Blood pressure or heart problems?(IMPORTANT): no
Any prescribed medications that you are currently taking(IMPORTANT):no
Age: 18
Any known diseases or illnesses you have (chronic)(IMPORTANT): no
Any short-term illnesses you have(IMPORTANT): no
Any respiratory issues (IMPORTANT): no

I smoke like 3-4 times a week after a long day of school and hw.

 

@Wilson:
Read the second paragraph for the point, this is just info: Paracetamol is acetaminophen, which is toxic to the liver in doses exceeding 3000mg (no permanent effects in that range for the majority of overdoses, but I wouldn't recommend taking more than 2000mg in a day.).


To get to the point: Your dose of 500mg should not produce any long-term damage at all, if you don't exceed 500-1000mg every 6-8 hours as needed should also not produce any long-term damage. As I remember, acetaminophen is permanently toxic in daily doses higher than 3-4 grams. If you only use it once or twice a day you should be fine. The maximum average daily dose without damage is roughly 3000mg, which is limited to dosing every 6 hours. I would not exceed 3000mg in a day, that's my general advice. I wouldn't even exceed 2000mg in a day, which would be spaced out over an entire 24 hours.

@Graham:
The normal doseage has little to no short-term effects, especially on someone of your size (I am also 6'1, 215lbs or so.). Creatine isn't toxic to the liver, but it is suggested that in long-term use (say, 1-2 years or more) can reduce the life of your kidneys. The worst overdoseage effect that is known to me is very, very, very bad bowel movements. So basically you'll be on the shitter for an hour or so if you happen to overdose.

@dam prayer noobs
Marijuana, hehe. The only permanent damage smoking weed will cause is lung damage, and perhaps the need for more sleep. THC (the active ingredient) causes immediate and large releases of dopamine, and depending on the strain serotonin (though the serotonin release is very, very, negligible.). The dopamine release could end up depleting a certain kind of it if you were high for every minute of the day for a year, but it's nothing to be concerned about. All you need to worry about is weed hangovers, and lung damage.

If you're interested, the half-life of THC in your system, as well as 99% of the rest of the cannabinoids in marijuana is roughly 1-1.5 months in the average American. If you're worried about a drug test, make sure you stop at least a month beforehand. Most drugtests can only detect about a half cycle of it in your system (e.g. 2-3 weeks, but 4-5 weeks to be safe.).

Hope this helps.

 

I'm actually pretty impressed with the response you provided me with. I've probably used creatine for over a year now, but on and off- nothing more consistent than 4-5 months at a time.

 

I wouldn't normally know about creatine if it weren't for the fact that I just recently started using extended release proteins that are similar in my workout regimen

Glad I could help.

 

Good to hear, thanks mate.

 

A followup on Marijuana.

Should I smoke it? Could it do anything bad to me? I've never smoked it before, but from the way you say it, it sounds safe/good/not bad.

Should I?

 

Not from an expert like him, I would say...

Would you drink? Smoke cigarettes?

It's like the same thing, if you want to risk some damage to your body to relax or have some fun, there's no problem. If you are doing it every day :\, no good you will get some liver problems later in the future. I've smoked a few times and it was fun, I'm not addicted, having flash backs, my lungs aren't about to fall off or anything.

Tell you the truth, do out and do it once. Depending on how old you are. Well do it two time because the first time you don't get high. It's all up to you like I mentioned above. Beer and Cigs are in the same category and pot.

 

Substance: Caffeine (More than 1g/day, often more like 2g)
Your height: 5'
Your weight: Around 100lbs
Gender: Female
Blood pressure or heart problems?: Not that I know of
Any prescribed medications that you are currently taking(IMPORTANT): None
Age: 16
Any known diseases or illnesses you have (chronic)(IMPORTANT): None
Any short-term illnesses you have(IMPORTANT): None
Any respiratory issues (IMPORTANT): No

 

Once again not from an experts point of view but this is what I think.

Caffeine, no problem. This is one of the biggest drugs used here in the USA. As long as you don't have a heart problem or high blood pressure I think it's fine. I've seen people that if they drink an energy drink they start to shake and need to go to bed or the hospital. Of course its not good for you as like most drugs but if you would rather stay up for a while go right ahead.
Just remember, there's not enough stuff in your body to keep you going all day, there will be a crash. You will get tired and want to go to bed or just chill out for a while if you take to much, so make sure you plan to take caffeine before doing a day long of activities.

 

@Benwise
When using an illegal, or even legal substance you always take a risk. Marijuana can have adverse effects on anyone, most are small. You take many risks which include:
Imprisonment, lung cancer, chronic bronchitis, latently developed asthma, and various other lung issues. These problems can all be associated with smoking any substance, sans imprisonment in some cases of course.

I would not suggest using it, I was at one point a heavy user of pot, and gave it up. It's a nice feeling, but you have to remember you will only feel like that while under the influence, and it can quickly eat a whole in your wallet, and relationships.

@Vert
Caffeine is a very trivial substance. It will have adverse effects nearly randomly with different people. What you should consider is that tolerance to the CNS stimulant effects will develop very quickly and may produce need for an increase in your daily dose. After around 1000-1200mg (1-1.2g) per day you can expect to get a few side-effects, more frequent bathroom trips (#1, #2), and upset stomach on the occasion. People have reported that blood pressure will increase with frequent caffeine use, I agree with this because I used to be an addict and still experience high blood pressure (my daily consumption was well over 2000mg though, probably closer to 4000.). Many sources also claim that exceeding around 1g per day can also cause heart palpitations, but this also relates back to whether or not you have a history or your family has a history of blood pressure / other heart issues.

My suggestion to you is to not exceed around 1500mg a day. Note that one cup of coffee averages at about 250mg of caffeine. 1500mg is a very high dose for a day, as the half-life of caffeine to my knowledge is around 12-16 hours (though the effects wear off after around 2-3, 5 or so in some less tolerant individuals). I would not recommend using that much daily, if you have to exceed that much try and space it out, such as 1500 one day, perhaps half that the next. It will help with the tolerance building, and the hypertension. When under the effects of the stimulant your blood pressure will indeed rise, and after around 500mg in one 'session', it could rise to dangerous levels.

Caffeine is pretty dangerous, it is obviously downplayed but it is a central nervous stimulant that is nearly on-par with weaker amphetamines (speed, for short).

 

One should also note that if tolerance does occur, it is only a tolerance to the mental stimulant effect and the blood pressure effects will increase continually with doseage. Tolerance will not develop for the majority of bodily effects caffeine produces.

 

I've been on roughly the same dosage of caffeine daily for 3 or 4 years, with few exceptions. It doesn't affect me the same way that it used to, but I do get incredibly painful migraines if I don't have any caffeine within 2 hours of waking up in the morning. Also, I am not just consuming caffeine in coffee. I'm drinking around 3 litres of energy drink per day, which contain around 300mg caffeine in each, and I'm taking energy supplements (I'm unsure of the caffeine content in these). Is it worth seeing a doctor about this? Or would you just recommend weaning myself off caffeine?

 

As a former caffeine addict, I can tell you that weaning yourself off of caffeine is a hard process, but well worth it. Caffeine at even small doses can have minute long-term effects. If you can manage to lower the dose or even go without it over time you will probably save your body a lot of stress.

Most people don't consider it, but caffeine is actually more addictive to some people than say, heroin. Withdrawl is definitely more painful than a mild heroin addiction (though no addiction should be called mild).

Most of the above is why excedrin migraine medication has caffeine in it, interestingly.

Edit:
Also note that a good way of reducing the time it will take to get rid of your withdrawl effects: Taking natural energy supplements that contain no caffeine (such as B-vitamin supplements and some herbal ingredients) can help a lot. I found that after 2-3 weeks of taking a vitamin B supplement (it takes about that long to notice effects from B) I was more energetic with little to no detrimental effects.

 

Cutting caffeine out right away will make me feel very sick. As I previously stated, I get severe migraines when my caffeine levels are low. I will make an effort to cut down though, and since you say I can maintain my energy levels using alternative supplements, I will make an effort to do so. I wasn't aware there were energy supplements without caffeine in them that would keep me alert and awake.

You're very helpful and I'll let you know how I go with cutting down on caffeine!

 

you kinda ruined my day with that first post
my mom just got a bottle acetaminophen-codeine the other day and I was wondering if I should take it, since it is obviously an opiate because it says "effects may strengthen with alcohol". I have also taken percocet before which is considered an APAP (I took 2, was a hell of a nice trip) so I don't see what's so bad about it...

anyway, I got some dexedrine and xanax, so here goes:
Substance: xanax/dexedrine
Your height: 6 feet i think
Your weight: 150 pounds
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):I don't think so
Any short-term illnesses you have(IMPORTANT):food poisoning (thanks domino's)
Any respiratory issues (IMPORTANT):smoke mucho pot (1-3 times a week)

 

OT have you written MCAT?

 

The maximum amount of APAPs you would ingest with two pills, around 1500mg which isn't too harmful for only one time over a large period (like, 2-3 days or so). I can attest that two Vicodon ER pills 7.5/750 is a safe doseage, and it does feel nice. Opiates produce nasty withdrawls though, after say a week or so of use depending on the *-one.

Now, onto the request:
First, some information about Dexedrine. Dexedrine is essentially dextroamphetamine, which is an ADD medication. I believe the effects alone are similar to Vyvanse (L-dexamfetamine) as the chemicals are the same. Alone, you can expect to feel:
-Energized
-Pressure in the frontal lobe of your brain
-Motivated
-Somewhat euphoric, happy, or social
-What I would describe as the ability to work, tied into the energy.
The drug itself is basically a watered down form of Speed (methamphetamines and other potent amphetamines), which has the same effects. You should note an increase in blood pressure, though it is marginal when using *ines. The dose I take when taking Vyvanse (I have ADD) is usually two 40mg pills, but I have a tolerance to amphetamine.
Note that it is basically Adderall XR for those who want to compare.
**Dilated pupils, or acute miosis can also occur, nothing to worry about. Higher doses indicate instances of blurred vision and photo-distortions.

Now, onto Xanax. Xanax (Alprazolam) is essentially the opposite of Dexedrine:
-Hypnotic (sleep-inducing)
-Anxiolytic (anti-anxiety / antidepressant)
-Sedative
-Muscle Relaxant
-Some instances of increase in appetite (amph. reduces appetite)
-Miosis (pupil dilation)

Though I've never taken Xanax, I see no reason why you could not take a very low, experimental dose along with Dexedrine (perhaps 0.25-0.5mg of Xanax) to achieve an increased euphoria effect with less of the nervous twitching Dexedrine can be known to cause. It would also reduce the appetite reduction found from most (if not all) amphetamines. Xanax and Dexedrine do not have any specific interactions other than the effects sort of, "mixing". There is always the possibility that some of these effects (as they effect different parts of the brain) could potentially be harmful, such as the extreme sedation and tranquilizer tendencies of Xanax mixing with the slight respiratory depression found in Dexedrine (infrequent).

Summary:
There should be no extreme detrimental effects, though remember the disclaimer at the beginning of my post. My suggested first-time interacting experimental etc etc dose:
5mg of Dexedrine.
0.5mg of Xanax.

The effects are very contradictory so even a lower dose could be reccomended, though they will not produce bad reactions on a chemical level, as noted the effects are contradictory.

When mixing amphetamines with xanax, do not do not DO NOT consume alcohol. Very important. Could cause a stroke, or cardiac arrest.

Again, remember when experimenting to use a VERY LOW DOSE and work your way up if desired, the spectra effects could suggest CARDIAC ARREST in larger doses.

If you have in fact tried it before and found it enjoyable, the only problems I can see persisting are addiction, and perhaps infrequent psychosis if you came close to overdosing. If you did come close to overdosing, expect lesions to form on the brain, as Xanax also has limited deliriant / dissociative effects at high doses.

Lower doses shouldn't prove much of a problem, though.

My 2c.

For clarification, Vyvanse is a low-potency form of the active ingredient in Dexedrine. The doseages are very different (dexedrine is a much lower dose, 5mg being the equivalent of 40mg Vyvanse)