Two decades of evidence indicate that cocaine and amphetamine users increase their risk for strokes, according to a recent study conducted by the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Stimulants such as cocaine raise blood pressure and trigger spasms in blood vessels, causing vessel narrowing, according to the study. Amphetamine abuse is linked to a higher risk of death in hemorrhagic strokes - bleeding within the brain - and cocaine abuse is associated with both hemorrhagic and ischemic strokes, which involve blocked blood flow to the brain.
"The public-health implications of these findings are heightened by growing news accounts suggesting a recent increase in methamphetamine abuse, particularly in the southwestern, western and Midwestern states," the study concludes. This year, more students have come to her for cocaine and methamphetamine addiction than in previous years, said Stephanie Lake, program coordinator of the UC Davis Alcohol Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment program, in an e-mail. Cocaine and methamphetamine are listed as the second- and fifth-most abused drugs, respectively, after alcohol.
Nan Senzaki, a clinical social worker who specializes in substance abuse at UC Davis Counseling and Psychological Services, said cocaine and methamphetamine are considered "uppers" because of their rapid effects in stimulating the brain, but they also have a higher potential for addiction. Students use drugs to release stress, avoid a depressed mood, or for pleasurable feelings, she said. However, she added that permanent and serious emotional and physical damage outweigh the perceived enjoyment some drug users experience when using.
Tweaking, the most dangerous stage of methamphetamine abuse, occurs when users crave the euphoric high but no dose will allow them to achieve it. Users' paranoia and irritability intensify as they have not slept for days, resulting in unpredictable and violent behavior, according to Lake. "I want to stress that our collaboration involves confidential referrals with the consent of the student," she added.
For more information on drug abuse, contact ADAPT at 752-6334.
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