Pills: types, usage, intake, and effects of different pills

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Does your doctor prescribe pills that are completely unknown to you? Don’t worry, we are here to provide you some basic knowledge about certain pills.

WARNING: Don’t take any pill without the recommendation of your health care professional. This article is written only with the view of providing some basic information to our readers.

Drug abuse

The pills are usually tablets which are common drugs or medication to relieve abnormal functioning. Taking pills for a wrong use or drug abuse is highly dangerous and is not allowed in any condition until and unless you have any disorder or under serious circumstances, you don’t allow that function.

Time by the time people get addicted to the drugs, as they give pleasure to their mind and give them relief. The number of people with drug addiction is increasing at a high rate overall in the world. Especially this problem has been noticed in young age adult who take pills for either anxiety, depression, suicide, birth control, and many other disorders. In Pakistan, mainly 78% of males and 22% of females are drug addicts, which is increasing by 4000 annual drug addicts. 

There are many ways people can take drugs other than oral. People use needles and syringes and intravenously inject the drugs which could be life threatening. It can cause multiple diseases like hepatitis, HIV, etc. 

The pills or drugs which people commonly use nowadays are usually psychoactive and birth control. Among children and young adults, the curiosity of taking pills is noticed which increases the peer pressure and they tend to experience it and get addicted. People under the age of 30 are commonly found using pills due to tension, depression, loneliness, breakup statuses, anxiety, and work pressure.

Pills are now also be used as recreational purposes. People think that they get their mind fresh and feel relieved after taking pills which turns them into addicts. 

Categories of pills which are commonly used

People take pills as per their tastes and requirement and further get addiction. Sometimes people take pills for counter pain relief but after long term usage, they get used to it. Some people use pills to control their hormonal function. 

List of some common drug abuse or pills are:

Depressants

They are taken to get relief from depression, tension, and anxiety. They reduce neurotransmission levels and also reduce stimulation. They are also known as ‘downers’. These include barbiturates that are sleeping pills and heroin.

Stimulants

They stimulate brain activity and give alertness. They are known as ‘uppers’. They result in increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, fast activity, nausea, and vomiting. By the usage of cocaine and amphetamines, these things can happen.

Birth control

These are the type of pills which men and women take to prevent pregnancy and different sexual developments. For women, these pills work as hormonal contraception which is 99% effective and can not only prevent pregnancy but also used to delay the menstrual cycle which may lead to many diseases like infertility, breast disorders, uterine or breast cancer, etc. these pills have many cycles and has to be taken every day for good results but could be lethal. These pills stop the production of sex hormones of male and female like estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone (androgen). 

Hallucinogens

These pills cause hallucinations and the person gets ‘out of the world’ feeling. These types of hallucinogens cause paranoia (irrational feeling of being persecuted), delusion (belief in something not real), and depression. Hallucinogens are ecstasy, LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide), and mescaline. LSD is the potent drug in these and can be taken orally or intravenously. It alters the feelings, awareness, and thoughts of the person. 

What are the effects of these pills?

Pills or drugs if use in a proper way can be beneficial but they can harm if we use them in the long term with high dosage and in a wrong way or abuse. Many drugs can be lethal. They can either convert into some serious diseases or can complicate the disease. They can develop some life threatening diseases too like cancer, paralysis, and coma. People should not take pills without a prescription with the proper dosage by a professional. Let’s take a look at the effects these pills create.

Depressants

Depressants directly affect our CNS. It contains sedatives, tranquilizers, and hypnotics. It reduces our brain activity and slows down its function. It reduces the alertness of the brain. Vomiting, drowsiness, anesthesia, relaxation, low heart rate and blood pressure, and sleep are caused by these pills. In long term use, these depressants cause memory loss, coma, respiratory depression, or even death in many cases. Sometimes after a high dosage of depressants death occurs while sleeping. Depressants also cause unconsciousness. The effect of depressants lasts up to 72 hours with severe and sudden symptoms when the person stops taking it. Sudden symptoms begin with 12 hours and get severe within 72 hours of the last dose taken.

Stimulants

Stimulants are those drugs that speed up the brain activity. It increases the level of neurotransmitters. These pills give sympathomimetic and pleasurable effects on the brain. They make the person awake, alert, strong, and energetic. These kinds of people who take stimulants tend to be more powerful and confident too. They just not increase brain functioning but also increase physical working. Because of its elevating mood properties, these drugs are more commonly used and quickly addicts the person. The high dosage causes over stimulation which can cause seizures, panic, cramps, insomnia, headaches, and aggression.

Birth control

These pills are used to prevent pregnancy or menstrual cycles. These contain estrogen and progestin in combination or in some drugs progestin alone which inhibits the release of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). The side effects of taking these pills can cause nausea, headache, weight gain, vaginal bleeding, breast pain and tenderness, mood swings, migraines, increased blood pressure, and blood clotting. Long term use or high dosage develops sudden diseases like breast cancer, uterine cancer, heart attacks, liver diseases, kidney damage, anticoagulation, and stroke. 

Hallucinogens

Hallucinogens creates hallucinations. The person is unable to tell what is real what is unreal. The person thinks that all the imaginations are true. It makes that ‘out of the world’ feeling. He/she changes emotions and thoughts according to untrue feelings. This is because these pills increase the release of serotonin which is a mood elevating hormone as well as sensory perception, so the person can see or hear the things which are not even present. With long term usage, the person develops psychosis and memory loss. The side effects of these pills are the dissociation of sensory receptors, schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease. 

Examples of pills

Note: This information can not be used for the intake of pills. It is provided only for the sake of information.

You should never take any drug or medication before a prescription by a doctor or pharmacist. And before knowing its disadvantages and adverse reactions it is prohibited to use any drug. 

Depressants

Many types of depressants commonly used are 

  • Alcohols (beers, wines, and spirits)
  • Barbiturates. Nembutal (pentobarbital), luminal (phenobarbital).
  • Benzodiazepene. Libium (chlordiazepoxide), valium (diazepam), xanax (alprazolam).
  • Cannabis. 
  • Opioids (morphine, heroin, codeine, methadone, oxycodone).
  • Miscellaneous (carvedilol, atropine, lamotrigine, clozapine, zopiclone, baclofen, gamma hydroxybutyrate).

Stimulants

Commonly used uppers are:

  • Amphetamine (mixed amphetamine salts, lisdexamfetamine, dextroamphetamine).
  • Caffeine (roasted coffee beans, cocoa, dark chocolate, caffeine tablets, caffeinated drinks like soft or energy drinks).
  • Ephedrine (adrenaline, methamphetamine, phenylpropanolamine).
  • MDMA means 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy, molly).
  • Cocaine 
  • Nicotine 

Birth control

The combination of birth control pills are divided into three types of products depending on phases that are:

  • Monophasic products (apri, aviane, brevicon, Desogen, lo ovral 28, Modicon, ortho-cept).
  • Biphasic products (jenest 28, mircette, nicon 10, ortho-novum 10/11).
  • Triphasic products (estrostep FE, tri-levlen 21, triphasil 28, trivora 28).

Hallucinogen

  • LSD
  • PSILOCYBIN (Magic mushrooms)
  • Mescaline (peyote)
  • Ketamine (special K)
  • DMT.

Street names of pills

For depressants: busters, downers, double trouble, barbs, phennies, red birds, amytal, red devil, yellow jacket, tooies, drowsy high, idiot pills, goofers, bluebirds, rainbow, Roche, roofinol, sleeping pills, etc.

For stimulants: bennies, truck drivers, LA turnaround, uppers, hearts, speed, crosses, black beauties, tranks, vitamin R, Concerta, Metadate, Ritalin.

For birth control: azurette, kariva, levora, natazia, beyaz, enpresse, loestrin, tylenol.

For hallucinogens: kit kat, cat tranquilizer, special K, Mescaline, magic mushrooms, morning glory seeds, ketamine, datura, golden tops, blue meanies, liberty cap.

Before you leave!

Before you go, kindly take this on a serious note, not to use or experience any of these drugs or pills. They can harm you and can cause death while sleeping. These drugs can develop lethal conditions and life threatening diseases or life time abnormality. It can create a serious and dangerous scenario without even knowing it. Drug addiction is illegal and also injurious to health.