I will dedicate this space, to describe the answers by cardiotoxicity, that is generated consumers of psychoactive substances based on Marijuana, Cocaine and Heroin, this with the purpose of socializing with our friends of Project.HOPE, the harmful effects that exercise the psychoactive substances in the health.

Before entering the topic to be socialized, it is important to indicate that the content responds to the process of research and contributions that I have been developing in my blog about psychoactive flora, in the constant search to provide technical-educational information, essentially on the physiological and toxicological properties, pharmacokinetic action, and adverse phytopharmacological effects exerted by psychoactive species in humans.

In this sense, it is relevant to indicate that chronic users of psychoactive substances, either in organic or inorganic presentation, in addition to alterations in the perception of space and time, the normal conscious state is also seriously affected by prolonged periods of paranoia, agitation, anxiety, constant hallucination, psychiatric syndromes such as depression, disorders of the dream this due to the hallucinogenic and narcotic effects that arise when consuming these illicit drugs, nevertheless, with respect to the main toxicological upheavals evaluated at pharmacological level, the one of greater impact is related to the affections by cardiotoxicity.

To conclude, it is important to emphasize that the consumption of psychoactive substances categorized as illicit drugs, can cause irreparable cardiovascular effects, ranging from tachycardia and mild hypertension peaks, to arrhythmic disorders that can culminate in heart attacks, this due to electrophysiological changes that trigger these substances to metabolize endogenously in the body, inhibiting the potassium channels, blocking the sodium channels, and activating the calcium channels, which create imbalances and indirectly cardiotoxicity, hence the reason to consider these psychoactive substances as variables that alter perception and cause toxicity in our metabolism.

[1] Schwartz B., Rezkalla S., and Kloner R. Cardiovascular effects of cocaine. Circulation 2010; 122: 2558-69. Article: Online access

[2] Assi S., Gulyamova N., Ibrahim K., Kneller P., and Osselton D. Profile, effects, and toxicity of novel psychoactive substances: A systematic review of quantitative studies. Hum Psychopharmacol Clin Exp. 2017. Article: Online access