What substance...

[pharmapsyche]

Which substance carries the biggest risks to physical/emotional health without substancial theraputic potential?

[Woodman]

You didn't list Prozak.


People stop taking that drug, and then go off doing all kinds of strange shit.

Prozak & prozak-type meds are probably responsible more deaths by way of causing murder suicide killing sprees than any other drug.

[old hippie 56]

Swim voted for speed, as I can speak from experience. Terrible drug in excess, makes a person do things that they would never do. It took ten years of freedom away from swim, plus 100 grand.

[sands of time]

Amphetamines, particularly meth, cause all sorts of problems for the body. Liver damage, brain damage, exreme weight loss, muscle deterioration, tooth problems, insomnia, schizophrenia and a whole host of other psychological problems.... Gotta love them jitters, do I really need to go on? The dependance caused is just as bad. This has to be one of the dirtiests drugs around on the street.

As far as therapeutic potential, sure, it works for ADD/ADHD, but there are much safer alternatives. Ritalin works just fine, and if it doesn't work for someone, there is always the stronger Adderal. I think meth is also prescribed for narcolepsy as well, but adderal has been shown to work.

[daeron]

pardon me speed haters, but i think that it is pretty obvious that the substances in question are nicotine and alcohol; voted for nicotine since alcohol has some +s, at least in social situations.

therapeutic potential, right? so every substance has its pros and cons. amphs are used to treat concentration problems, etc but they carry a certain health risk.

where the fuck are therapeutical pros of nicotine?!? i think the answer is pretty obvious, since nicontine brings nothing but the addiction to the card table.
we wage our pros and cons and we choose our drug.

what im really trying to say here is:
DONT YA EVER DISS MY LOVELY SPEED AGAIN!!

[bcStoner420]

I think most of the problems are caused by malnutrition, lack of sleep etc. not so much by the speed itself, though some of it would be of course. Anyway if kept in moderation weekly use isn't that bad, though not everyone can stay using only once weekly.

Anyway, I vote cocaine because of the massive nasal damage it can cause in a very short time with heavy use. It can be fairly damaging mentally too, making you much more violent and angry. After a while your circulatory system just cant take it anymore, SWIM has 2 cousins who did it for years and eventually both died around the same age which was young. They both died of heart attacks, obviously caused by the cocaine because heart problems werent a problem in there family and these 2 werent even related, they did both use quite heavily though. Cocaine also has no real therapeutic use that I know of either.

[glogga]

I vote cocaine. Its prolly the most useless drug ever. At least meth can give you a temporary performance boost. And, I hate to say it but, I learned alot about my self from meth psychosis.

[788.4]

I voted for alcohol. Nicotine would have been my second choice. They both have absolutely no theraputic value and have adverse effects on your health.

Methampetamine as an illicit drug can facilitate a lot of problems (crime, environmental damage, addiction, ect...) but it also has a significant theraputic value for some cases of narcolepsy and depression. However, I think other drugs could be just as problematic if they could be as easily manufactured as methamphetamine.

I think that if cocaine was available in an extended release tablet or capsule that it could have some theraputic value.

[Woodman]

Dearon, Pat Robertson says, "Speed is gods way of punishing the US for wandering away from Christianity."

I think I heard him say it.

[Solidly-here]

The Poll question is a little fuzzy: "Which substance: (1) carries the biggest risks to physical/emotional health, [but] (2) without substantial therapeutic potential?"

There is a strong answer to Part 1 of the question: Speed (taken over a long period of time) can "fry" someone's emotional health. It has a high potential for making a person paranoid, over time. This is the reason that (during the 70s) there was the slogan: "The only person who can stand to be around a Speed Freak, is another Speed Freak."

But then Part 2 of the question negates the answer to Speed. Because Speed DOES has "substantial therapeutic potential." It is a valid medicine for several conditions, especially Attention Deficit Disorder and Narcolepsy.

[raven3davis]

SWIM voted for tobacco products. Alcohol was a close second SWIM can see some therepudic use coming from casual use. Cocaine was also another one swim was debating with but it might have a small thereupdic use for social anxiety. SWIM isnt completely sure with that one though. Most of those other drugs do have uses for therapy.

[insomnizach]

I'd say that certain pharmeceutical drugs have caused me the most problems without benefit in the past. Most notably trycyclic antidepressants and anti-psychotics. I was diagnosed both of these to help with my insomnia which they have both worsened.

Interestingly i may finally have an explanation for my insomnia in the form of restless leg syndrome. This is actuallt well known to be worsened by the previouly mentioned medications but until very recenty i had no idea the syndrome existed.

I'm hopeful that this condition might bring an end to the wrong diagnosises and harmful prescriptions hich have so far made my life worse. i don't have a psychiatrist's appointment for two weeks, it's gonna be a hard slog.

[pharmapsyche]

Originally Posted by insomnizach

I'd say that certain pharmeceutical drugs have caused me the most problems without benefit in the past. Most notably trycyclic antidepressants and anti-psychotics. I was diagnosed both of these to help with my insomnia which they have both worsened.

Interestingly i may finally have an explanation for my insomnia in the form of restless leg syndrome. This is actuallt well known to be worsened by the previouly mentioned medications but until very recenty i had no idea the syndrome existed.

I'm hopeful that this condition might bring an end to the wrong diagnosises and harmful prescriptions hich have so far made my life worse. i don't have a psychiatrist's appointment for two weeks, it's gonna be a hard slog.

I'm curious as to which tricyclic antidepressant and which anti-psychotic you were prescribed to? I know that these drugs are sometimes used for insomnia but which ones specifically I'm not sure. Have you heard of ropinirole (brand name Requip)? I'm pretty sure this is a very effective drug in the treatment of restless leg syndrome. Clonazepam (Klonopin) is also an excellent option for RLS, and it would definatly help your insomnia.

[napoleon in rags]

I can't believe more people have voted for Nicotine instead of fucking TWEAK.

You can't even compare the long term effects of tobacco to (meth)amphetamines. The things that happen to long time meth users is DISGUSTING, both physically and mentally

Shit, even Ridalin and Adderall have caused psycosis in people with a history of long-term abuse.

[jduba]

crystal meth.

[pharmapsyche]

"tweak", or methamphetamine/amphetamines, have a few theraputic properties while nicotine has none. Method of delivery always outweighs any theraputic uses of nicotine with risk of death.

Nicotine is a mild anorexiant with psychostimulant properties. Nicotine is also a type of MAO-B inhibitor. Those are the only potentially theraputic qualities of nicotine when taken alone. Nicotine is rarely taken alone. Unless you are using transdermal or chewing gum/lozenges, nicotine is delivered through smoking tobacco, chewing it, or snuffing it. These methods of drug delivery pose health risks to the user; smoking, for example, delivers the nicotine along with a number of by-products of cobustion. The temperature does not reach high enough in a cigeratte for vaporizing to occur, and the smoke is made up of little particles. The by-products of incomplete combustion include tar, carbon monoxide, cyanide, formaldehyde and ammonia... (1)

Amphetamines, or "tweak", include drugs like dextroamphetamine, methamphetamine or dextromethamphetamine and have many theraputic properties. Pharmaceutical-grade amphetamines have a low potential for addiction when taken orally and in low doses. Theoretically, long-term use of pharmaceutical-grade amphetamine isn't nearly as harmful as long-term tobacco use is. The forms of "street speed" (illicit amphetamines that are synthesized by clandestine chemists) vary. Amphetamine can be found as a waxy, amber-colored powder, considering it's 100% pure. Here's a statistic on methamphetamine purity:
"80 percent of all methamphetamine in the United States comes from super labs in Mexico and California. However, the purity of that methamphetamine ranges from 15 percent to 20 percent. Individuals who manufacture meth, often dubbed 'cookers' usually only make about an ounce for personal use, but the product is about 85 percent to 95 percent pure." (2)

(1):http://www.tobaccofacts.org/tob_truth/whatsinsmoke.html
(2): Testimony of Commissioner Michael Campion, Minnesota Department of Public Safety, US House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy & Human Resources, June 27, 2005, available at http://www.csdp.org/research/Campion_Testimony.pdf.

[sands of time]

Originally Posted by raven3davis

SWIM voted for tobacco products. Alcohol was a close second SWIM can see some therepudic use coming from casual use. Cocaine was also another one swim was debating with but it might have a small thereupdic use for social anxiety. SWIM isnt completely sure with that one though. Most of those other drugs do have uses for therapy.

Cocaine is an effective and well known nasal decongestant, as well as a local anesthetic. I believe cocaine is used very rarely for eye surgery. It has a long history of use for many different surgeries, especially dental work. Cocaine was also used in many old over the counter remedies, and that's when it was primarily used as a decongestant.

Before that, Sigmund Freud used it as an antidepressant for a short period of time. Aside from taking it himself, he prescribed it to many patients, and he even gave his wife some. Who knew the father of modern psychology had a little coke habbit?!

[pharmapsyche]

There are several analogs of cocaine (ex. lidocaine, novacaine) that are used by dentists every day. Cocaine and its closest cousins analogs are unsurpassed local ansethetics. Because of this, I don't think any consequence of cocaine use can surpass it's theraputic potential.

[fletch]

voted other, id say methamphetamines carry the most risk physically and emotionally. never have i seen people fade so quickly, simply after months pf use and not in all cases severely abusive it ages and deteriorates the body and emotionally damages ones personality.

[sammydaze]

I'll have agree with methamphetamines. That is one drug I have truly found to have the most detrimental impact on SWIM emotionally. I cringe at the thought these days.

[klaatu]

I voted tobacco/nicotine, but could as easily have voted alcohol. Purely because either of those two catgories have killed more people than all the rest combined.

Klaatu

[Lotuseater]

Nicotine, which I believe is the only drug on that entire list to have no useful properties at all. Cocaine can help self-confidence, speed can help concentration and alcohol can help social lubrication. But nicotine is insiduous: it is socially acceptable (in the sense that you can do it public without fear of derision or arrest), and horribly addictive. Plus is also causes physical detriment to those around you.

Reputation Comments on this post:

I totally agree

[Lotuseater]

Though having said that, I have never personally known anyone with a speed addiction... whereas I have witnessed cocaine/alcohol/nicotine addiction in close friends.

[fletch]

yeah, i think in terms of how quick a substance can ruin yuor life the answer is obviously methamphatamines, speed if you will, however i definatly agree that nicotine in the category is probably the worst substance ever. it indeed simply kills people slowely and really has no use although some of the reasons for people choosing this over alcohol are not very thoughtful, i mean social lubrication. (no offense to anyone who stated this) that is not really a use for alcohol, i mean obviously thats what many use it for, but cigaretts are the same thing. alot of people meet and enjoy being around others in a social context when they are engaged in the act of smoking. alcohol in a theraputic sense would be more so in a category of pain relief. look back in the day, i mean way back, and if you had surgery or dental work that needed to be done there was always that bottle of whiskey or scotch by which the patient was chugging back like water. however nicotine, alcohol, and even marijuana are simply gateway drugs and many peopl will disagree but if you put things in retrosepct it really is gateway. you try some substances and you get curious as to what different things will do to you instead of never knowing anything in the first place.

[-k4ge]

Stupid people taking stupid doses of LSD isn't a pretty picture, or a fun trip having to deal with screaming friends for a good 8 hours.

Mentally, I'd say LSD, Physicaly I'd vote cocaine.