The effects of using multiple substances at the same time.
Most people who receive care in emergency rooms for drug-related reasons have multiple substances in their body. This is known as polydrug use. Using a drug can pose a risk to the person, so using multiple substances at once could cause serious consequences in the body or even death.
Mixing substances, or polydrug use, is done for various reasons. The most relevant is to achieve new effects or sensations that cannot be experienced with a single drug.
Most common combinations
Using multiple drugs to reduce the unwanted effects of a previously used drug:
- Cocaine and alcohol: Alcohol seems to reduce and make the effects of cocaine manageable. Compulsive use can result in cocaine overdose, alcohol poisoning, kidney complications, or liver complications.
- Crack and sedatives: Sedatives apparently relieve the discomfort caused by crack. Generally, the “up and down” effect ends up creating longer patterns of use. And these result in lung and liver damage.
Polydrug use also occurs to enhance the effects of another drug. The substances that are commonly mixed are:
- Cannabis with LSD: This is one of the most popular combinations because smoking cannabis while using LSD increases the effects of the latter and extends the duration of the “trip”.
- Tobacco with heroin: The relationship between nicotine molecules and heroin means tobacco can be used to extend and increase the effects of heroin or other opioids.
Multiple substance use is, in itself, a risky practice, and therefore involves assessing the particular circumstances of the person who engages in it in order to design an intervention or treatment appropriate to their needs. At CC Adicciones, a professional team will help find the right treatment for the patient. Request information by calling 902 400 426.
