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Symptoms » Drug abuse
 

Drug abuse

Drug abuse: Introduction

Drug abuse: Drug use as a symptom of other conditions. See free access online books about Drug abuse below. See detailed information below for a list of 27 causes of Drug abuse, including diseases and drug side effect causes.

» Review Causes of Drug abuse: full list

Causes of Drug abuse:

The following medical conditions are some of the possible causes of Drug abuse. There are likely to be other possible causes, so ask your doctor about your symptoms.

See full list of 27 causes of Drug abuse

» Review Causes of Drug abuse: full list

Causes of Types of Drug abuse:

Review the causes of these more specific types of Drug abuse:

See full list of 9 types for Drug abuse

Drug abuse: Symptom Checker

Listed below are some combinations of symptoms associated with Drug abuse, as listed in our database. Visit the Symptom Checker, to add and remove symptoms and research your condition.

Symptom Checker

Symptom Checker

See full list of 1707 Symptom Checker combinations related to Drug abuse

Drug abuse Treatments

Review information on Drug abuse Treatments.

Causes of General Symptom Types

Research the causes of these more general types of symptom:

Research the causes of related medical symptoms such as:

Causes of Similar Symptoms to Drug abuse

Research the causes of these symptoms that are similar to, or related to, the symptom Drug abuse:

Diagnostic Guides for Drug abuse

Medical Books Excerpts Read excertps from published book sections related to Drug abuse from the following published medical books for more detailed information about Drug abuse. Free access (no registration): read all online diagnostic book sections about Drug abuse

Medical Books Excerpts
 

Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Hospitals & Clinics: Drug abuse

Research extensive quality ratings and patient safety measures for hospitals, clinics and medical facilities in health specialties related to Drug abuse:

Research Hospital & Clinic Quality Ratings » »

Drug abuse: Research Related Doctors & Specialists

Other ways to find a doctor, or use doctor, physician and specialist online research services:

Diagnostic tests for Drug abuse:

Various tests are used in the diagnosis of Drug abuse. Some of these are listed below :

  • Physical examination
    • Examine for evidence of drug use - e.g. needle "track" marks, discolored fingers from smoking marijuana or cigarettes.
    • General state of health
    • Physical examination looking for any ill-effects from drug abuse e.g. tender liver
  • Mental state examination
    • Level of consciousness and orientation - e.g. alert and responsive, drowsy, "nodding off'.
    • General appearance - e.g. cleanliness, body odor, unkempt, unshaved, malnourished, posture.
  • more tests...»

See full list of 21 diagnostic tests for Drug abuse

Diagnosis Checklist: Questions your doctor may ask (and why!)

During a consultation, your doctor will use various techniques in their assessment of Drug abuse. Your doctor may ask several questions when assessing your condition. It is important to remember that your consultation is a two-way process and any extra information you can share with your doctor about your symptoms may help them with their diagnosis. Some of the questions your doctor may ask are listed below:

  • How long have you been abusing drugs? - to determine if acute or chronic.
  • Which drugs have you been abusing? - including prescribed drugs, over the counter drugs, illegal drugs or social drugs.
  • What is your drug of choice? - many people who abuse drugs use multiple different drugs.
  • Do you drink alcohol? - if so estimate specific weekly consumption and maximum consumption at one sitting in the last month?
  • Do you smoke tobacco cigarettes? - if so estimate daily number of cigarettes smoked?
  • more questions...»

See Diagnosis Checklist for Drug abuse (22 listings)

Diagnosis Checklist: Associated symptoms your doctor may ask about (and why!)

Sometimes, other symptoms may be present and may help your doctor analyse your condition. The symptoms your doctor may ask about (in association with Drug abuse) may include:

  • Symptoms of depression? - e.g. sadness, crying spells, lack of interest in activities, poor energy, poor concentration and attention span, poor sleep, reduced libido, poor self esteem and sometimes suicidal thoughts. - May be associated or caused by drug or alcohol abuse.
  • Symptoms of Manic-depression? - e.g. episodes of depression (often psychotic in intensity) and at other times episodes of psychotic excitement (mania or hypomania). Symptoms of psychotic excitement may include elevation of mood, increased activity, grandiose ideas, irritability, disinhibition (which affects social, sexual and financial behavior), rapid speech and racing thought, delusions (persecutory or grandiose) and sometimes hallucinations - 56 % of people with bipolar affective disorder also have a problem with substance abuse (11 times the population risk for alcohol and other drugs).
  • Symptoms of schizophrenia? - e.g. hallucinations, delusions, disordered thought, reduced contact with reality, poverty of speech, slowness of thought and movement, emotional flatness and lack of insight. 47% of people with schizophrenia also have a problem with substance abuse (3 times the population risk for alcohol and 6 times that for other drugs).
  • Symptoms of anxiety? - e.g. nervousness, shakiness, tremor, restlessness, irritability, insomnia, poor concentration, heart palpitations, racing heart, sweating, dizziness, diarrhea, lump in throat and frequency of urination. - May be associated or caused by drug or alcohol abuse.
  • Symptoms of panic attacks or panic disorder? - e.g. sudden, unexpected, short-lived episodes of intense anxiety. Panic disorder may present with detachment. - May be associated or caused by drug or alcohol abuse.
  • more symptoms...»

See Diagnosis Checklist for Drug abuse (22 listings)

Home Diagnostic Testing and Drug abuse

Home medical tests possibly related to Drug abuse:

Stories from Users for Drug abuse

Symptom specific forums: The following patient stories in our interactive forums and message boards relate to Drug abuse or relevant symptoms:

Videos for Drug abuse

Club Drugs and HIV

Club Drugs and HIVMany people think that the HIV epidemic is over. But recently there has been a spike in the number of new infections. Experts say that certain club...

Kicking Heroin

Kicking HeroinThe drug methadone has been used since the late '60s to help heroine addicts overcome their addiction. But is this drug really a cure? Or does it...

 

Recognizing Opioid Abuse

Recognizing Opioid AbuseThough heroin may be one of the most notorious drugs around, it's only one in a class of addictive substances known as opioids. Some -- like...

ADHD Ritalin Abuse

ADHD Ritalin AbuseWith college pressures at their highest, many students are turning to prescription stimulant drugs like Ritalin and Adderall to give them an edge....

 
See full list of 6 related videos

Patient Surveys for Drug abuse

Definitions of Drug abuse:

Drug abuse: habitual use of drugs not needed for therapeutic purposes, solely to alter one's mood, affect, or state of consciousness, or to affect a body function unnecessarily (as in laxative abuse).
Source: Stedman's Medical Spellchecker, © 2006 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

The use of a drug for a reason other than which it was intended or in a manner or in quantities other than directed.
- (Source - Diseases Database)

Excessive use of drugs
- (Source - WordNet 2.1)

Excessive use of drugs or chemicals with associated psychological symptoms and impairment in social or occupational functioning.
- (Source - CRISP)

Detailed list of causes of Drug abuse

The list below shows some of the causes of Drug abuse mentioned in various sources:

See full list of 27 causes of Drug abuse

How Common are these Causes of Drug abuse?

This information refers to the general prevalence and incidence of these diseases, not to how likely they are to be the actual cause of Drug abuse. Of the 27 causes of Drug abuse that we have listed, we have the following prevalence/incidence information:

  • 4 causes are "very common" diseases
  • 4 causes are "common" diseases
  • 1 causes are "uncommon" diseases
  • 0 causes are "rare" diseases
  • 2 causes are "very rare" diseases
  • 23 causes have no prevalence information.

See the analysis of the prevalence of 27 causes of Drug abuse

Conditions listing symptoms: Drug abuse:

The following list of conditions have 'Drug abuse' or similar listed as a symptom in our database. This computer-generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete. Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause of any symptom.

A

  • Alcohol abuse ... drunkenness
  • Alcohol-induced pseudo-Cushing syndrome ... alcohol abuse
  • Alcoholism ... need for morning alcoholic drink, drinking too much alcohol, hiding your drinking from others, hiding your drinking from others, guilt when asked about drinking, guilt when asked about drinking, drinking whenever you feel stress, drinking whenever you feel stress, drunkenness, anger when asked about drinking, anger when asked about drinking
  • Anorexia Nervosa ... laxative abuse, enema abuse
  • Anorexia nervosa, genetic types ... laxative abuse, enema abuse
  • Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders ... drug use, alcohol use
  • Austrian syndrome ... alcohol abuse

    B

  • Bulimia nervosa ... laxative abuse, enema abuse

    C

  • Cardiomyopathy, Alcoholic ... alcohol abuse
  • Chemical poisoning - Ethylene Glycol ... drunkenness

    D

  • Disordered Eating ... laxative abuse

    F

  • Female reproductive toxicity - Alcohol ... fetal alcohol syndrome

    G

  • Gulf War syndrome ... alcohol abuse

    H

  • Hodgkin's Disease ... alcohol intolerance
  • Hodgkin's disease, adult ... alcohol intolerance
  • Hodgkin's disease, childhood ... alcohol intolerance

    M

  • Myoclonic dystonia ... alcohol abuse

    N

  • Nymphomania ... alcoholism

    P

  • Postconcussive syndrome ... alcohol intolerance

    S

  • Suicide ... drug abuse, alcohol abuse

    Conditions listing complications: Drug abuse:

    The following list of conditions have 'Drug abuse' or similar listed as a complication in our database. The distinction between a symptom and complication is not always clear, and conditions mentioning this symptom as a complication may also be relevant. This computer-generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete. Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause of any symptom.

    A

  • Alcohol abuse ... alcohol poisoning, alcoholism, alcoholism, alcoholism
  • Alcoholism ... Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)

    P

  • Panic disorder ... drug abuse, alcohol abuse
  • Pregnancy ... fetal alcohol syndrome

    S

  • Social phobia ... drug abuse, alcohol abuse
  • Stress ... alcohol overuse, drug abuse

    Join in at the forums

    Ask or answer a question about symptoms or diseases at one of our free interactive user forums.

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  • Causes of Drug abuse Based on Risk Factors

    This information shows analysis of the list of causes of Drug abuse based on whether certain risk factors apply to the patient:

  • Diabetes - history of diabetes or family history of diabetes?

    Doctors and specialists: Who should I consult about Drug abuse?

    Depending on the seriousness of the onset of Drug abuse, you may want to consult one of the following medical professionals.

    Important:In extreme cases, always seek advice from emergency services :

    Classifications of Drug abuse:

    Subtypes of Drug abuse:

    Alcohol abuse (8 causes), Laxative abuse (4 causes), Alcohol use (11 causes), Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (1 cause), Alcohol intoxication (1 cause)

    Medical Conditions associated with Drug abuse:

    Addiction symptoms (26 causes), Behavioral symptoms (3957 causes), Mental problems (2653 causes), Personality symptoms (3427 causes)

    Symptoms related to Drug abuse:

    Addiction symptoms (26 causes), Alcohol abuse (8 causes), Gambling, Schizophrenia, Psychological disorders, Depression (352 causes)

    Medical articles on signs and symptoms:

    Doctor-patient articles related to symptoms and diagnosis:

    These general medical articles may be of interest:

    See full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis

    Medical News summaries about Drug abuse

    Our news pages contain the following medical news summaries about Drug abuse and many other medical conditions:

    News Archives for Drug abuse

    Medical news articles related to Drug abuse include:

    Source: HealthDay News

    Evidence Based Medicine Research for Drug abuse

    Medical research papers related to Drug abuse include:

    Research More Evidence-Based Medicine at TripDatabase.com

    Related medical articles from our Disease Center for Drug abuse:

    More Ways To Research Medical Signs and Symptoms:


     » Next page: Causes of Drug abuse

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