Physical health risks include addiction, damage to brain and other organs, severe health problems for infants born to mothers using narcotics during pregnancy. Narcotics may cover up other health symptoms. Heroin users risk contacting AIDS through sharing contaminated needles. Overdoses are known to produce slow and shallow breathing, clammy skin, convulsions, coma or death. Withdrawal effects include watery eyes, runny noses, yawning, loss of appetite, irritability, tremors, panic, cramps, nausea, chills and sweating.
Stimulant use can produce mild physical dependence and high psychological dependence.
Stimulants include amphetamines, diet pills, cocaine, caffeine and nicotine. Stimulants accelerate heart and respiration rates, raise blood pressure and decrease appetite. Overdose symptoms include sleeplessness, dizziness, anxiety, hallucinations, depression, agitation, convulsions and possible death. Stimulant use can lead to dependence, permanent brain and organ damage from chronic, long-term use, risk of AIDS infection, and death. Mixing drugs from the different classifications can produce unpredictable and deadly reactions.