Important note from a future nurse: if you are chronically ill, on a lot of medications, even managing conditions on your own, buy a drug guide. Davis's Drug Guide is what they had us buy for nursing school, and I've looked up every single medication I take in it. It helps you understand what the drug is doing to you, helps you understand side effects, reasons why you shouldn't take a medication, things to monitor for while you're taking a medication. It's not perfect by any means, but the thing I've found is that it's helped me guide conversations with providers, nurses, pharmacists, it's helped me figure out what questions to ask. When I've heard people talk about what they didnt know about their meds, what they wish they knew about their meds, it's often in a drug guide.
Out of everything I've learned in nursing school, it is the biggest thing I'd advocate for having in any home, period.
After being accepted into nursing school, I had no idea what to do next. I started looking up all kinds of stuff trying to figure out what to expect; YouTube, ALLNURSES, Instagram etc. I took bits and pieces of advice from all of them. I'm going to start by sharing the books I have found useful. This is mostly dedicated to those that procrastinate or can't stay focused long enough, like me. These are easy reads that are broken down into small sections which makes them engaging.
Pre-Nursing School
○ Saunders NCLEX-RN
This book should be purchased before you even get a stethoscope. Things to study before starting first semester —
○ Fluids and Electrolytes
○ Acid-Base Balance
○ Vital Signs
○ EVERYTHING ABOUT DIABETES MELLITUS
Practicing the clinical application questions will be good review to get yourself use to the types of questions you'll see on your first quiz and test.
Pre- or During Nursing School
○ Pearsons Pathophysiology Reviews and Rationales
○ Elsevier Nursing Diagnosis Handbook | An Evidence-Based Guide to Planning Care
— these two books saved me during first semester —
○ Learn how to use the NDH, it's a lifesaver | Elsevier
○ Get familiar with pathophysiology, nursing assessments, client-centered nursing care, nursing interventions | Pearsons R&R
Moving onto Pharmacology
○ Pearsons Pharmacology Reviews and Rationales
○ Pearsons Nurse's Drug Guide
I plan to continue to use Pearson Reviews and Rationales books through the rest of my nursing program. These books are far from the dense nursing school textbooks but contain the same information. Alongside the Saunders NCLEX-RN, you should be set for your nursing school journey.
NOTE — Please stop buying other peoples notes, TAKE YOUR OWN NOTES! These books have more information than any individualized notes seller out there. Taking your own notes allows you to personalized your perspective on the topics you learn.
This guide contains a list of the most commonly prescribed medications for Sweet’s Syndrome and the side effects for each, including serious side effects.
Speak with your provider and pharmacist about any concerns for drug interactions, especially if you are taking medications for treatment of other conditions and/or otc medications, herbs, or vitamin and mineral supplements. Always tell your…
Having experienced this, I’d love to give you some pointers since I’ve not seen a guide on ingesting marijuana orally.
Take into account the size of the brownie/cookie. I had a brownie about the size of a brick, so the effects were extremely strong and actually lasted over 24 hours. A smaller brownie might last anywhere from 4-12 hours.
It tastes terrible. All kinds of brownies/cookies I’ve encountered and that I’ve heard of people encountering are extremely dry and taste strongly of the drug. It’s not likely that someone can eat one by accident unless they are under heavy influence of some other drug/alcohol, despite what you might hear or witness from movies/TV.
It makes you incredibly lethargic, heightens your senses, and slows your thoughts down tremendously. I remember sitting on the sofa for what seemed like hours, but only about 20 minutes had passed.
It can have serious side effects that can turn bad very fast. I have a history of mental illness, but I’ve heard of this happening to those who don’t, too: I heard voices and had hallucinations. Again, this may have been from the amount I ingested. But I became very paranoid and thought everyone was making fun of me.
It can cause memory loss. I hardly remember much of my experience besides certain highlights.
It can cause a loss of concentration. I remember staring into space for a very long time. I actually had a meeting with my biology professor the next day and remember just staring at him, unsure of what to say, for again, what seemed like a long time. I’ll never know how long I stared at him.
It will probably cause restless sleep, even after the drug wears off. I remember not being able to sleep for a few night after, despite being extremely tired.
The food could include more than cannabis. I believe mine was laced with something due to the awful side effects. It can be laced with anything from PCP to MDMA, to a combination of any number of others.
It affects everyone differently. This was only my experience. Someone a different size that ingests a different amount, or even someone a similar size to me and that ingests the same amount, can have different effects.
I recommend doing further research by looking at a few Erowid experiences, which can provide some variation from my own. Here are some more brownie experiences: 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5.
This will be a brief guide on how to portray a character high on cocaine. Cocaine comes in a variety of different forms, one of which being "crack" cocaine, but this guide will focus on the powder form. I hope this guide will help you get better insight on the effects of cocaine and typical behaviour on a high.
What Is Cocaine?
Cocaine is a naturally derived CNS (central nervous system) stimulant extracted and refined from the Coca plant grown primarily in the Andean region of South America. Cocaine is typically a white-ish powder with a bitter, numbing taste. It is a bitter, white, odorless, crystalline drug. It is most often insufflated (snorted), though it can also be injected and used orally.
Smoking or injecting cocaine results in nearly instantaneous effects. Rapid absorption through nasal tissues makes snorting cocaine nearly as fast-acting. Whatever the method of taking it in, cocaine quickly enters the bloodstream and travels to the brain.
Deep in the brain, cocaine interferes with the chemical messengers -- neurotransmitters -- that nerves use to communicate with each other. Cocaine blocks norepinephrine, serotonin, dopamine, and other neurotransmitters from being reabsorbed. The resulting chemical buildup between nerves causes euphoria or feeling "high."
History
Coca leaf chewing has been practiced for thousands of years. Cocaine was first isolated from the Erythroxylon coca plant around 1850. Medicinal use of Cocaine increased through the late 19th century and recreational use started to become a known problem in the early 20th century. Recreational use was banned in the United States in 1914.
Basic "Street" Information
Chemical Name: Benzoylmethyl ecgonine
Street Names: aunt, Aunt Nora, baseball, bazulco, Batman, beam, Bernice, bernie, bernie's flakes, bernie's gold dust, big bloke, big C, big flake, blanca, blow, bump, C, C-dust, C-game, candy C, candy cane, coke, coca, dust, hubba, line, llello, nose candy, rail, stash, snow, Snow White, toot, white lady, yey, yeyo (most commonly heard are in bold)
Slang for the Experience: coked up, tweaking, railing, doing lines, baseballing
Doses of Common Abuse: anywhere from 1-4 lines, often repeated doses; each line is typically around 0.04-0.08 grams
General Price: $20-30 for 0.25 gram, $60-100 per gram, and $120-200 for 3.5 grams (1/8 ounce), but this can vary greatly depending on geographical area and quality of the substance
Typical Form: powder
Typical Method: snorted, oral ingestion (often by putting on the tongue or rubbing into the gums), or injected
Typical Overdose: varies greatly according to body weight, size, tolerance, and quality of the substance; death can even result from the drug being cut or "laced" with an adverse chemical such as levamisole
Basic Symptoms of A Coke High
Increased sense of energy and alertness
Extremely elevated mood
A feeling of supremacy
High levels of energy and activity
Excited, exuberant speech
Lack of a need for sleep
No appetite
Tensing muscles
Constricted blood vessels
Dilated pupils
Increased body tempterature
Increased heart rate
Higher blood pressure
Irritability
Paranoia
Restlessness
Anxiety
Preparation
To prepare a line, one must typically pour the substance out of its container onto a flat surface. The preparer will usually use a razor or credit card to crush any rocks and make them more into a powdery consistency. Then, in order to not leave behind any excess, they will scrape the razor or credit card across the surface to form lines.
Ingestion
When snorting a line, the process isn't too painful in comparison to other snortable drugs. There is typically a "drip" in the throat, sort of like a constant after-taste, as well as nasal congestion. When ingesting orally, by licking or rubbing on the gums, the area becomes numb. The nasal cavity and throat may feel numb as well.
Physiological Effects of A High
Typically, a person's heart rate elevates almost immediately after ingestion, probably in around 90 seconds. After a few minutes, a warm feeling comes over the body, with a tingly sensation in the limbs. The euphoria usually sets in a few minutes after this, so within 10 minutes of ingesting the drug.
After about 10 minutes, typically the person begins to feel more social than normal. People may describe their mood as energetic, awake, and happy. This feeling usually only lasts about half an hour, though, so a person may do another line or two.
When coming down, the feeling can be described as a sort of "afterglow." Some people may crave more, but not always. A person might feel a bit of strain on their heart. In some cases people can experience severe depression. In general, a person during a come down may feel bored, lethargic, or sad.
Potential For Addiction
Cocaine acts in the deep areas of the brain. These are the areas that reward us for "good behavior" -- those activities that lead to food, sex, and healthy pleasure. Stimulating this brain area with cocaine feels good. And it can create a powerful craving to use more cocaine. Repeated cocaine use leads to tolerance (that is, increasingly higher doses are needed to attain the same effect), dependence, and addiction.
Withdrawal
After using cocaine regularly for an extended period, dependence (addiction) develops. When dependence is present, stopping cocaine suddenly leads to withdrawal. Symptoms of withdrawal from cocaine are more psychological than physiological. Typically, cocaine withdrawal symptoms include cravings, depression and anxiety, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, inability to feel pleasure, and physical symptoms such as aches and pains, tremors, and chills. In some cases, withdrawal can cause suicidal ideations. Typically, withdrawal symptoms from cocaine addiction resolve within one to two weeks. However, intense craving for cocaine may return, even years after the last use.
Long Term Effects of Use
Chronically runny nose
Nosebleeds
Damage to the nasal septum tissue
Loss of smell
Hoarseness
Problems swallowing
Depression
Irregular heart beat
Heart attack
Chest pain
Respiratory failure
Stroke
Seizures
Headaches
Abdominal pain
Nausea
Important Note
I have never experienced a high from cocaine, so all of the information included in this guide is from my own research and what I've heard from friends who have done the drug. If any of this information, especially the behaviour section, seems inaccurate, feel free to message me and I'll correct it.
Other Reading
Erowid Vault: Cocaine Experiences (for descriptions of first-hand experiences)
