Which body systems are most affected by psychoactive and designer drugs?

Not Medical Advice: Psychoactive drugs or psychotropic substances act primarily on the central nervous system.

They alter brain functions, resulting in temporary changes in perception, mood, consciousness and behaviour. These drugs may be used recreationally to purposefully alter one's consciousness (such as coffee, alcohol or cannabis), as entheogens for spiritual purposes (such as the mescaline-containing peyote cactus or psilocybin-containing mushrooms), and also as medication (such as the use of narcotics in controlling pain, stimulants to treat narcolepsy and attention disorders, as well as anti-depressants and anti-psychotics for treating neurological and psychiatric illnesses).

Many of these substances (especially the stimulants and depressants) can be habit-forming, causing chemical dependency and may lead to substance abuse.

Designer drug is a generic term for drugs with properties and effects similar to a known hallucinogen or narcotic but having a slightly altered chemical structure. Some are created in order to evade restrictions against illegal substances. Designer drugs vary, as well as the body systems they affect.

Here are some examples from a ScienceNews.org article:

These drugs range in the body systems they affect, which include the central nervous system and the autonomic nervous system, which serves to accelerate the heart rate, constrict blood vessels, and raise blood pressure.

Get more information about the effects of drugs on www.drugfreeworld.org.