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Artistic License Pharmacology: Difference between revisions
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* [[Alcohol Is Poison]]
* [[Bitter Almonds]]
* [[G
* [[Immune to Drugs]]
* [[Instant Sedation]]
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{{examples
== [[Anime and Manga]] ==.
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== Meta ==
* Addiction has three aspects: habituation, tolerance and withdrawal. Marijuana, for example, doesn't fit the classic model for any of these categories. (Some have referred to a "reverse tolerance" effect, probably due to novice users not knowing they need to inhale and (for a little while holding their breath. Some tolerance occurs, but even daily users find the effects readily obtainable.) Ceasing use of cannabis causes no withdrawal symptoms whatsoever: unless you include minor insomnia among those who use it as a sleep aid (people prone to insomnia ''before'' ever using marijuana). Strong habituation--in which people will endure tedious, difficult or risky situations to obtain the drug (similar to with heroin or cocaine)--''does'' happen, but only for a tiny percentage of users: most of whom have problems with impulsive behavior in many areas of their lives. Needless to say, many other "addictive" substances don't meet those three aspects. This is why, even more [[Egregious|egregiously]], writing someone as being physically and biologically addicted to [[Frothy Mugs of Water]] or the [[G
** This theory of addiction can be a [[Discredited Trope]] nowadays, as a number of substances now known not to cause physical dependence (cocaine being the big one, along with methamphetamine and MDMA) can indeed cause horrifying psychological dependence. For what it's worth, the DSM-IV actually does include "cannabis dependence" among its list of substance abuse disorders.
*** Athough 'psychological dependence' is also a contested concept because there is evidence that it is not drug-dependent state. In other words, if one starts to take drug that does not cause physical dependence to alleviate unwanted emotional state this may lead to dependence on any substance with similar result (with a preference to the best known drug). Think uncontrolled self-medication of anxiety and depression. In other words, the source of the problem is not the drug itself but rather a underlying psychological problem that needs to be addressed directly.
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== [[Real Life]] ==
* Some statements made in news articles and in anti-recreational drug information. You do not go into a blind killer rage from smoking marijuana (unless it was heavily contaminated with PCP and even that's unlikely). LSD does not break your chromosomes and render you infertile (though some of the things now ''sold'' as it might cause some nasty side effects.) [[Scare
** There's usually a [[Twisting the Words|tiny]] [[Polish the Turd|kernel]] [[You Can Panic Now|of truth]] in there someplace. A patient who took one dose of MDMA (Ecstasy) was in a coma by morning, and dead that afternoon. Not from the drug itself but from ''water intoxication''. (The drug messes with sodium levels and body heat regulation, and Ecstasy is usually used in raves, where there is plenty of physical exertion, sweating and drinking.) If the ads would explain the real dangers instead of using stupid scare tactics, maybe people would at least be more careful, and survive.
*** It's a simple Law of Great Numbers. Medicines are thoroughly tested and producers are obliged to indicate any side effects, even there was only one case observed in millions of uses. This is why some seemingly harmless medicines have very severe possible side effects listed. Now scale it up to drugs that lack quality control and are taken in uncontrolled manner with pretty vague dosage.
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** Tobacco. In most countries, it can be bought over the counter (or even from a vending machine) by anyone deemed old enough by law, and even if you're not old enough, accessed easily enough through friends/family/co-workers/whatever that are. It's also almost as/more addictive than heroin and one of the most physically destructive drugs over long-term use.
** Ditto for alcohol. Not only quite addictive and dangerous when used on a regular basis or overdosed but also heavily interacting with many prescription drugs sometimes heavily decreasing their toxicity threshold (especially the acetaminophen mentioned above).
* [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100723/ap_on_he_me/us_painkillers_fda This article on prescription opiate abuse]. "The government's risk management plan is specific to extended release versions of opioid drugs, which come in both pill and patch forms and are designed to give long-lasting effects. That potency carries serious risks when patients abuse them as stimulants." [[Critical Research Failure]] meets this trope meets [[Insane Troll Logic]] meets [[Marijuana Is LSD]] and they all had [[G
* Confusing pulmonary, blister and nerve agents with each other. Only blister agents cause, well, blisters. (We're looking at you [[The Rock]]. And you [[Eden: It's an Endless World!]])
* The belief, propagated by a few old mystery stories, that finely powdered glass was an undetectable poison to slowly shred the victim's insides. If it were finely powdered enough not to be painful in the mouth, it would do no damage further down the line.
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