Everyone knows that when you take illegal drugs, you’re taking a risk. But what if you already have a medical problem? How do you protect yourself when the stakes could be even higher for you than for your friends? Camilla Francis investigates.

So your mates have been dabbling in drugs – maybe smoking joints and dropping the odd pill. And you want to join in, or you already have but are scared because you have diabetes, or epilepsy or something else – and you’re not sure if that changes things.

Just don’t go there

OK, so you’ve heard it a million times, but the honest answer to the whole recreational drug thing is not to bother in the first place. But humans are curious and lots of people experiment, regardless of the risks. We all make our own decisions and mistakes.

So if you’re still keen to try something, are bending under peer pressure, or are already in a position where you take recreational drugs regularly, you’ll be better armed for trouble if you know the facts. The main thing is to minimise the risk to your health and keep your condition under control at the same time.

Medication interactions

A big risk is created by the mix of illegal drugs and medication. Most drugs and medications are metabolized (broken down) by the liver and excreted (eliminated from the body) through the kidneys into the urine. 

When drugs and medications are both "queuing" to use the liver, they might both be processed much more slowly. This can lead to a serious overdose of the medication or of the recreational drug. An overdose of a medication can result in serious side effects – an overdose of a recreational drug could be lethal. This also means that if you have a liver or kidneys which are not functioning on maximum, the effects of drugs can be greatly increased.

Experts know that mixing prescription and recreational (non-prescription) drugs is an unpredictable business. You just never know what the cocktail might do. This is because with street drugs it all depends on:

• what's actually in it
• how much you’ve taken
• your mood and physical condition
• your surroundings at the time

This is a huge amount to think about and almost impossible to suss out properly. After all – you’re not a laboratory rat. The bottom line is that the effects of any drug can’t always be predicted, even by experts. It’s even more of a lottery when it comes to mixing different substances.

If you currently take medication and feel unable to say no to street drugs, then you need to know what these drugs commonly do and how they can react, and then what to do in a crisis.

The effects of drugs

• Marijuana (cannabis, puff, draw, blow, weed, grass, pot, hash)
• Ecstasy (Es, disco biscuits, doves, diamonds, fantasy and XTC)
• Heroin (smack, skag, brown)
• Amphetamines (speed, pep pills, Billy, whizz, sulphate, sulph, pink champagne, uppers)
  
• Cocaine (coke, crack, Charlie, snow)
• Solvents

Playing the drug lottery

It’s key to remember that with recreational drugs that you really are taking a leap into the unknown. Because these drugs are illegal there are no regulations to control quality so you have no idea what you might be getting. Of course it’s up to you to decide for yourself if you want to take the risks involved. But if you take a leap of faith and it all goes wrong, what should you do?

First aid

• Overdose – don’t hesitate to call an ambulance if you think you or a friend has overdosed. Make sure you tell the ambulance crew exactly what you/they have taken – you won’t get into trouble for this and it could save a life.

• Dehydration – if after taking drugs and dancing you get dehydrated, take a rest straight away and slowly sip water (a pint an hour is the recommended amount). Dabbing some cool water on your face can help reduce your body temperature.
• Feeling faint – If you feel like you are about to pass out say something. Don't just go and lie down somewhere – an overdose could be lethal and there’s a danger you could vomit and choke on it.  

Warning! Never drink black coffee to try to feel more alert — this can have the opposite effect, by accelerating the absorption of the drugs you've taken.

For more help and information

You can find further information or advice about any of the issues discussed here by asking your doctor, epilepsy or diabetes specialist nurse or organisations such as the National Drugs Helpline or Talk to Frank

Epilepsy Action

British Heart Foundation

Diabetes UK

Last reviewed by University of Nottingham Medical School: 3 December 2007

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