Get your health question answered instantly from our pool of 18000+ doctors from over 80 specialties
159 Doctors Online

By proceeding, I accept the Terms and Conditions

Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

HCM Blog Instant Access to Doctors
HCM BlogQuestions Answered
HCM Blog Satisfaction

Which Drug Can Cause Pale Complexion With Sunken Eyes And Quiet Demeanor?

My teenage son seemed to have "recovered" from a rapid plunge two years ago into serious drug abuse (ketamine, MDMA, ecstasy), ending last year. Since then he seemed to be "just" making steady use of pot. Recently however he has been coming home once in a while with dark circles around very sunken eyes, and a ghostly white complexion. There is no major personality shift on those occasions, except that he's quieter than usual, and will sometimes go to bed unusually early. Does this point to the use of a particular drug?
posted on Fri, 14 Mar 2014
Twitter Thu, 12 Jan 2017 Answered on
Twitter Thu, 12 Jan 2017 Last reviewed on
Report Abuse
Addiction Medicine Specialist,  's  Response
Hi,

Not necessarily any. It seems really unlikely to be stimulants since he would be staying up without sleep. Perhaps WITHDRAWAL from stimulants and crashing. The sleep would last more than usual. Heroin in theory can do that but, there would be more often than once in a while and rather a lot of other effects with chronic use of heroin.

Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.

Regards,
Dr. Matt Wachsman
I find this answer helpful
Note: For further guidance on mental health, Click here.
Disclaimer: These answers are for your information only and not intended to replace your relationship with your treating physician.
This is a short, free answer. For a more detailed, immediate answer, try our premium service [Sample answer]
Share on
 

Recent questions on Ketamine


Loading Online Doctors....
Which Drug Can Cause Pale Complexion With Sunken Eyes And Quiet Demeanor?

Hi, Not necessarily any. It seems really unlikely to be stimulants since he would be staying up without sleep. Perhaps WITHDRAWAL from stimulants and crashing. The sleep would last more than usual. Heroin in theory can do that but, there would be more often than once in a while and rather a lot of other effects with chronic use of heroin. Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further. Regards, Dr. Matt Wachsman