Amphetamine Addiction

What are Amphetamines?

Side effects of this drug include increased body temperature, blood pressure, pulse rates, insomnia, loss of appetite, physical exhaustion. Amphetamine addiction produces a psychosis that resembles schizophrenia: paranoia, hallucinations, violent and erratic behavior. Overdose can be fatal. There is widespread use among younger generations who believe that these drugs are accessible and ‘safe’ compared to more potent drugs such as heroin. Despite this perceived positive image, the effects of an amphetamine addiction on your health and other aspects of your life can be equally as devastating.

Much like the abuse of other illegal stimulant drugs such as MDMA (ecstasy), which is a derivative of amphetamines, people who take amphetamines intending to suppress appetite or feel less tired can become trapped in a cycle of repeated use that can lead to dependence and, ultimately, addiction.

Types of Amphetamines

There are quite a few different types of amphetamines. Most are closely monitored prescription drugs, but some are illicit and have no medical use. 

Prescription Amphetamines

Prescription amphetamines are often used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or narcolepsy (sudden sleep attacks or difficulty staying awake) [2]. They include:

• Amphetamine/dextroamphetamine (Adderall)
• Dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine)
• Dexmethylphenidate (Focalin)
• Methylphenidate (Concerta, Ritalin, Quillivant)
• Lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse)
• Methamphetamine (Desoxyn)

Though these are prescriptions, you can buy them on the street, too. Some people fake ADHD to get a prescription or visit multiple doctors to obtain extra pills to sell.

Illicit Amphetamines

Though methamphetamine is sometimes prescribed, it’s also an illicit amphetamine. It’s sold on the street as a crystalline substance (crystal meth), powder, or liquid. 

Illicit methamphetamine is highly addictive. Many dealers or manufacturers cut it with other substances to stretch the supply. Cutting agents lower the quality of the drug and make it even more dangerous since you don’t know what’s in it.

Ecstasy (3,4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine, or MDMA) is an amphetamine that has no medical use. It alters your sensory perception, which means it may make you see colors differently or hear distorted sounds. It also gives you energy so you can stay up all night. 

MDMA (or “molly”—its powdered form) is commonly abused at raves and music festivals.

What is Amphetamine Salts Combo?

Amphetamine salt combo is a combination of amphetamine and dextroamphetamine salts. These salts are typically combined to create a pharmaceutical product known as Adderall XR™, which is a common treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy.

What are Amphetamine Pills?

Amphetamine diet pills are a supplement that is commonly used to help lose weight by reducing the levels of hunger throughout the day. These pills also give the user high amounts of energy, which also aids in the weight loss process because of the increase in activity levels. 

Unlike some pills available on the market throughout the world, amphetamines do not work directly on the fat within the body. Rather, they work with the brain’s specific parts that control the natural hunger response. These chemicals in the brain are eliminated by the amphetamine diet pills, making it possible to go an entire day, or even several days, without feeling any hunger pains.

These pills have been banned in many areas because many people abuse these products due to the side effects. However, on many street corners, these pills are bought and sold under the street name speed because they drastically increase the energy levels.

Amphetamine diet pills can be extremely dangerous to the user because of various different medical conditions that can result from taking them. People with high blood pressure and heart problems need to avoid them because they will cause serious complications. It can also cause various levels of insomnia, confusion, and sickness when coming down from them, and they can cause heart palpitations.

What is Amphetamine Used for?

Amphetamines are drugs. They can be legal or illegal. They are legal when they are prescribed by a doctor and used to treat health problems such as obesity, narcolepsy, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Using amphetamines can lead to addiction.

Amphetamines are illegal when they are used without a prescription to get high or improve performance. In this case, they are known as street, or recreational drugs, and using them can lead to amphetamine addiction. This article describes this aspect of amphetamine addiction [3].

Amphetamine Effects 

Amphetamines are stimulants. Like other stimulants, they increase the activity of certain neurotransmitter chemicals in the brain–namely, dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. These neurotransmitters play a role in regulating attention, movement, and feelings associated with pleasure and rewards.

The doses of amphetamines that clinicians typically prescribe cause a slow and gradual increase of dopamine that mimics the way this neurotransmitter is normally activated in the brain.

However, dopamine levels increase sharply when amphetamines are taken over prescribed doses or are snorted or injected. As a result, the abuser may experience a disruption of normal brain activity.

Long-term Effects of Amphetamine Addiction

Amphetamines can harm the body in many ways, and lead to:

• Appetite decrease and weight loss
• Heart problems such as fast heart rate, irregular heartbeat, increased blood pressure, and heart attack
• High body temperature and skin flushing
• Memory loss problems thinking clearly, and stroke
• Mood and emotional problems such as aggressive or violent behavior, depression, and suicide
• Ongoing hallucinations and inability to tell what is real
• Restlessness and tremors
• Skin sores
• Sleep problems
• Tooth decay (meth mouth)
• Death

Amphetamine Side Effects

Amphetamine may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:

Some side effects can be serious. If you experience any of these symptoms or those listed in the IMPORTANT WARNING section, stop taking amphetamine and call your doctor immediately:

This medication may also cause sudden death, heart attack, or stroke in adults, especially those with heart defects or serious heart problems. Call your doctor right away if you or your child has any signs of heart problems while taking this medication, including chest pain, shortness of breath, or fainting.

Is Amphetamine Addiction Dangerous?

Because they are stimulants, amphetamines increase the heart rate and blood pressure. In a healthy person, this may not be particularly risky. Blood pressure and heart rate will return to normal when the drug is stopped. But in a person with a preexisting heart problem, the use of amphetamines can be serious or even fatal.

Is Amphetamine Addictive?

Most amphetamines are Schedule II controlled substances. They have a high potential for abuse. Abusing them will likely lead to psychological addiction. Still, it’s legal to use them under medical supervision or prescription.

Amphetamine addiction happens when you use these drugs to get high or improve performance. Amphetamine addiction means your body and mind are dependent on the drug. You are not able to control your use of it and you need it to get through daily life.

Amphetamine addiction can lead to tolerance. Tolerance means you need more and more of the drug to get the same high feeling. And if you try to stop using, your mind and body may have reactions. 

These are called withdrawal symptoms, and may include:

• Strong craving for the drug
• Having mood swings that range from feeling depressed to agitated to anxious
• Feeling tired all day
• Not able to concentrate
• Seeing or hearing things that are not there (hallucinations)
• Physical reactions may include headaches, aches and pains, increased appetite, not sleeping well

The destructive properties of these drugs make people who abuse them feel depressed and even suicidal when they are not using the drug. As a result, cravings to keep using the drug can be very strong, making it difficult to stop using.

Amphetamine Addiction Treatment

Treatment begins with recognizing there is a problem. Once you decide you want to do something about your drug use, the next step is to get help and support.

Treatment programs use behavior change techniques through counseling (talk therapy). The goal is to help you understand your behaviors and why you use amphetamines. Involving family and friends during counseling can help support you and keep you from going back to using (relapsing).

If you have severe withdrawal symptoms, you may need to stay at a live-in treatment program. There, your health and safety can be monitored as you recover.