Speed Drug

Speed Drug Types, Effects, Symptoms, Withdrawal, Overdose, and Addiction Treatment


What is Speed Drug? Or Speed Drug’s Definition?

Speed drug is a stimulant or upper. It can be a tablet or powder which can be sniffed, swallowed or injected. Speed drug is an off-white or pinkish powder and can sometimes look like crystals. Base speed is purer and is pinkish-grey in color. It starts to take effect within 20 minutes and lasts for 4-6 hours. Speed is a street name for various stimulant drugs that are used to feel more alert and focused, and in some cases, to feel high. Some individuals also use various forms of speed to reduce their appetite to lose weight.

Speed Drug
High doses and frequent use of speed can create amphetamine or speed psychosis. It is possible to overdose on speed if you have a large amount or a strong dose. An overdose can lead to stroke, heart attack or death.
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Types of Speed Drug

  • Amphetamines (used to treat narcolepsy or sleep disorder, ADHD, and depression)
  • Methamphetamine (a powerful stimulant street drug)

Methamphetamine (meth) is much faster-acting and more potent than amphetamine, but both types of drugs involve serious risks. Amphetamines are prescription stimulants used to treat Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and used as a study aid to stay awake and suppress appetites and prescribed as Adderall, Concerta, Ritalin, Dexedrine, Focalin, Metadate, Methylin [1].

Similar to cocaine, amphetamines affect the body, but slower onset and longer duration. Increased blood pressure, body temperature, and pulse rates, loss of appetite, insomnia, physical exhaustion are some of its side effects. Chronic abuse produces a psychosis that resembles schizophrenia: hallucinations, paranoia, violent and erratic behavior. Overdose can be life-threatening [2].

When answering the question, “what is speed drug?” many people don’t know that it’s just another name for methamphetamine. Some other titles for speed include:

Meth is a stimulant that gives someone a rush of energy. It’s most popular with young adults who attend parties, clubs, and raves. Regardless of what people call the drug, it’s incredibly addictive. It also causes many physical and mental health problems.

Speed drug is one of the most addictive substances that people can use. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) [3], puts speed in the Schedule II drug category. The classification system goes from Schedule I to V. Schedule I drugs are the most addictive, which puts speed drug in a class close to the top.

Short-Term Effects of Speed Drugs

  • Feeling exhilarated, with more energy and confidence
  • Not needing much sleep or food
  • Pupils look wider and face paler
  • Breathing and heart rate increase and blood pressure rises
  • Dry mouth, diarrhoea, need to urinate more often
  • Higher doses also cause flushing, sweating, headaches, teeth grinding, jaw clenching and racing heart
  • Can sometimes cause amphetamine psychosis, when you lose contact with reality
  • May be talkative and aggressive

Long-Term Effects of Speed Drugs

  • Mood swings
  • Tolerance – you need to take more to get the same buzz
  • Anxiety, depression, irritability and aggression
  • Powerful cravings
  • Weight loss
  • Scratching or itchy skin
  • You may become violent
  • Meth mouth
  • Mental health problems such as psychosis, paranoia, delusions and hallucinations
  • Sniffing speed can damage the inside lining of your nose
  • Injecting speed can cause vein damage and sharing needles puts you at risk of HIV and hepatitis

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How Does Speed Drug Affect the Brain?

Similar to cocaine, speed drugs block the re-uptake of dopamine. Speed drugs release high levels of the brain chemical dopamine, which stimulates brain cells, enhancing mood and body movement. Dopamine is an important neurotransmitter used for motivation, body movement, pleasure, and reward. A rush of dopamine release in the brain due to speed abuse leads to an intense high, and continued reuse can lead to addiction.

Speed drug also increases levels of norepinephrine, serotonin (5-HT), and other brain chemicals. It can easily cross into the brain. Speed drug is able to enter the central nervous system (CNS) more readily than amphetamine, making it a more powerful and longer-lasting stimulant. However, amphetamine is also an active metabolite of methamphetamine, peaking in blood levels in roughly 12 hours.

Oral speed has a half-life of roughly 4 to 5 hours. Metabolism happens in the liver, and discharge happens primarily in the urine and is pH-dependent. About 62% of an oral dose is excreted in the urine within the first 24 hours, with about one-third as intact drug and the remainder as metabolites.

Is Speed Drug Use in Pregnancy Dangerous?

Speed drug use in pregnancy is of concern. There is limited knowledge of the fatal effects of speed drug abuse. Limited human studies have shown increased rates of low birth weight, premature delivery, separation of the placenta from the uterus, heart and brain abnormalities, fetal growth retardation, and withdrawal symptoms.

Research is continuing to assess the effect of speed dug use on social interactions, cognition, and medical health in children exposed to speed drugs in utero. Animal studies have shown birth defects and embryo death when high doses.

Babies born to mothers who are addicted to speed drugs may experience symptoms of withdrawal as demonstrated by significant weakness and agitation. Additionally, speed drugs are excreted in human milk, and mothers who take speed drugs should be advised to refrain from breastfeeding.

Speed drug
If you don’t meth detox appropriately, you have a seizure. And that’s clearly life threatening,

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Symptoms Of Speed Abuse

Seemingly boundless energy

  • Individuals under the influence of speed often have a sense of heightened energy and awareness, and they feel like they can do anything [4].

Unexplained loss of appetite or weight loss

  • Speed drugs can increase the person’s metabolism and reduce their appetite.

Emotional instability

  • Individuals who use speed can swing between feeling great under the influence of the substance and feeling down once its effects decrease.

Loss of interest in activities

  • People who use speed drugs recreationally may lose interest in friends and activities they once enjoyed. (However, people who use stimulants for their effects on school or sports performance tend to continue their interest in those activities.

Hyperactivity

  • People under the influence of speed can be restless, irritable, and fidgety.

Skin sores

  • Some users of the meth form of speed drugs have the sensation of itchy skin, so they often scratch until they have developed sores.

Dental Problems

  • Someone who uses meth form of speed drugs can develop a dry mouth, resulting in tooth decay or commonly known as meth mouth.

Withdrawal and Overdose Symptoms 

As with many addictive drugs, trying to stop speed cold turkey ( to stop using an addictive substance abruptly and completely) can result in uncomfortable and unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. These symptoms can include anxiety, severe depression, panic, increased aggression, overwhelming urges to use speed drugs, and strong fatigue. Since the fear of dealing with unwanted withdrawal symptoms may make it harder for someone to stop abusing methamphetamines or amphetamines, speed drug addiction treatment addresses withdrawal and helps the individual carry out successful speed detox.

An overdose of speed can be very dangerous and needs immediate medical attention. Signs to watch out for include some or all of the following, and should be taken very seriously:

  • Muscle twitches or muscular pain and tenderness
  • Hallucinations
  • Aggressive behavior
  • Dark urine
  • Overwhelming panic
  • Rapid breathing
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Seizures and convulsions

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Proper Treatment is Crucial for Speed Drug Usage

If you’re using drugs, either illicit or prescribed, and it causes physical and behavioral dependency and addiction, the question shouldn’t be, what is a speed drug? Instead, the question should be how you can safely quit taking these prescription medications or illicit substances and stay away from them in the future. Meth Addiction 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 or talk therapy. The goal is to help you understand your behaviors and why you use speed drugs. Involving friends and family during counseling can help support you and keep you from going back to using (relapsing).

Speed drugs require more and higher dosages over time to get the same effect, making them extremely dangerous in the way they damage the body. Luckily, we can provide treatment to live a clean and sober life without the use of these drugs. Some of the programs and services we provide to help with recovery from speed drug use include:

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speed drug
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Sources:

[1] NCBI– https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3666194/

[2] DEA – https://www.dea.gov/factsheets/methamphetamine

[3] NIH– https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3666194/

[4] SAMHSA – https://ncsacw.samhsa.gov/files/TrainingPackage/MOD2/PhysicalandPsychEffectsSubstanceUse.pdf

[5] We Level UpAdderall Addiction Treatment