Amphetamine Addiction: Symptoms, Side Effects & Treatment

Signs and symptoms of amphetamine toxicity include dry mouth, hyperthermia, dilated pupils, tachypnea, with increased alertness and energy. The physical exam findings may include altered mental status, hyperactivity, agitation, confusion, and gross psychosis with paranoia requiring chemical and physical restraints. Some very severe findings may include increases in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, tachycardia, dysrhythmias, hypertensive emergencies, and stroke. Skin flushing can often be seen with amphetamine toxicity, and other cutaneous findings include any track marks cellulitis or abscesses that would require immediate attention.

Some side effects of amphetamine may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these Amphetamine Addiction side effects. Taken together, these observations are consistent with a cellular model where amphetamine action in mesocorticolimbic dopaminergic neurons is the fundamental mechanism contributing to their reinforcing and addictive properties (Nestler, 2005; Kalivas, 2007).

Can amphetamines treat ADHD in children?

These issues need to be considered by clinicians and psychologists who work with amphetamine abusers. One interesting aspect of chronic methamphetamine psychosis is the delusion of parasitosis or formication (the belief that one is infested with and being bitten by bugs).43,46, 6–59 Commonly known as “meth mites”, this is a frequent complaint in heavy daily users of methamphetamine. In studies of patients admitted to drug treatment facilities for methamphetamine abuse, approximately 40% of the patients report having had formication;43,46 If the patients had every suffered from psychosis, then the percentage of persons experiencing formication rose to 70%.

Along with neuropsychiatric deficits, methamphetamine abusers suffer from mental illnesses with anxiety,33–35 depression,27,35–37 and psychosis22,27,37,38 being the most commonly reported. Of these, the neurologist is perhaps most likely to be confronted with the patient suffering from psychosis. One of the most significant sources of prescription amphetamine abuse witnessed today is due to people taking these drugs to increase their cognitive performance. This is common amongst teenagers and young adults, as some use these drugs as a study aid.

Unwanted effects of ‘speed’

Methylphenidate, an amphetamine-like phenethylamine stimulant and catecholamine reuptake inhibitor, is the most common alternative to treatment with amphetamine, both for ADHD and for narcolepsy. Although d-AMPH has a higher affinity for DAT than METH (Howell and Kimmel, 2008), the latter is a more potent and also more perilous stimulant than d-AMPH. This could be as a result of their differing effects on cellular targets such as MAOs, mitochondrial electron transport chain complexes and their interactions with different signal transduction pathways. Therefore, it readily enters the cell via diffusion in addition to DAT-dependent uptake. Furthermore, METH has been shown to release more DA and intracellular Ca2+ than d-AMPH at physiologic membrane potentials.

Take our free, 5-minute substance abuse self-assessment below if you think you or someone you love might be struggling with substance abuse. The evaluation consists of 11 yes or no questions that are intended to be used as an informational tool to assess the severity and probability of a substance use disorder. The test is free, confidential, and no personal information is needed to receive the result. During the pandemic, prescriptions of A.D.H.D. stimulants by nurse practitioners rose by 57 percent compared with prescriptions by that group two years prior, while prescriptions by psychiatrists fell by 1 percent. Due to insufficient data needed for conducting a meta-analysis and lack of consistency in reporting the findings, only a systematic review was conducted.

What are amphetamines?

It has been suggested that methylphenidate has pharmacological properties that render it of lower abuse potential than other stimulants, especially for ADHD patients 87. However, some authors have concluded that the abuse potential of methylphenidate is equivalent to that of amphetamine, on the basis of findings in animal models and human research 88. The lower frequency of the abuse of methylphenidate, as compared with amphetamines, might reflect lack of availability of intravenous or inhaled forms which provide fast delivery of the drug to the brain, in order to produce the intense pleasurable sensations often described as a “rush”. Widespread abuse caused Sweden to categorize amphetamine as a “narcotic” in 1944. During the 1960s and early 70s, Japan, the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, and most other countries that regulate pharmaceuticals banned or severely restricted legal use of amphetamines.

• If you or someone you care about is using amphetamine, then you should be aware of the long-term effects it poses on a person’s physical and mental health.
• In line with its sympathomimetic affects, MDMA abuse has also been linked with myocardial damage and valvular heart disease (Baumann and Rothman 2009).
• They might crush the pills and snort them to get high, which can lead to a dangerous overdose.
• Prior psychiatric studies have found that GABAergic cortical dysfunction seems to relate to schizophrenia.

Recovery can also include cognitive behavioral therapy, which teaches a person to change everyday habits and build a lifestyle free from the risks of substance abuse or addiction. Counseling may help people suffering from addiction to cope through positive outlets. Among people ages 20 to 39, prescriptions of A.D.H.D. Schedule II stimulants, which include Ritalin and Adderall, rose 30 percent. Schedule II drugs have a “have a high potential for abuse which may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence,” according to the federal government. Prescriptions of non-stimulant A.D.H.D. medications rose 81 percent among 20- to 39-year-olds and 59 percent among women overall, the study found. Since the 2005 review, additional research reports on growth effects have emerged.

This systematic review revealed that participant engagement in treatment was high, abstinence from amphetamines was substantial and improvements in the social and health conditions of the participants were considerable. Furthermore, no harm was reported by patients who received pharmacological treatments or BCBT alone or combined. However, assessments of amphetamines abuse were largely based on self-report. Nevertheless, studies have indicated that the self-report of drug-related problems is reliable, as long as participation is voluntary and results remain confidential [27]. There were few relevant studies of pharmacological treatments in combination with BCBT. Due to the limited number of studies, conducting a meta-analysis was not feasible.

While the effects of amphetamines are almost immediate, tolerance builds quickly, which frequently increases the amount needed to produce the desired effect. During periods of non-use, the user may recall the feeling of euphoria produced by the drug and desire to take it again. Methamphetamine was developed early in the 20th century from its parent drug, amphetamine, and was used originally in nasal decongestants and bronchial inhalers.

It is used to treat some medical conditions, but it is also highly addictive, with a history of abuse. The easiest way to lookup drug information, identify pills, check interactions and set up your own personal medication records. Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances. Although not all of these side effects may occur, https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/alcoholism-statistics-you-need-to-know/ if they do occur they may need medical attention. His 10-year term includes a five-year concurrent sentence for the possession charge with two years of parole ineligibility, Prosecutor Robert Carroll said. “It is important to understand that the finger lengths-ratio as a proxy of a specific exposure to prenatal sex steroids should not be understood as a person’s irrevocable fate,” said Mr Brand.