They can be taken orally, crushed up and snorted, or diluted and injected intravenously. If injected, the user feels the effects immediately, while it can take up to 20 minutes to feel effects if taken by mouth. People who consume uppers experience a boost of energy and the https://ecosoberhouse.com/ feeling that they can do anything as speed provides the ability to stay awake for long periods of time without needing rest. Additionally, while taking these uppers an individual may have no desire to eat which can lead to weight loss if the stimulant abuse is continued.

Examples include ecstasy or molly (MDMA), gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), flunitrazepam (Rohypnol ― a brand used outside the U.S. ― also called roofie) and ketamine. If you notice any other effects, check with your healthcare professional. If you have severe withdrawal symptoms, you may need to stay at a live-in treatment program. There are professional treatment programmes available to help you get to beat your addiction or substance misuse disorder. Such treatment programmes are effective because they don’t merely focus on the symptoms, but actually dig deeper to unearth the problem and rectify it.

Learn More About Amphetamine Abuse

There is a long list of the signs that show up when this drug is used medically or when it is abused. While intoxication doesn’t necessarily indicate the individual has a problem with alcohol, recurrent intoxication may signify alcohol misuse—or addiction. Steven Shoptaw and Uyen Kao conducted the article searches, study selection, data extraction, data analysis, and write up of updated review. Keith Heinzerling provided feedback on the data analysis and assisted in writing the discussion section.

• Amphetamine usage can lead to a host of problems if you happen to find yourself abusing the drug.
• Studies were judged to have unclear risk of bias if there was insufficient information to permit judgment of ‘low’ or ‘high’ risk of bias for each of the domains.
• The most common hallucinogens are lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and phencyclidine (PCP).
• These two processes lead to both alpha and beta-adrenergic receptor stimulation, causing sympathomimetic symptoms (hypertension, tachycardia, hyperthermia, vasoconstriction, and diaphoresis).
• All searches included non‐English language literature and studies with English abstracts were assessed for inclusion.

Stimulants include amphetamines, meth (methamphetamine), cocaine, methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta, others) and amphetamine-dextroamphetamine (Adderall XR, Mydayis). They’re often used and misused in search of a “high,” or to boost energy, to improve performance at work or school, or to lose weight or control appetite. Substituted cathinones can be eaten, snorted, inhaled or injected and are highly addictive. These drugs can cause severe intoxication, which results in dangerous health effects or even death.

What Is Amphetamine Addiction, Tolerance, and Dependence?

The combined mean duration of amphetamine use histories and length of time since last use of amphetamine prior to admission for the two studies on amineptine was 23.6 months and 55.2 hours, respectively. Participants in the Kongsakon 2005 study were detainees from a probation facility who were diagnosed with amphetamine dependence by DSM‐IV criteria. All the participants in this study were males and had an average age of 24.3 years. Amphetamine Addiction One rationale guiding selection of medications for amphetamine withdrawal involves using a medication to stabilize dopamine, norepinephrine or serotonin neurotransmission to provide relief from withdrawal symptoms. According to this rationale, the neurobiology of the amphetamine withdrawal syndrome and its relief would be related to the cumulative effects of repeated exposure of neurons to high dose amphetamines (Meredith 2005).

• Again, if disputes arose, these were resolved either by discussion between the two reviewers or the correspondence author of the paper.
• As more people used these two forms of the drugs, its addictiveness and other problems began to be obvious.
• After World War II, civilian use of amphetamines increased, and another form of the drug, methamphetamine—
  easily produced in small domestic labs—also hit the market.
• This class of drugs includes, among others, heroin, morphine, codeine, methadone, fentanyl and oxycodone.

Amphetamine is a central nervous (CNS) system stimulant that functions by increasing the amounts of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin (to a lesser extent) in the synaptic cleft through a variety of mechanisms. Amphetamine enters the presynaptic axon terminal through diffusion or uptake by the monoamine transporters DAT, NET, and SERT. Signs and symptoms of inhalant use vary, depending on the substance. Some commonly inhaled substances include glue, paint thinners, correction fluid, felt tip marker fluid, gasoline, cleaning fluids and household aerosol products.

Amphetamine Withdrawal Symptoms

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. Amphetamines belong to a class of compounds called phenethylamines which induce catecholaminergic effects in the CNS and peripheral circulation.

The sooner you seek help, the greater your chances for a long-term recovery. Talk with your health care provider or see a mental health provider, such as a doctor who specializes in addiction medicine or addiction psychiatry, or a licensed alcohol and drug counselor. Research shows that people with ADHD had a lower rate of substance use disorder if they were medically treated versus not receiving treatment. Few studies examined treatments for amphetamine withdrawal, although it is a common problem among amphetamine users.

Treatment and therapies for amphetamine abuse and addiction

If your health care provider prescribes a drug with the potential for addiction, use care when taking the drug and follow instructions. Drug addiction can start with experimental use of a recreational drug in social situations, and, for some people, the drug use becomes more frequent. For others, particularly with opioids, drug addiction begins when they take prescribed medicines or receive them from others who have prescriptions. You should take FDA-approved amphetamines orally (by mouth) as directed by your healthcare provider. Both amphetamine and methamphetamine are stimulant drugs that have different effects on your body based on the chemicals that make up each drug. Your doctor may prescribe medication to ease severe symptoms of withdrawal.

Therefore, an evaluation must include an investigation into evidence of such effects. CNS stimulation may vary from slight degrees of agitation to intense hyperactivity or seizures. This kind of behavior may be accompanied by gross psychosis with hallucinations and paranoid delusions.

Getting through withdrawal from amphetamine

Blue Ridge is an alcohol and drug detox and substance abuse treatment center offering rehabilitation programs for alcohol, heroin, opiate, and prescription drug addiction. Blue Ridge is located on 50 acres in Ball Ground, Georgia, just an hour north of Atlanta. Outpatient treatment for amphetamine addiction can be a beneficial option for people who are unable to commit to an inpatient stay or who have less severe addictions. You live at home with a strong support system and commute to a treatment facility multiple days a week for counseling and other forms of therapy. If you’re not ready to approach a health care provider or mental health professional, help lines or hotlines may be a good place to learn about treatment. You can find these lines listed on the internet or in the phone book.