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Amphetamine: Uses, side effects, and contraindications

A person should seek professional help if they have concerns about their mental health. A person should make sure that they take their prescription drugs as their doctor instructs and read any leaflet information to check for potential interactions with alcohol and other drugs. A person should only take medication that a doctor prescribes for them and should store their medications safely. This is not the same as substance dependency — the physical symptoms of tolerance and withdrawal. “Addiction” is the term for long-term behavioral, physical, and social changes a person may experience as a result of substance misuse.

What Side Effects Are Associated With Amphetamines?

• Other common side effects of amphetamine include insomnia, headache, dry mouth, tachycardia, increase in systolic blood pressure, restlessness, and irritability.
• During therapy, you’ll determine what triggers and stressors contribute to your drug abuse and you’ll learn to manage cravings, amongst other skills needed for to thrive after treatment.
• All information is confidential and there is no obligation to enter treatment.
• It is important that a person does not feel ashamed about seeking help or following a program to support their recovery.

Substances such as alcohol, marijuana and nicotine also are considered drugs. When you’re addicted, you may continue using the drug despite the harm it causes. When a person uses amphetamines, their brain receives a rapid burst of the “feel good” brain chemical, dopamine. Over time, if the brain continues to regularly receive an unusual, artificial surge of dopamine, it becomes accustomed to the chemical rush, creating physical dependency.

Lifestyle changes

Long-term amphetamine abusers are likely to be severely malnourished and suffering serious mental effects from the drug use. When they stop using amphetamine, they experience the symptoms of the damage that was https://ecosoberhouse.com/ created. While they continued to abuse the drug, those symptoms were suppressed, but will show up strongly as soon as the stimulant is gone. Thus withdrawal can include depression, anxiety and extreme fatigue.

Learn More About Amphetamine Abuse

While support groups specifically for former amphetamine addicts are rare, a group like Narcotics Anonymous is not likely to refuse you. There are various treatment options available and what works best for you will depend on your unique circumstances. They include residential detox – which is followed by outpatient or inpatient treatment – and aftercare.

• When you call our team, you will speak to a Recovery Advocate who will answer any questions and perform a pre-assessment to determine your eligibility for treatment.
• A person should make sure that they take their prescription drugs as their doctor instructs and read any leaflet information to check for potential interactions with alcohol and other drugs.
• However, some people crush the pills and snort them, creating a faster, stronger high.

Because these drugs can alter brain chemistry, they may cause or exacerbate existing mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. Users who have a family or personal history of mental illness are particularly vulnerable. Some amphetamines, like Dexedrine, are manufactured by pharmaceutical companies. They are prescribed to children and adults with medical conditions like ADHD, Parkinson’s disease, obesity and narcolepsy. However, because of their euphoric effects, amphetamines are often abused for recreational purposes.

Marijuana, hashish and other cannabis-containing substances

Minor effects on the cardiovascular system, including a rise in heart rate and blood pressure, may have long-term effects. In rare cases, amphetamines are used alongside standard antidepressants to treat some types of depression that do not respond to other treatments, especially in people who also experience fatigue and apathy. However, in 2015, after carrying out a small study, researchers suggested that dexamphetamine might be a safe and effective way of boosting people’s motivation for lifestyle changes that can lead to weight loss. In the past, it has been used to treat narcolepsy and to help with weight loss, but this is less common now.

Amphetamines Addiction and Abuse: Statistics and Key Facts

Some of the effects of methamphetamine abuse include hyperthermia, irregular/rapid heartbeat, increased respiration, decreased appetite, increased activity, increased attention, and decreased fatigue. A person’s first step toward recovery is to reach out to a friend, family member, or healthcare professional to seek help. A person Amphetamine Addiction may need help for different types of substances or for mental health conditions alongside substance misuse. Overdose symptoms may include seizures, confusion, vomiting, shaking, coma, or even death. Some amphetamine users are depressed and seek the mood-elevating effects of these stimulants to temporarily relieve the depression.

However, an article from TIME discusses a study that showed students who use amphetamines do not perform any better; in fact, they often perform worse. Nevertheless, the drug does make people feel like they can focus more and do better even if the opposite is true. More significantly, this level of abuse can lead to more severe, illicit use of the drug to get high. If you don’t have any symptoms, then staying within the limits provided in the 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans could reduce your chances of having problems in the future. If you do have any symptoms, then alcohol may already be a cause for concern.