Amphetamine Addiction

Taking amphetamine can negatively affect the body after just one use. Since the person is a “newbie” to the drug, he or she has not built a tolerance whatsoever to it. Because of this, he or she may experience extreme nervousness or paranoia upon the first administration of the drug. The user’s circulatory system is also often strained due to the increase in blood pressure caused by the drug. As with any upper, when an amphetamine user comes down from the drug, he or she may become lethargic or depressed.

Many abusers of amphetamine begin taking the drug to be able to focus, lose weight, or experience euphoric feelings, but often end up addicted to the drug and no longer have control over their actions. Adderall is extremely easy to access and buy illegally on the streets due to the prevalent rate at which the drug is prescribed. Many people, who are prescribed Adderall or other amphetamine drugs, are able to function without the drug and therefore choose to make money off of selling the drug on the street illegally. Surely, college students frequently pop Adderall when they are studying for a long period of time or pulling an “all-nighter”.

When withdrawing from Amphetamines, one can expect to feel mentally tired, experience feelings of depression, and become ravenously hungry. Also, patients may become irritable, nervous, sleep a lot, or have an odd dream that is remembered upon waking. According to how long the user took the drug will determine how long the symptoms last and to what extremity the symptoms occur.

A person may find that when he or she ceases from taking amphetamine, he or she no longer has adequate amounts of energy. This effect upon ceasing to take the drug typically goes away with time. Because a person believes he or she can not afford to go without this needed energy-boost, quitting the drug is extremely difficult.

How Are Amphetamines Dangerous?

Amphetamines can pose danger to one when they are abused or taken above the recommended dose. Also, Amphetamines should never be consumed by people with high blood pressure or heart disease. Furthermore, one should never combine anti-depressant use with amphetamines as serious life-threatening effects could occur. People with glaucoma should steer clear of the drug, as well as nursing mothers, as the drug could be passed to the baby through breast milk. Additionally, mixing amphetamines with alcohol is not wise as people who combine these two substances have a tendency to act out in aggressiveness or violence.

Since 1979, there have only been about eighty reported accidental amphetamine overdoses that resulted in death and among these were those who injected the drug directly into the bloodstream. Despite that there have been instances of amphetamine overdose, many people are still inevitably drawn to the drug in hopes of feeling psychologically better or to get an adrenaline rush. Of course, people who inject amphetamines with needles are always at a high risk of contracting the HIV virus, which is passed from person to person through the sharing of needles. People who use the amphetamine drug, Speed, often inject the drug. People who inject speed are also risking their health by not knowing if the product contains a foreign substance that was used to cut it. These unknown foreign substances could possibly block the blood pathways in the veins and result in damaged organs.

Moreover, a person who abuses amphetamine may lack vital nutrients, since the drug may drastically suppress his or her appetite. Since the user often becomes malnourished and is not getting an adequate amount of sleep each night, he or she may suffer from various mental or physical ailments. These conditions accumulate and often wear down the body in the long term.

Also, when a regular amphetamine user builds a tolerance for the drug, he or she often ups the dose amount in order to achieve the same, desired results. Drugs are generally dangerous because tolerance always occurs, therefore encouraging the user to take a higher and higher dose. Eventually, this higher dose being administered regularly can become lethal.

Consistent use of speed, or even one dose of speed in a large quantity, can produce “Amphetamine Psychosis”, which provokes the same behavior and symptoms as those with Schizophrenia. Like with Schizophrenia, Amphetamine Psychosis is brought on by an over-production of dopamine. In adequate amounts, dopamine produces “reward” feelings or feelings of well-being, but when overproduction occurs, dopamine can cause one to freak out or become extremely anxious.

Surely, people who enter this state experience auditory hallucinations, extreme fear, panic attacks, nightmares, insomnia, and become delusional. At first, the person may just feel slightly paranoid, but over time this can result in full-blown paranoia or psychosis. Often, this mental state brought on by amphetamines is never reversed. One should use extreme caution when engaging in amphetamine use for recreational purposes, such as the use of speed. The results of drug use could become detrimental to one’s health.