Everything You Need To Know About Amphetamines
Are you curious as to what are amphetamines? Or are you considering entering into a amphetamine rehab center? You will learn the most important facts and information about amphetamines in this article. Be advised, on the other hand, that the information you can find in this article is not medical advice and therefore are should not be relied that way. But if you are looking for useful information about this particular type of drugs, please read on and learn more about the use of this drug.
If you are searching for information because you are seeking treatment for an addiction there are many treatment options available for you. Please call 1-714-443-8218 and speak with a professional to discuss how to help you.
What Are Amphetamines?
Amphetamines are the central nervous system stimulants, drugs that are meant to speed up the messages travelling between your body and brain contributing to impulse control and hyperactivity. There are types of this drug are legally prescribed in treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity (ADHD) as well as narcolepsy or people with the unmanageable urge to sleep.
On the other hand, there are types of amphetamines which are produced and then sold illegally such as speed. How amphetamines look like varies as there some in the form of powder with others in capsules, tablets and crystals. Most illegally sold amphetamines are packed in foils, small balloons or plastic bags so you really need to be careful when the amphetamine that you have bought comes in this.
The powder form of amphetamines can come in different colors as well from white to brown with some having traces of pink or grey. Amphetamines have a bitter taste and it also comes with a strong smell that makes it distinctive than some other stimulant drugs. On the other hand, the amphetamine capsules and tablets also come in varying sizes and colors to choose from.
Even though this county has seen a rise in opiate addiction from prescription drugs or from street drugs like heroin, Amphetamines still remain a problem for many Americans as well. There are many opiate addiction treatment centers that offer assistance for those who suffer from this addiction, and many treat amphetamine addiction as well.
Important Information You Should Know about Amphetamines
Know that illegally sold amphetamines can be a mixture of drugs, caffeine, binding agents and sugar along with some new psychoactive substances. Use of amphetamine is now advised if you have a MAO inhibitor for the last 14 days such as methylene blue injection, selegiline, linezolid, rasagiline, isocarboxazid, phenelzine or tranylcypromine.
You also need to be aware that regular use of amphetamine can be habit-forming. With that, you have to make sure that you never share an amphetamine drug with another especially if that person has a history of drug abuse. It is important that you keep this medication where it cannot be seen by others and especially remember that giving it away or selling is against the law.
Generally, amphetamines are swallowed but they can also be injected, smoked or snorted. The improper use of amphetamines can cause some serious side effects on the heart or it can ultimately end in death. With that, it is important to follow the doctor’s instruction when taking amphetamines as a medication.
How to Take Amphetamines?
The improper use of amphetamines can result to serious side effects or even death. With that, it’s important that you know the proper way of taking this medication. First of all, make sure that you read all patient information, instruction sheets and medical guides provided to you. If there are things that confuse you or if you have any questions, you ask your doctor or a pharmacist.
All the directions are on the prescription label, you have to make sure to follow them all. Occasionally, the doctor may change the dose in order to make sure that you get the best results. Don’t take larger or smaller amounts of amphetamines and don’t use it for longer than what was recommended. Remember that improper use can lead to serious health problems.
You can take amphetamine with or without food but it is best to take first thing in the morning. In case your doctor changes the brand, type or strength of the stimulant you are taking, you may also need to change your dosage. At all times, use only the brand of amphetamine that has been prescribed to you by your physician.
One thing to know about taking amphetamines is that it can produce unusual results in some medical tests. With that, it’s better to tell your doctor treating you that you take amphetamines. This stimulant drug can be easily abused and with that, you must always keep track of the amount of medicine each time you use it so that you are aware if someone is misusing it.
Different Effects of Amphetamines
Amphetamines do not have safe level of drug abuse as any drug comes with some risk. What you specially need is caution when taking amphetamines or any kind of drug for that matter. Amphetamine affects everyone in a different way based on their:
- Weight, size and health
- Used to taking the drugs
- Taking other drugs around the same time
- Amount of drug taken
- Strength of the drug
Because of the effects that amphetamines produce, they can be quite addictive. When taken, the drugs react on the central nervous system and produce the following effects:
- Wakefulness
- Quicker reaction time
- Excitement
- Increased concentration
- Increased attentiveness
- Increased sex drive
- Feelings of happiness and confidence
Of course, the effects of amphetamines are not all positive. In truth, there are many cases of abuse of amphetamines that lead to a variety of negative effects. The effects may be felt almost immediately especially when smoked or injected or it can take about 30 minutes when swallowed or snorted. As mentioned before, improper use of amphetamines can be dangerous to your health.
Side Effects of Amphetamines
One of the things to remember when taking amphetamines is that it’s not ideal if you are allergic to any kind of stimulant medicine. It’s also not advisable to take amphetamine if you have moderate to severe high blood pressure, overactive thyroid, severe anxiety, heart diseases or a history of alcohol or drug abuse.
Amphetamines may also cause sudden death so before taking the medicine it is better to tell your doctor first if you have high blood pressure, heart disease or a history of sudden death in the family. This way, your doctor can advise you if it is safe for you to take amphetamines. Furthermore, tell your doctor as well if anyone in your family ever had:
- Thyroid disorder
- Blood circulation problems
- Kidney disease
- Seizures
- Motor tics or Tourette’s Syndrome
- Abnormal brain wave test (EEG)
- Mental illness, depression, psychosis or suicidal thoughts
If you are pregnant or planning to get pregnant, tell your doctor as well. Even though it is not known if amphetamine can harm an unborn baby, when you take the medicine during pregnancy it can cause premature birth, withdrawal symptoms or low birth weight to the newborn baby. Additionally, a lactating mother probably should not take amphetamine as well as it can pass into breast milk and cause harm to the nursing baby. Taking amphetamines is not approved for anyone below 6 years of age. To speak to someone about treatment options for pregnant drug users please click on the link and speak to a adviser.
The side effects of amphetamines vary from mild to serious and can depend on the medical taste of the user, the dosage and the body composition. The most common side effects of amphetamine includes the following:
- Headache
- Dry mouth
- Nausea
- Fast heartbeat and breathing
- Repeating of simple things like scratching
- Teeth grinding
- Excessive sweating
- Teen grinding
- Dry mouth
- Large pupils
- Reduced appetite
- Hostility
- Severe anxiety
- Cognitive impairment
- Increased body temperature
- Irregular heartbeat
- Hypertension
- Erectile dysfunction
Note that increased heart rate, irregular heart beat and high blood pressure can set off dangerous cardiovascular events. Remember as well that mixing amphetamines with alcohol is dangerous since alcohol depresses certain processes in the body while amphetamines work the opposite so the mixture of them can result to dangerous health consequences.
The side effects mentioned above are short-term effects. In the long run, heavy use of amphetamines can bring upon convulsions, paranoia, hallucinations, loss of coordination, drug cravings, compulsive behavior, obsessive behavior and violent behavior. With that, you need to always be careful when taking said stimulant drugs.
Amphetamine Overdose and Risk Factors
When you take large amounts of amphetamines or take strong amounts, it can cause overdose. For early prevention, be aware of certain effects so that you can call an ambulance straight away. The following effects are what you should be aware of when it comes to possible amphetamine overdose:
- Passing out
- Fits
- Racing heartbeat
- Heart attack or stroke
- Death
When you snort amphetamines, you can damage your nasal passage resulting to nose bleeds. On the other hand, injecting amphetamines and then sharing needles increases your risk of tetanus, HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C. After taking amphetamine, within 2 to 4 days you may experience certain effects such as:
- Headaches
- Blurred vision
- Dizziness
- Exhaustion
- Restless sleep
- Mood swings
- Irritability
- Depression
- Hallucinations
- Confusion
- Paranoia
These are come down effects that are normally experienced after taking amphetamines. Some people use depressants like alcohol and cannabis in order to help with these effects but as mentioned before, mixing the two are dangerous. At the same time, it can result to a cycle of dependence to both stimulant and depressant drugs.
Couples Drug Addiction
Many people in a relationship use drugs together, which not only leads to health issues but also relationship problems for the couple. Couples therapy or a drug rehab for married couples assists those in a relationship to receive treatment together supporting each other go through recovery. When both members of a couple are dealing with addiction, it can be very challenging to obtain the right type of help. If only one member of the couple goes to rehab, the other may inhibit long term recovery for their partner by continuing to use drugs.
Effects When Taking Amphetamines with Other Drugs
When you take amphetamines together with other drugs such as prescription medication, alcohol or over-the-counter medicines, the effects are most often unpredictable. If you mix is with other stimulant drugs such as cocaine, it will increase the effects of the drug and places severe pressure to your heart and body and this could lead to stroke.
If you take it along with depressant drugs (Barbiturates) , it will place your body under enormous stress that could be really dangerous to your health. Before using it along with other drugs, better ask your doctor or a pharmacist first to know if it is safe. If you or someone you know has a barbiturates addiction and wants to receive help contact us now 1-714-443-8218
Amphetamine Psychosis
When you frequently take high doses of amphetamines, it can create what is called as “amphetamine psychosis”. This is characterized by hallucinations, paranoia or out of character violent behaviors. Fortunately, amphetamine psychosis symptoms usually disappear after a few days when the person stop using amphetamines.
Amphetamine Dependency
Long-term, frequent and heavy use of amphetamines can result to drug dependence. The problem is that drug dependence is different for different people. This makes determining the amount of drug use and the specific duration of abuse difficult to determine. But what is clear is that dependence to amphetamines can clearly happen to legitimate users and recreational users.
Even though amphetamines are often bought illegally on the street and abused for varying reasons, it is not only the people buying on the streets that can be addicted to it. Being prescribed by doctors does not necessarily mean that it cannot be addictive so even those with prescriptions are just as vulnerable to amphetamine abuse.
What makes amphetamine dependency really dangerous is that it comes with tolerance. This means that for uses to get the same feelings of “high”, they will need higher doses of the drug. When they take higher dose of amphetamines, it exposes them to more sever short and long term effects. At the same time, it puts them at higher danger for overdose that may result to death. Learning how to treat drug addiction is complex because everyone is different and not everyone looking for recovery are able to stay “sober”. Find out more about how to treat Amphetamine addiction by contacting a medical professional.
Amphetamine Withdrawal
Treatment for amphetamine withdrawal can be a difficult process. Most of the time, it leads to wide range withdrawal symptoms such as:
- Confusion
- Paranoia
- Irritability
- Feelings of panic
- Violent behavior
- Increased duration of sleep
- Nightmares
- Anxiety
- Increased appetite
- Strong drug cravings
- Severe depression
- Suicidal thoughts
Almost all of these symptoms are difficult to handle but they can be overcome. The key to amphetamine withdrawal is not detoxification but more of proper observation of the patient’s symptoms. This, however, needs vigilance from the clinical staff which is why it’s ideal to place the patient in a rehab facility.
This way, they can be supervised and helped by professionals in ridding the body of amphetamines all at the same time managing the symptoms and ensuring their comfort. With all the information, available here, you can hopefully understand the positive and negative effects brought by using amphetamines.
Broadway Treatment Center specializes in the treatment of all drug or alcohol addictions. The rehab center in Orange County treats substance abuse for Amphetamine addictions. If you or someone you love is struggling with Amphetamine addictions, please call us at 1-714-443-8218 today.