Stimulants


What are stimulants?
the stimulants ("uppers") are a class of drugs which stimulate the central nervous system and produce an increase in alertness and activity. They include caffeine, cocaine, and the amphetamines.

What medical uses do stimulants have?
Current medical uses of synthetic stimulants is currently restricted to treating narcolepsy (a rare disorder marked by an uncontrollable need for sleep) and a minimal brain damage in children. They also are prescribed for short term appetite control. Caffeine, the naturally occurring stimulant found in coffee and tea, is a common ingredient in over-the-counter preparations designed to pep people up and help them overcome drowsiness. The only legitimate medical use of cocaine in this country today is as a local anesthetic. It was used at the turn of the century in patent medicines, wines, and soft drinks. Since antiquity, South American Indians, principally the Incas, have chewed coca leaves for religious and medicinal reasons. It was used to increase workers productivity to combat the effects of the high altitude of the Andes Mountains.

Which stimulants are abused?
Overuse and abuse have been associated with all of the stimulant drugs, but risks are the greatest with the amphetamines and cocaine.

What are amphetamines?
The amphetamines are composed of three closely related drugs (amphetamine, deztroamphetamine, and methamphetamine) which stimulate the central nervous system and promote a feeling of alertness and an increase in speech and general physical activity.

Why do people use stimulants?
Some people take these drugs under medical supervision to control their appetite. Others take amphetamines to feel alert and energetic or recreationally to get "high"; they often report a feeling of well-being.

Can people become depend on amphetamines?
Yes. Users who take a small amount of amphetamines orally every now and then to combat fatigue or get "high" usually do not have trouble. However, people with a history of sustained low dose use quite become dependent and feel that they need the drug to get by. These users frequently keep taking amphetamines to avoid the "down in mood" they experience when the "high" wears off.
Some people try to relieve insomnia which follows an extended period of drug taking with sleeping pills or alcohol. These users often begin taking amphetamines again to shake off drowsiness or to regain the "high" and so continue the up/down cycle, which is extremely hard on the body.

What specific dangers are associated with amphetemanie abuse?
Even small, infrequent doses of amphetamines can produce toxic effect in some people. Restlessness, anxiety, mood swings, panic, circulatory and cardiac disturbances, paranoid thoughts, hallucinations, convulsions, and coma have all been reported.
Heavy, frequent doses of amphetamines can produce brain damage which results in speech disturbances and difficulty in turning thoughts into words. Taking more amphetamines increases these risks,which are greatest when the drug is injected. In addition, users who inject amphetamines intravenously can contract serious life threatening infections from nonsterile equipment. Finally, death can result from injected amphetamines overdose.

What are the signals of chronic amphetemanie abuse?
Long term users often have acne resembling a measles rash; trouble with teeth, gums, and nails; and dry lifeless hair.

Is violence associated with heavy amphetemanie abuse?
As heavy users who inject amphetamines accumulate larger and larger amounts of the drug in their bodies, the resulting toxicity can produce what is known as amphetemanie psychosis. People in this extremely suspicious, paranoid state frequently exhibit bizarre-sometimes violent-behavior.

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