other common names : speed, uppers, bennies , syabu
drug category : central nervous system stimulant
habit forming potiencial: regular use of these drugs can lead to tolerance , so that higher and higher doses are required to achive the same effect. user become psychologically dependent on the effect of the drug
how taken: usualy swallowed as tablets . sometimes sniffed or mixed with water and injected.
ligitimate uses
in the 1950s and 1960s , this drug were widely scribed as appetite suppressants. this use has largely been abandoned because of the risk of dependence and abuse. they are still prescribe for hyperactivity and narcolepsy
short time effects:
in small doses , amphetamines increase mental alertness and physical energy. Breathing and heart rate speed up, the pupils dilate, appetite decreases and dryness of the mouth is common. As these effects wear off, depression and fatigue may follow. at high doses, the drug may cause tremor, sweating, anxiety, headache, palpitation and chest pain. very largedoses may cause delusion , hallucination, delirium, convulsions, coma and death.
long term effect : leads to weight loss and constipation. may lead to emotions unstable. severe depression and suicide are associated with withdrawal. use of it in early pegnancy can increase the risk of birth defect expecially in the heart also lead to premature birth if taken throughout the pregnancy.
ssign of abuse : user may apper unusually energetic , cheerful and excessively talkative while under the influence of the drug. restlessness and agitation are also charaacteristic. there also lack of interest in food and unusual sleeping patterns. regular users may use the drug to stay awake for two or three nights at a stretch, then sleep for up to fortyeight hours afterwards, mood swings are common.
interactions: interact with a variety of drugs. taken with monoamine oxidase inhinitor (MAOIs), they may lead to a dangerous rise in blood pressure. They also increase the risks of abnormal heart rhytms withdigitalis drugs, levodopa and certain anaesthetics given by inhalation. Amphetamines tend to counteract the sedative effecs of drugs that depress the central nervous system.
Ecstasy(MDMA)
Modification to the structure of amphetamines have produce several designer drugs. one of there `ecstasy` is frequentyabused and has ni medical use.in low doses,, it produse mental relaxation, tense musle,increase sensitivity of stimuli, and sometimes hallucinatio. higher doses have amphetamine-like effects. it can rarely produce severe and sometimes fatal eaction, evenafter a single dose.
