AMPHETAMINES
General:
Amphetamines & Methamphetamine
Amphetamine, dextroamphetamine, methamphetamine, and their various salts are
collectively referred to as amphetamines. In fact, their chemical properties
and actions are so similar that even experienced users have difficulty
knowing which drug they have taken. Methamphetamine is the most commonly
abused.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
. Drug Enforcement Administration. Methamphetamine & AmphetaminesWashington,
DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved September 06, 2002 from
the World Wide Web: http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/concern/amphetamines.html
Short Term Effects:
Increased heart rate, blood pressure, metabolism; feelings of exhilaration, energy, increased mental alertness;rapid breathing; hallucinations
Long Term Effects:
Tremor, loss of coordination; irritability, anxiousness, restlessness, delirium,
panic, paranoia, impulsive behavior, aggressiveness, tolerance, addiction;rapid
or irregular heart beat; reduced appetite, weight loss, heart failure
Overview:
Effects of usage include addiction, psychotic behavior, and brain damage. Withdrawal symptoms include depression, anxiety, fatigue, paranoia, aggression, and intense cravings.
Chronic use can cause violent behavior, anxiety, confusion, insomnia, auditory hallucinations, mood disturbances, delusions, and paranoia. Damage to the brain cause by meth usage is similar to Alzheimer's disease, stroke, and epilepsy.
Source: http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/concern/amphetamines.html
METHAMPHETAMINES
General:
Methamphetamine is a powerfully addictive stimulant that dramatically affects the central nervous system. The drug is made easily in clandestine laboratories with relatively inexpensive over-the-counter ingredients. These factors combine to make methamphetamine a drug with high potential for widespread abuse.
Methamphetamine is commonly known
as "speed," "meth," and "chalk." In
its smoked form, it is often referred to as "ice," "crystal," "crank," and "glass." It
is a white, odorless, bitter-tasting crystalline powder that easily dissolves
in water or alcohol. The drug was developed early in this century from its
parent drug, amphetamine, and was used originally in nasal decongestants
and bronchial inhalers. Methamphetamine's chemical structure is similar to
that of amphetamine, but it has more pronounced effects on the central nervous
system. Like amphetamine, it causes increased activity, decreased appetite,
and a general sense of well-being. The effects of methamphetamine can last
6 to 8 hours. After the initial "rush," there is typically a state
of high agitation that in some individuals can lead to violent behavior.
Source: U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services. National Institute on Drug Abuse . (2002, February
18). NIDA Research Report: Methamphetamine
Abuse and AddictionWashington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved
October 03, 2002 from the World Wide Web: http://www.drugabuse.gov/ResearchReports/methamph/methamph2.html#what
Statistics:
Incidence of methamphetamine use rose steadily between 1990 (164,000 new users) and 2000 (344,000 new users). Methamphetamine incidence was at its highest level in 1975 when there were 400,000 new users.
Between 1973 and 1982, methamphetamine incidence exhibited a plateau of
about 300,000 to 400,000 new users per year. During this period, the majority
of new users were aged 18 to 25. The new users during the rise in incidence
in the 1990s, however, were approximately evenly split between 12 to 17 year
olds and 18 to 25 year olds. This shift in age distribution was reflected
in the average age of new users, which fell from 22.3 years in 1990 to 18.4
years in 2000.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2002, September 4). Results from the 2001 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse: Volume I. Summary of National Findings (Office of Applied Studies, NHSDA Series H-17 ed.) (BKD461, SMA 02-3758)Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved September 23, 2002 from the World Wide Web: http://www.samhsa.gov/oas/NHSDA/2k1NHSDA/vol1/Chapter5.htm
Short Term Effects:
\Increased heart rate, blood pressure, metabolism; feelings of exhilaration,
energy, increased mental alertness;aggression, violence, psychotic behavior
Long Term Effects:
Memory loss, cardiac and neurological damage; impaired memory and learning, tolerance, addiction
Overview:
Health Hazards
Methamphetamine releases high levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which
stimulates brain cells, enhancing mood and body movement. It also appears
to have a neurotoxic effect, damaging brain cells that contain dopamine and
serotonin, another neurotransmitter. Over time, methamphetamine appears to
cause reduced levels of dopamine, which can result in symptoms like those
of Parkinson's disease, a severe movement disorder.
Methamphetamine is taken orally or intranasally (snorting the powder), by intravenous injection, and by smoking. Immediately after smoking or intravenous injection, the methamphetamine user experiences an intense sensation, called a "rush" or "flash," that lasts only a few minutes and is described as extremely pleasurable. Oral or intranasal use produces euphoria - a high, but not a rush. Users may become addicted quickly, and use it with increasing frequency and in increasing doses.
Animal research going back more than 20 years shows that high doses of methamphetamine damage neuron cell-endings. Dopamine- and serotonin-containing neurons do not die after methamphetamine use, but their nerve endings ("terminals") are cut back and re-growth appears to be limited.
The central nervous system (CNS) actions that result from taking even small amounts of methamphetamine include increased wakefulness, increased physical activity, decreased appetite, increased respiration, hyperthermia, and euphoria. Other CNS effects include irritability, insomnia, confusion, tremors, convulsions, anxiety, paranoia, and aggressiveness. Hyperthermia and convulsions can result in death.
Methamphetamine causes increased heart rate and blood pressure and can cause irreversible damage to blood vessels in the brain, producing strokes. Other effects of methamphetamine include respiratory problems, irregular heartbeat, and extreme anorexia. Its use can result in cardiovascular collapse and death.
A study in Seattle confirmed that methamphet amine use was widespread among
the city's homosexual and bisexual populations. Of these groups, members
using methamphetamine reported they practice sexual and needle-use behaviors
that place them at risk of contracting and transmitting HIV and AIDS.
Source: http://www.drugabuse.gov/Infofax/methamphetamine.html
