After Amphetamine

Amphetamine History

Ephedrine was first described as a stimulant by the Chinese (5,000 years ago). Amphetamine (an analogue of ephedrine) was first synthesized in 1932 and was used as an appetite suppressant, but it was soon noticed that people began to abuse amphetamine.
In 1970, the first reports of amphetamine abuse appeared in the United States. At that time, doctors prescribed amphetamine to treat attention deficit disorder, narcolepsy, hyperactivity, but soon people began to use amphetamine drugs for stimulation and pleasure.

Amphetamine use

If you take all amphetamine addicts, then there will be twice as many men using amphetamine as women.

Who abuses amphetamine?

• women, as a rule, "get hooked" on amphetamine after amphetamine drugs were prescribed to them for weight loss and fatigue relief;
• people who first began using amphetamine drugs to increase vitality, to combat fatigue, in order to cope with greater physical exertion;
• students who were first prescribed amphetamine to increase attention and improve academic performance;
• people who used amphetamine drugs to increase attention and combat sleep during business trips;
• drug addicts who also use other drugs;
• teenagers who, due to the fact that they do not know all the consequences of amphetamine, begin to try their first drug to get new sensations.

Synthesis amphetamine

Amphetamine, racemic phenylisopropylamine, is chemically similar to ephedrine. Methamphetamine, a chemically related compound, amphetamine is synthesized either by reduction of ephedrine or by condensation of phenylacetone and methylamine.

Action of Amphetamine

After administration, amphetamine quickly spreads throughout all human organs, as it is quickly and completely absorbed in the stomach and intestines. When administered intravenously, amphetamine enters the brain in seconds ("on the needle"). When inhaling amphetamine vapors, it also quickly enters the bloodstream and then other organs. Amphetamine is primarily metabolized in the liver, where it breaks down into active derivatives of ephedrine and other inactive substances. Amphetamine can remain in the blood for 8 to 12 hours. Repeated administration of amphetamine the next day can maintain a constant concentration in the blood and prolong the narcotic effect. Amphetamine is excreted by the kidneys and can therefore be easily detected when taking urine for analysis.

Amphetamine effects

Amphetamine effects on the central nervous system: increased performance and activity, decreased fatigue, a good mood, increased attention, loss of appetite, difficulty falling asleep, possible convulsions, tremors, and psychosis often develops.
Amphetamine effects on the cardiovascular system: increased heart rate, pain in the heart, irregular heartbeat, arrhythmia.
Amphetamine effects on the gastrointestinal system: aversion to food, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, rumbling in the stomach, metallic taste in the mouth.
Amphetamine effects on the kidneys: strong diuretic effect.
The effect of amphetamine on the endocrine system: varied, women may experience pain in the mammary glands.

Consequences of amphetamine use

Amphetamine is capable of greatly accelerating the human nervous system, it stimulates almost all parts of the brain. Such stimulation of the brain forces the human body to intensively spend all its energy and mental resources. A person is literally torn apart from the inside by the appearance of energy, he is able to dance for hours without getting tired. Attention increases, the feeling of fatigue disappears, self-confidence appears, appetite disappears, and the person may not sleep for several days. SoThese effects occur because amphetamine promotes the release of adrenaline, noradrenaline and dopamine.
Adrenaline and dopamine cause a significant increase in blood pressure, increase heart rate, develop cardiac arrhythmias, significantly increase cerebral blood flow and increase intracranial pressure.
With repeated use of amphetamine or an increase in its dose, cases of seizures, psychosis, loss of consciousness are not uncommon.
The next day, if the drug is not taken again, then, as a rule, depression, fatigue, irritability, dissatisfaction, etc. develop. With repeated use of amphetamine, the body's sensitivity to it gradually decreases, and to develop a euphoric effect, it is necessary to increase the dosage.

After amphetamine

After taking amphetamine, the following usually develop: headaches, restlessness, trembling in the arms and legs, a person becomes quick-tempered, panic and paranoia set in, sleep is lost, he cannot collect his thoughts, and mental illnesses may develop.
If a person constantly takes amphetamine, then it is possible to develop "amphetamine psychosis", which is similar to manic psychosis. In this state, people see hallucinations and rave, which are then replaced by depression.
After prolonged use of amphetamine nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, weight loss develop, and the risk of hemorrhagic stroke increases.
After amphetamine, headaches, facial flushing, increased sweating, changes in libido, and decreased potency usually develop.
After amphetamine the heart also suffers, pain in the heart area appears, rapid pulse, high blood pressure, interruptions in the heart's work appear, and acute cardiovascular failure may develop.
After amphetamine the gastrointestinal tract also suffers: aversion to food appears, abdominal pain, intestinal rumbling, loose stools, nausea, and vomiting appear.
A coma develops with high doses of amphetamine, the cause of which is hemorrhagic stroke.
Amphetamine use is extremely dangerous for people with heart disease (ischemic heart disease, arrhythmia, conduction disorders, tendency to high blood pressure), glaucoma, hyperthyroidism.

Signs of amphetamine use

Signs of amphetamine use include organic and mental disorders.
People who overdose on amphetamine usually retain clear consciousness and orientation.
A person using amphetamines usually does not have signs of impaired thinking or dulled emotional response.
Signs of an amphetamine overdose include: epileptic seizure, cardiovascular failure. With an amphetamine overdose, there will likely be dilated pupils, rapid heartbeat, and high blood pressure. Symptoms of amphetamine psychosis include: paranoia, hypersexuality, delusional thinking, visual, auditory, olfactory and tactile hallucinations, but orientation and memory are preserved.

After using amphetamine

After using amphetamine (especially long-term), withdrawal syndrome occurs, which is characterized by the following phases:

• "strong blow" (from 9 hours to 4 days) - this phase is characterized by a strong desire to take amphetamine again in order to relieve depression, paranoia, psychosis, etc.
• withdrawal syndrome (from 1 week to 10 weeks) - during this phase, there is a lesser desire to take amphetamine, normalization of sleep and a depressed or anxious mood; in this phase, a slight desire to take amphetamine again appears, which gradually increases to a maximum;
• extinction (after 10 weeks to 6 months) - a person's mental state gradually returns to the moment before the first use of amphetamine, but the person can still break down, usually this happens at parties in the company of friends who take amphetamine, or under the influence of alcohol.

Help with taking amphetamine

In case of oral administration of amphetamine, it is necessary to induce vomiting (wash out the stomach) and give activated charcoal. If this was not done in a timely manner, hospitalization may be required. If seizures develop, it is necessary to remove sharp objects from the person, prevent biting the tongue, monitor effective breathing, put on the side, whichwould not prevent the vomit from entering the respiratory tract.

Important to remember! Amphetamine and similar drugs do not give energy to a person, as it may seem at first use, but on the contrary, make a person spend his own energy. After such devastation, a person falls into depression and in order to get out of it he again needs to take amphetamine. After such energy stresses, a person breaks down, psychoses, unmotivated aggression, etc. develop.