Amphetamine Uses, Dosage, Side Effects & Warnings

Another way to produce a more gentle increase of brain dopamine is to bind d-amphetamine to a support. MES-amphetamine XR employs a bead technology to deliver two bolus doses of amphetamine, the first immediately and the second approximately 4 h later, giving a Cmax for amphetamine’s d- and l-isomers 6–8 h (Adderall XR®, US Product Label). Therefore, the maximum therapeutic effect of MES-amphetamine XR (Biederman et al., 2007a) coincided almost exactly with the tmax for plasma d-amphetamine (Adderall XR®, US Product Label). These findings are also consistent with the preclinical PK/PD relationship for IR d-amphetamine that found a lack of hysteresis between plasma d-amphetamine concentration and the functional response, that is, locomotor activity. Biederman et al. (2007a) published results from the only clinical trial where the efficacy and safety of lisdexamfetamine in ADHD was compared directly against another clinically proven drug, MES-amphetamine XR.

What Are the Side Effects of Amphetamines?

This action indicates that its retro-transport mechanism can act both co-operatively with, and independently of, neuronal firing. As shown in Figure 1, the similarity between the chemical structures of the catecholamine neurotransmitters, amphetamine addiction noradrenaline and dopamine, and the isomers of amphetamine is abundantly clear. The 3-D structures of the catecholamines and amphetamine molecules reveal the long planar conformation that is common to all of these compounds.

What other medications interact with amphetamines?

The classification means the drugs have an accepted medical use but also a high potential for abuse. A comparison of the mean peak increases in systolic and diastolic blood pressure produced by intravenous versus oral administration of 50 mg lisdexamfetamine. This topic is of particular importance because lisdexamfetamine has very high aqueous solubility, making the prodrug very easy to extract. In fact, breaking the capsule open and dissolving the contents in water is stated as a dosing route for patients who are unable to swallow capsules (Vyvanse®, US Product Label).

Addictive Substances

However, we believe in providing accessible and accurate information to reduce the harm that can occur when using. Amphetamine can cause the brain to produce such high amounts of dopamine that the brain compensates by getting rid of dopamine receptors, Franssen said, similar to how we cover our ears to decrease the volume when someone is shouting at us. Amphetamines, particularly methamphetamine, can be highly addictive.

Amphetamines’ Effects on Your Brain

• The drug is typically made in clandestine laboratories with relatively inexpensive over-the-counter ingredients.
• A post-hoc analysis of the data also showed that the sex and age of the subjects had no significant influence on the efficacy of lisdexamfetamine (Wigal et al., 2010b).
• Translocation of monoamines from the cytosolic pool into the storage pool is performed by a similar active transporter system, the vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) (Fei et al., 2008; Fleckenstein et al., 2009; Ramamoorthy et al., 2011).
• This action indicates that its retro-transport mechanism can act both co-operatively with, and independently of, neuronal firing.
• Your dose needs may change if you switch to a different brand, strength, or form of this medicine.
• Amphetamines belong to a class of compounds called phenethylamines which induce catecholaminergic effects in the CNS and peripheral circulation.

Today, only dextroamphetamine, lisdexamfetamine, methylphenidate and mixed salts amphetamine are made for medical use. These drugs are used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adults. The different types of amphetamines—and related drugs such as methylphenidate (e.g., Ritalin)—are stimulant drugs.

Amphetamine Toxicity

Compared with placebo, 50 mg lisdexamfetamine significantly increased the peak systolic blood pressure when administered both orally and intravenously and diastolic blood pressure when given orally (Figure 6). What is also evident from the data in Figure 6 is that the magnitude of increases in systolic and diastolic blood pressures was not statistically different after oral or intravenous administration of lisdexamfetamine. Furthermore, the time of lisdexamfetamine’s peak pharmacological effect was substantially delayed compared with IR d-amphetamine, at 3.0 h versus 1.5–2.0 h. When lisdexamfetamine was given at an increased dose of 150 mg, it significantly increased the DQRS ‘Drug liking’ score to an equivalent extent to IR d-amphetamine (40 mg oral). However, the peak effect of the higher dose of lisdexamfetamine was even more delayed, at 4.0 h.

Other side effects

If you or someone you know has any signs of an overdose, call for emergency help right away. In 2020, about 1.5 million people in the United States over the age of 12 had meth use disorder. What’s more, combining meth — a stimulant — with depressants like alcohol, opioids, or benzodiazepines can have a tug-of-war effect on your bodily functions.

“The increase of dopamine, as well as the activation of the sympathetic nervous system, [can lead to] hallucinations and psychosis, similar to schizophrenia,” Franssen said. Amphetamines are used in treatments for ADD and ADHD, obesity, narcolepsy, and Parkinson’s disease, according to CESAR. The authors wish to thank Shire Pharmaceuticals for their support funding a portion of the writers’ time for the literature review and writing of this manuscript.

Lisdexamfetamine

• On the primary and secondary efficacy variables of behaviour, attention and problem solving, lisdexamfetamine delivered equivalent or better efficacy than MES-amphetamine XR with both drugs being maximally effective at 2 h post-dose (Biederman et al., 2007a).
• Some drugs, such as opioid painkillers, have a higher risk and cause addiction more quickly than others.
• Additionally, the majority of methamphetamines come from outside the U.S., where they are produced cheaply and illegally with little consequence.
• Much of these stocks got into the ‘black market’, and in the 1950s d-amphetamine abuse became recognised.
• The authors wish to state that the material presented in this review reflect only their views and not necessarily those of the Shire Pharmaceuticals.
• Acute amphetamine use with resultant psychosis can present like a sympathomimetic toxidrome.

You should not use amphetamine if you are allergic to any stimulant medicine, or if you have used an MAO inhibitor in the past 14 days, such as isocarboxazid, linezolid, methylene blue injection, phenelzine, or tranylcypromine. If you’d like to stop using meth, you have options for confidential support and treatment. For instance, you might feel energized, https://ecosoberhouse.com/ confident, and more alert than usual. In 2020, Oregon passed Measure 110 to decriminalize drug possession. If you’re found with less than 2 grams of meth in your possession, you now get a Class E violation instead of a felony. This means that you can pay a $100 fine or visit an addiction recovery center instead of spending time in jail.

• If you take an immediate-release amphetamine, wait at least four to six hours before drinking any alcohol.
• Thus, the rate and magnitude of neuronal dopamine release produced by amphetamine is absolutely dependent on the rate and concentration of drug that reaches DAT sites in the brain (Heal et al., 2008, 2009).
• It’s popularity then grew during World War II as active service members from the U.S., Japan, Germany and England were administered the drug to treat mild depression and to enhance alertness and endurance.
• In previous reviews, we have extensively described the efficacy and safety of stimulant and non-stimulant drugs used in the management of ADHD and compared the relative merits of each (Heal et al., 2009, 2012).
• This may cause collapsed veins, tetanus, abscesses, and damage to the heart, lungs, liver, and brain.

Once inside the presynaptic terminal, amphetamine displaces monoamines from the cytosolic pool. Furthermore, because amphetamine also has affinity for VMAT2 (Teng et al., 1998), it prevents the translocation of monoamines into the intraneuronal storage vesicles. The outcome of these actions is that the direction of the reuptake transporter reverses, so that instead of pumping neurotransmitter from the synapse into the nerve terminal, it pumps neurotransmitter out of neurones into the synapse. This process is called ‘reverse transport’ or ‘retro-transport’ (Robertson et al., 2009). The sooner you seek help, the greater your chances for a long-term recovery. Talk with your health care provider or see a mental health provider, such as a doctor who specializes in addiction medicine or addiction psychiatry, or a licensed alcohol and drug counselor.