People who use amphetamines often also use other drugs, such as alcohol, cannabis, or benzodiazepines, to help them relax and sleep. There is evidence that amphetamine use to treat ADHD could slow growth in children. Minor effects on the cardiovascular system, including a rise in heart rate and blood pressure, may have long-term effects.
Oral Health
Studies were considered at high risk of bias if they used some systematic, non‐random approach, i.e. date of birth, date of admission, clinic record number, by clinician. In the original review, reports identified by the electronic searches were assessed for relevance. Two reviewers (MS & NJ) independently crack addiction signs and symptoms of crack cocaine use inspected all study citations identified by the electronic searches and full reports of the studies of agreed relevance were obtained. Where disputes arose the full reports were acquired for more detailed scrutiny. The reviewers (MS & NJ) then independently inspected all these full study reports.
The ASAM/AAAP Clinical Practice Guideline on the Management of Stimulant Use Disorder : Journal of Addiction Medicine
Strong recommendations support actions in which benefits clearly outweigh harms, or vice versa, and for which patients have expressed clear and consistent values or preferences. Strong recommendations are typically based on high- or moderate-certainty evidence. A strong recommendation may be based on low-certainty evidence, for example, when the evidence indicates a substantial net benefit in a life-threatening situation or when there is limited evidence for a practice that is considered standard of care.
How Can You Prevent Amphetamine Addiction?
While relapse is a normal part of recovery, for some drugs, it can be very dangerous—even deadly. If a person uses as much of the drug as they did before quitting, they can easily overdose because their bodies are no longer adapted to their previous level of drug exposure. An overdose happens when the person uses enough of a drug to produce uncomfortable feelings, life-threatening symptoms, or death. Cooling treatments, such as wetting and blowing air over the person’s skin or using special cooling blankets, may be needed for hyperthermia. Amphetamines include the drug amphetamine and its many variants such as methamphetamine (speed or crystal meth) and methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, Ecstasy, or Adam).
Types of Amphetamines
For people with addictions to drugs like stimulants or cannabis, no medications are currently available to assist in treatment, so treatment consists of behavioral therapies. Treatment should be tailored to address each patient’s drug use patterns and drug-related medical, mental, and social problems. The CGC emphasized that gathering detailed information to tailor harm reduction interventions (eg, PrEP, education) could have a large potential benefit. The CGC noted that screening for risky sexual behaviors interacts with factors such as interpersonal and intimate partner violence (IPV), trauma, race, sexual orientation, and gender. Subgroup population differences may influence the preferred intervention (eg, transgender, IPV or trauma history, patients and/or their partners who are HIV positive).
Telemedicine is also an important tool for expanding access to care, particularly in rural and underserved areas where SUD treatment services are limited. While comprehensive assessment is vital for each patient’s treatment planning for StUD, completion of all assessments should not delay or preclude initiation of treatment, particularly for critical needs (eg, toxicity, psychosis, suicidality, withdrawal). A comprehensive assessment may be completed over a period of time and may involve multiple clinicians (eg, social workers, counselors, psychologists, nurses, physicians). Recommendations may be made even when there is low-certainty or insufficient evidence. The evidence base is still accumulating in many areas of addiction treatment, but the urgency and severity of SUD-related issues demand that clinicians act, even in the face of imperfect empirical evidence. Recommendations based solely on clinical consensus are clearly indicated and their rationale explained.
- Amphetamines rank as a schedule II/IIN controlled substance (2/2N), which means that there is a high potential for the drug to cause physical dependence (addiction).
- If concerns are identified during the assessment, clinicians should either treat or refer the patient to an appropriate biomedical or psychiatric provider or setting for care.
- Identifying urgent or emergent biomedical or psychiatric concerns is necessary to preserve the health and safety of patients who present for StUD treatment; acute issues, including signs of acute intoxication or overdose, need to be addressed immediately.
- Behavioral therapies can also enhance the effectiveness of medications and help people remain in treatment longer.
Waiving a full workup saves time and resources, including avoiding an overnight hospital stay and follow-up appointments. However, missed identification of nontoxicologic causes of seizure is possible. It is also important for clinicians to remember that a positive toxicologic test does not exclude a concurrent medical emergency, which may be the primary cause of the patient’s clinical presentation.
For this reason, a person can easily consume something they do not expect to consume. However, some studies show that any reduction in growth speed may be caught up by a “growth rebound” once the drug has stopped being taken. From the 1930s, amphetamine was used to treat affective disorders, obsessive-compulsive drug metabolism drugs disorder (OCD), and schizophrenia. Currently, medical professionals do not recommend using amphetamines and their derivatives to help reduce obesity. Due to concerns over their side effects, however, amphetamines are increasingly being replaced by modafinil, a medication that promotes wakefulness.
There are limitations to the utility of toxicology testing for the management of stimulant intoxication or withdrawal, particularly in emergency settings when samples need to be sent to external laboratories. Toxicology testing may answer specific questions regarding a patient’s recent substance use but is limited by the specific test, as study of controversial hallucinogen salvia shows intense some stimulants are not included on typical screening panels. When performing toxicology testing for stimulant intoxication in acute care settings, clinicians should be aware of the limitations of the tests used. A tradeoff exists between the time delay to process a test versus the accuracy and specificity of the information obtained.
Addiction means that cravings and compulsive use of the drug become very important to a person. If drug use is stopped, the person usually goes through withdrawal, also called “the crash.” Symptoms of withdrawal can include fatigue, restless sleep, irritability, intense hunger, depression, suicidal behaviour and fits of violence. With some types of amphetamines, the stimulant effects can last up to 12 hours. Some people may use amphetamines repeatedly over a period of several days to try to stay high. In children who are hyperactive, however, amphetamines and related drugs, in the correct doses, can have a calming effect.
A StUD-focused history and physical examination includes a detailed history of the patient’s past and current substance use and SUDs and an assessment of non-acute signs and symptoms of stimulant use, including complications. A mental status exam should identify concerns such as psychosis, cognitive impairment, and risk of harm to self or others. The extent of the clinical exam and medical workup for stimulant intoxication and withdrawal can be based on presenting signs and symptoms and severity of intoxication or withdrawal and is discussed in the Stimulant Intoxication and Withdrawal section of this Guideline. Meta-analysis, systematic review, and individual study methods were extracted by one member of the research team.
To avoid withdrawal symptoms, take your medication exactly as your provider prescribed it to you. Schedule a time to take it every day and stick to that same schedule for the duration that you’re taking the drug. Amphetamines rank as a schedule II/IIN controlled substance (2/2N), which means that there is a high potential for the drug to cause physical dependence (addiction).
The available research used relatively high doses of bupropion (ie, 450 mg of an extended-release formulation). The combination of these medications would most likely be prescribed by an addiction specialist, potentially limiting access and increasing health inequities. Confirmation of the patient’s opioid free status is required prior to initiating naltrexone.
Untreated withdrawal also increases the risk for return to stimulant use, which poses direct risks to the fetus. Environmental interventions involve isolation in a non-stimulating environment that is quiet with low lighting. No studies were found on the effectiveness of environmental interventions for managing stimulant intoxication and withdrawal. There is limited evidence on the appropriate frequency of substance use screening in the general population.
You should only take the amount of amphetamine as prescribed by your healthcare provider. Misusing or taking amphetamines that your provider did not prescribe to you can cause dangerous side effects and could lead to addiction or death. If you experience withdrawal symptoms while you’re following your prescribed schedule, talk with your healthcare provider.…