Stimulants
What do stimulants do to you?
Just like the word suggests, these drugs stimulate your body. They increase energy, alertness, and heartrate. This is because such drugs are designed to boost activity of the body’s central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord). They make you feel alert and awake by increasing amounts of certain neurotransmitters, particularly dopamine and norepinephrine (NE).
What are examples of legal stimulants?
Certain stimulants are legal and commonly used in medical settings. Perhaps the most commonly consumed, naturally occurring stimulant is caffeine, a molecule found in coffee, tea, or energy drinks. By stimulating the body’s central nervous system, it reduces tiredness and is used often to increase performance, alertness, and focus.
Nicotine is another widely-used stimulant often found in tobacco and vaping products. It increases alertness while also producing feelings of relaxation and pleasure, making it highly addictive.
Some stimulants are prescribed to treat conditions like ADHD. Adderall, Ritalin, and Vyvanse are all drugs used to improve concentration and alertness in individuals with ADHD.
What are examples of illegal stimulants?
Stimulants are sometimes abused because they can increase energy, suppress appetite, or create feelings of confidence and euphoria. This abuse can range from taking extra doses of ADHD medication to crushing and snorting pills. Cocaine and Methamphetamine (“meth”) are two commonly used illicit stimulants. Using these illegal stimulants leads not only to dependence and addiction, but also to severe mental and physical health problems.
What happens if you take too much?
1. Cardiovascular problems: high blood pressure, irregular heart rhythms, chest pain, heart attack, stroke, sudden cardiac death
2. Mental problems: high anxiety, panic attacks, paranoia, aggression, depression, memory problems, hallucinations, psychosis (loss of contact with reality)
3. Nervous system problems: tremors, twitching, restlessness, jittery, severe agitation, seizures
4. Metabolic problems: irregular body temperature, dehydration, excessive sweating, dangerous overheating (damages organs, becomes life threatening)
5. Appetite changes: significant weight loss, poor nutrition, fatigue during withdrawal, weakened immune system (contracts disease more easily)
6. Addiction and dependence
7. High risk of overdose
Information was obtained from NIH Institute on Drug Abuse, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), SAMHSA, and Treatment Improvement Protocol Series No. 33 Chapter 3