Stimulants and Their Dangers

Stimulants are a class of drugs that enhance brain activity - they cause an increase in alertness, attention, and energy that are accompanied by elevated blood pressure and increased heart rate and respiration. Stimulants were used traditionally to treat asthma and other respiratory problems, obesity, neurological disorders, and a variety of other ailments. But as their feasible for abuse and addiction became apparent, the medical use of stimulants began to decrease. In the present, There are prescribed for the treatment of only a few health conditions, including narcolepsy, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder , and depression that has not responded to other treatments. Stimulants may be used as appetite suppressants for short-term treatment of obesity and they also may be used for patients with asthma.

Stimulants often generate a feeling of euphoria in users. Examples Including cocaine, crack cocaine, amphetamines, Methamphetamine, methylphenidate (Ritalin), nicotine, and MDMA (3-4 methylenedioxy Methamphetamine, better identified as Ecstasy).

Amphetamines are from time to time prescribed by doctors for medical problems, but these pills are also abused for their effects on the brain. Methamphetamine is a stronger form of amphetamines that comes in clear crystals or powder and easily dissolves in water or alcohol.

Though cocaine is quickly removed and almost completely metabolized, methamphetamine has a much longer duration of action. The prolong presence of methamphetamine in the brain eventually leads to longer stimulant effects.

Affecting the body and brain, stimulants such as dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine) and methylphenidate (Ritalin), have chemical structures that are similar to a family of key brain neurotransmitters called monoamines, which include norepinephrine and dopamine. Stimulants increase the amount of these chemicals in the brain. This, in turn, increases blood pressure and heart rate, constricts blood vessels, increases blood glucose, and opens up the pathways of the respiratory system. In addition, the increase in Dopamine is associated with a sense of euphoria that can accompany the use of these drugs.
Nicotine and MDMA also are considered stimulants that cause storage of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain. This extremely dopamine concentration appears to create the stimulation and feelings of euphoria experienced by the user. The consequences of stimulant abuse can be dangerous. Although their use may not lead to physical dependence and risk of withdrawal, stimulants can be addictive in that individuals begin to use them compulsively. Taking high doses of some stimulants repeatedly over a short time can lead to feelings of hostility or paranoia. Additionally, taking high doses of a stimulant may result in dangerously high body temperatures and an irregular heartbeat. There is also the potential for cardiovascular failure or lethal seizures.

Repeated use of stimulants can lead to feelings of hostility or paranoia in some users. Single high doses can produce dangerously high body temperatures and an irregular heartbeat.

Stimulants include cocaine, methamphetamine, and amphetamines are highly addictive. After trying stimulants, a person may have difficulty predicting or controlling the extent to which he or she will continue to use the drug. The stimulant and addictive effects are thought to be primarily a result of the drugs' ability to inhibit the re absorption of dopamine by nerve cells.





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