Dangers of misusing Amphetamine

The exact way in which amphetamines may affect the human body depends on different factors such as:

• The number of amphetamines taken
• The strength of its dose
• Whether it was taken with any other drug
• The user’s physical makeup and overall health status
• The individual body’s response to the drug

Some common dangers that users are likely to encounter if they keep abusing amphetamines for a long time include the following:

Sleeping Difficulties

In addition to increasing energy, amphetamines are also known for reducing sleep and drowsiness. This is one of the reasons why these drugs are so popular among people who wish to stay awake throughout the night, such as truck drivers and night-shift workers. At the same time, amphetamines also appeal to partygoers who want to stay alert and active throughout the night for recreational reasons.

However, it is essential to remember that abusing amphetamines consistently can often result in severe sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation can not only make it difficult to go about the day but may also alter mood and start affecting physical health soon.

Decreased Mental Performance

As mentioned above, using amphetamines for extended periods can lead to sleep interference. This intense sleep deprivation can also sometimes lead to a deterioration in mental performance. This is ironic, considering how many people abuse it with the intent to speed up their preparations for exams.

However, this cognitive-boosting effect commonly attributed to the use of amphetamines is quickly overthrown by a lack of sleep. This is because sleep plays a vital role in the consolidation of memories, and without it, learning ability can get severely hindered.

Rapid Speech

Rapid or pressured speech is commonly a symptom of an underlying psychiatric disorder, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. However, it is sometimes also associated with the use of amphetamines. While many tend to abuse this drug, believing it will improve their mental and social functioning, research indicates that it also speeds up speech at the expense of accuracy. As a result, people high on amphetamines are often socially annoying, may chatter incessantly, and face trouble engaging in everyday conversations.

Anxiety and Mood Swings

Perhaps the most popular reason people give for abusing amphetamines is their ability to elevate mood temporarily. However, this apparent benefit has a flip side as a crash characterized by depressive feelings often follows it. There is also a good chance that abusing amphetamines when someone is already in a bad mood may make them more anxious and irritable. Some users also report experiencing paranoia, delusional thinking, and chronic fatigue post-consumption.

Blood-borne infections

One of the lesser-known dangers of misusing amphetamines includes the risk of acquiring blood-borne diseases, such as hepatitis B and C, HIV/Aids, and tetanus. These diseases are particularly prevalent in people who prefer injecting these drugs into their veins and commonly share needles with others.

Amphetamine overdose

One of the most frightening long-term dangers of amphetamine misuse is an overdose, which can be fatal if help is not sought in time. Below are some amphetamine intoxication symptoms to look out for in case you suspect an overdose.

• Chest pain
• Psychosis
• Stroke
• Loss of consciousness
• Dangerously high blood pressure
• Heart attack

Amphetamine dependence and addiction

Chronic use of amphetamines can quickly lead to tolerance and dependence. The threshold of this dependence differs for different users, making it difficult to determine a specific drug amount or duration of consumption that would lead to addiction. Nevertheless, amphetamine dependence can happen to anyone, whether they are using it on a doctor’s recommendation or recreationally.

Amphetamine dependency is deemed dangerous because it often comes with tolerance. Tolerance refers to constantly increasing a drug dose to experience the same high. As a result of this tolerance, users keep abusing amphetamines despite the side effects, eventually leading to addiction. This makes them enter a vicious cycle where they wish to quit using amphetamines because of their side effects, but the withdrawal symptoms kick in as soon as they stop forcing them to restart using these stimulant drugs.