Most agree that psychosis following amphetamine use is characterized by persecutory delusions, visual hallucinations, and symptoms resembling acute psychosis most commonly observed in schizophrenia. This activity reviews amphetamine-related psychiatric disorders, including pathophysiology, presentation, and diagnosis, and highlights the interprofessional team’s role in the management of these patients. Amphetamines are very powerful drugs that affect your central nervous system and how your brain interacts with your body.
Enhancing Healthcare Team Outcomes
Amphetamines refer to both amphetamine (AMPH) and the structurally similar methamphetamines (MA), both of which are used extra-medically. MA is considered a more potent derivative of AMPH, with a longer duration of action and increased ability to cross the blood–brain barrier; and global shifts in the illicit stimulant market have resulted in the predominance of MA [2, 3]. This result shows that the subjective effects of lisdexamfetamine were not enhanced when the drug was given intravenously. Blood pressure measurements are useful objective measures of the PD effects of sympathomimetic drugs. 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).
Amphetamine Addiction Signs, Symptoms, Effects, and Treatment
Substances are any type of medication or chemical that has addiction potential. Substances target the reward center of your brain and can lead to substance use disorder and life-threatening outcomes if misused. Mental health outcomes needed to be clearly defined, and could include symptoms or events, diagnoses, or proxies thereof (e.g., hospital admissions). Psychosis https://ecosoberhouse.com/ included positive symptoms of psychosis (delusions and hallucinations) and psychotic disorders. Suicidality included ideation, attempts, and completed suicides, but not other forms of self-harm. Future research should address small sample sizes and low participant retention and treatment adherence rates, leading to underpowered studies lacking meaningful results.
Results of Individual Studies
In the case of IR d-amphetamine, its maximum subjective effect occurred much earlier than lisdexamfetamine, and switching to the intravenous route speeded up IR d-amphetamine’s onset of action and increased its potency. Although increasing the dose of lisdexamfetamine enhanced its efficacy, it also progressively delayed its amphetamine addiction time of peak effect. Furthermore, switching to the intravenous route for lisdexamfetamine appeared to have relatively little influence on the abuse potential of the prodrug. There are no specific medications that counteract the effects of amphetamines or that prolong abstinence from and reduce the abuse of amphetamines.
- Talk with your healthcare provider if you feel like you are dependent on amphetamines or if they are not working to alleviate your symptoms.
- Eighty-three percent of studies analysed their results by intention-to-treat, while five (12%) [33, 46, 53, 57, 61] were unclear in this regard and two (5%) [24, 45] did not.
- The most common hallucinogens are lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and phencyclidine (PCP).
- Such heterogeneity is inevitable and expected when synthesising data across different outcome measures and study methods, and is likely to reflect variation in the true effect size depending on such factors [86].
- In summary, there are currently no available medications that have been demonstrated to be effective in the treatment of amphetamine withdrawal.
If a person suspects that they may have a drug misuse problem, then they should consult a medical professional. It is important for people to remember that they do not need to feel embarrassed about seeking help. Because of this, a person living with addiction is not “weak” or “lacking in willpower.” A person can manage this chronic, progressive health condition with appropriate treatment, just as people can manage many other health conditions.
- Two studies reviewed examined dexamphetamine as stimulant agonist treatment.
- For the quality of the meta-analyses, a weighted average quality score was derived using weights from the meta-analysis.
- 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.
- Other risky behaviors that can be linked to drug use, such as having unsafe sex, can also increase the chance of becoming infected with one of these diseases.
Short-Term Effects of Amphetamines
- While these can be abused, they can be helpful for attention deficit and other disorders.
- Dose titrations during this study were based on the subjects’ clinical response to the medication.
- Results were replicated, with reductions in both MA use and, although to a lesser extent than the first study and only at week 24, high-risk sexual behaviours (unprotected anal sex, number of partners) in participants randomised to mirtazapine as compared with placebo.
- Associations were observed in various settings, including criminal justice settings [45,46], health settings [47,48], and in population level surveys [49,50].
- These findings strengthen the view that the unusual mechanism for metabolic conversion of lisdexamfetamine to d-amphetamine has important implications for its liability for recreational abuse.
- There were no direct benefits of amineptine on withdrawal symptoms or craving.
There are many reasons a person may fall into a pattern of amphetamine misuse or develop SUD. A person may take years to be able to manage without the substance, and they may return to using a substance for some periods of time. If a person has been misusing more than one substance, the medical and therapeutic professionals designing their treatment plan will address each substance separately.
Treatment algorithm
- Peripheral vasodilators like nitroglycerin and nicardipine may be effective in lowering blood pressure.
- Amineptine was found to have limited benefits, showing improvement only on some subjective effects but is no longer on the market because of concerns over its abuse liability.