Most people have heard of a drug like amphetamine more than once. What is it, what are the consequences of a person using a central nervous system stimulant? In this article we will answer the most popular questions. We’ll also tell you how to recognize an amphetamine addict.
Definition
Amphetamine is a powerful stimulant that was originally intended for medical use. The substance alpha-methylphenylethylamine has helped people suffering from narcolepsy or a disease in which a person could fall asleep anytime, anywhere.
Amphetamine was also given to pilots and soldiers so that they would not sleep or be afraid to fall over long hours. The substance works in certain situations, but the side effects of this medicine can be dangerous and damaging.
If before this substance was used only for medical purposes, today every drug addict knows that amphetamine is one of the few potent drugs that cause a feeling of euphoria. He is injected intravenously, sniffed, and even drunk, like ordinary capsules with medicine.
Signs
The main signs of amphetamine use are a slight sense of euphoria, dilated pupils, increased energy and tone in the body. The brain begins to work actively, which allows a person to better concentrate and focus on something. But this will not always be. Amphetamine addicts are best aware of the consequences of using this substance, despite the fact that it was previously used in medicine.
So, easily distinguishable signs:
- Fever.
- Dry mouth.
- Rapid breathing.
- Heightened vigilance.
- Excessive energy.
- High blood pressure
- Decreased fatigue and appetite.
Before mankind realized what troubles amphetamine could bring, it used this medicine to control weight, get rid of depression, chronic runny nose and even a hangover. This substance turned out to be an inexpensive and long-term solution to a number of problems. It was sold under the guise of "Deoxin" (the main substance is methamphetamine), "Benzedrine" (amphetamine salts), "Adderala" (phenethylamines), "Dechtrostat", "Dexedrine" (dextroamphetamine).
After World War II, the civilian use of this substance increased, and another form of the drug - methamphetamine (easily produced in small domestic laboratories) - was able to conquer the market. As more and more people began to use two types of drug, the first information about addiction and other problems appeared.
Effect on the body
Signs of amphetamine use can be either highly visible or latent. However, you can recognize the addict if you pay attention to his behavior, habits and well-being. The consequences of amphetamine use are:
- Hostility.
- Paranoia.
- Aggressiveness.
- Failure of the cardiovascular system.
- Irregular heartbeat.
- Nausea.
- Headache.
- Immunity of social prohibitions.
- Altered sexual behavior.
- Blurred vision.
- Chest pains.
- Hallucinations.
- Unrealistic ideas about personal abilities, a sense of power.
- Cramps.
- Malnutrition.
- Skin diseases.
- Psychosis.
Some people who abuse this drug will experience specific “intoxication” when it is necessary to constantly take the substance, not to sleep or eat until the next dose gets into the body.
What does an addict look like
At the very beginning of the use, amphetamine is only addictive, the first negative changes occur in the body. A person may not suspect that his immune system is deteriorating. Ultimately, the use of the substance will cause severe problems with teeth and skin.
You must have met people who look extremely emaciated. Their skin is pale, often sagging. The cheeks are hollow, cheekbones and eye sockets are clearly visible. Hair condition is deplorable. Passing by such personalities, you do not think about what a drug addict looks like. Perhaps this particular person is the victim of amphetamine addiction.
Pay attention to the skin (mainly the face) and a smile. The absence of teeth, the presence of chips and caries may indicate that a person is once abusing a drug. Pustules, wounds and small ulcers may appear on the skin.
Consequences of amphetamine use
Persons who abuse this substance for a long time experience a sharp decrease in weight, as they regularly undernourish. In addition to the main manifestations of amphetamine use, a person experiences serious mental consequences. When he tries to quit this bad habit, he begins to feel the disorder of the body, which was formed during the use of the drug.
In a person who uses drugs, all symptoms are suppressed, but doubled as soon as the stimulant ceases. Thus, withdrawal symptoms may include depression, anxiety, and fatigue.
Most likely, external signs of amphetamine use in a person who refuses to use the substance may include hallucinations, aggression, violent behavior, a sense of delusion.
Dangerous symptoms
The substance has a profound effect on the nervous system, which is why many users often complain that they have numb legs after using amphetamine. Coldness in the limbs indicates that the work of the cardiovascular system is disrupted. Seizures are one of the side symptoms of regular use of the substance.
If a person is faced with numbness of the body, then this is the first alarm bell that it is time to stop. In the worst case, these symptoms can lead to a heart attack and heart failure.
Other problems
Signs of amphetamine use include aggressiveness, exhaustion, weight loss. But what lies behind all these problems?
- Low appetite can lead to unhealthy eating habits, and then to malnutrition, which damages both the body and brain.
- Due to poor nutrition and lack of saliva, dental problems develop. Caries appears, enamel and tooth structure are destroyed, nerves become inflamed, cysts and granulomas form. Subsequently, the amphetamine addict begins to lose his teeth - one after another. During this process, dozens of infectious diseases develop that worsen immunity and make the human body more vulnerable.
- Skin lesions often occur due to hallucinations during amphetamine use. As a rule, the substance distorts the idea of the surrounding world, so the addict can imagine how something creeps under his skin. This feeling makes people scratch and scratch their hands, face, legs, stomach, until ulcers appear that are not so easy to heal due to impaired blood circulation.
Detective game
In addition to the main signs and cardinal changes in appearance, an amphetamine addict can be recognized in several other ways.
As soon as a substance enters the body, a person immediately encounters two side effects called “arrival”. As a rule, the mood improves, all worries disappear, I want to do something, for example, stay awake, run, go somewhere. You can easily identify an amphetamine addict, because he never sits in place. Nervously stepping from one leg to another, makes involuntary movements with his hands, head, pelvis, and sexual activity.
If after such behavior a new stage has begun, where a person is at rest, but overly satisfied, smiling, and good-natured, then this is a reason for experiencing. Immediately after this, withdrawal begins, the period of excretion of the substance from the body. Convulsions, cramping in the body, and lack of appetite may occur.
Amphetamines are potent substances that change the rhythms of the entire body. After the first application, the body loses its ability to become saturated with moisture. Drug use leads to severe dehydration. In addition, an amphetamine addict can experience insomnia, characterized by restless behavior, sudden changes in mood, loss of energy, or, conversely, gaining tone.