The Therapeutic Potential of Amphetamine-like Psychostimulants PMC

This includes any other forms of drug use since drug metabolism rates can fluctuate when using different types of drugs (or medications) at the same time. In this respect, how long do amphetamines stay in your system has a lot to do with the brain’s acquired tolerance for the drug. In effect, the brain quickly develops a tolerance for amphetamines, driving users to ingest increasingly larger doses over time. While any user can develop an Adderall addiction, addiction is more likely in a recreational user because a doctor is not monitoring their dose.

CNS Side effects

Dextroamphetamine/amphetamine is not recommended for children younger than 3 years of age. Dextroamphetamine/amphetamine is FDA-approval for adult and pediatric patients who are six years of age or older. Amphetamine/dextroamphetamine is used off-label by college students for memory enhancement, test-taking ability, and study marathons. Internal and external reward reinforcement is driven by dopamine’s activation of D1-like receptors, while signaling via D2 receptors is known to mediate conditioned responses to fear-inducing stimuli 43. The locus coeruleus–norepinephrine (LC-NE) system also plays a pivotal role in the central stress response, coordinating cognitive responses to potential threats by scanning the environment 43.

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No tests can determine drug misuse or addiction, but a medical professional can discuss a person’s substance use with them and assess possible risk factors that support the possibility. Researchers have also studied amphetamines for use in people with obesity, narcolepsy, cocaine dependence, and other conditions. Documentation strongly suggests the interaction with concurrent use of amphetamine and monoamine oxidase inhibitor drugs is contraindicated as it may result in a hypertensive crisis. Evaluating cardiovascular status in patients before the initiation of stimulant medication is highly recommended. A careful history and physical exam, including all the possible risk factors such as a family history of sudden death or ventricular arrhythmia, should undergo assessment for the presence of cardiac disease. Additional cardiac evaluation with electrocardiogram and echocardiogram should take place if finding suggests cardiac disease.

Routes of administration and dosage

• Alpha-adrenergic stimulation causes vasoconstriction and an increase in total peripheral resistance, leading to elevations of both systolic and diastolic blood pressures, a weak bronchodilator, and respiratory stimulant action.
• People who fall on the alkaline side of the scale tend to metabolize amphetamines slower than someone with a more acidic body chemistry.
• Dissociative anesthetics, such as ketamine, have also been studied and used to treat conditions such as suicidal ideation and severe depression 11.
• Manufacturers originally developed methamphetamine from amphetamine and used it in nasal decongestants and bronchial inhalers.
• Amphetamine was initially synthesized in Berlin in 1887 as 1-methyl-2-phenethylamine.

Healthcare providers may prescribe amphetamines to people with ADHD or narcolepsy. Providers may also use amphetamines to treat obesity, though this is less common. Manufacturers originally developed methamphetamine from amphetamine and used it in nasal decongestants and bronchial inhalers. Doctors may prescribe it to help with weight loss or treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in some limited circumstances. For oral administration, peak methamphetamine concentrations are seen in 2-4 hours; snorting, smoking, and injecting peak concentrations occur within minutes. Methamphetamine is metabolized via the cytochrome P450 complex to active amphetamine, and p-OH-amphetamine and norephedrine, which are both inactive.

ADHD and drug dependency are examples of conditions wherein this compound has shown promising results in terms of recovery and therapeutic applications. Regarding ADHD, five articles published in the last 3 years have investigated the use of LDX to treat the symptoms related to this condition (Table 1). Childress et al. 44,45,46 published three studies that highlighted the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of LDX in children aged 4–5 years 44,45,46. All of the studies had a similar structure, encompassing screening and washout, dose optimization, dose maintenance, and a safety follow-up, with doses ranging from 10 to 30 mg LDX per participant 44,45,46. Focusing on a different age range, Adler et al. 47 demonstrated that for concentrations between 30 and 70 mg a day, the used of LDX in adults with ADHD and Comorbid Sluggish Cognitive Tempo (SCT) was beneficial, showing significant improvements in SCT when compared to a placebo 47. Wang et al. 48 adopted a different approach, studying striatal and thalamic functional connectivity (FC) using static (time-averaged) and dynamic (time-varying) measures to then correlate those results with ADHD symptom improvements after treatment with a long-acting LDX 48.

• Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances.
• Psychostimulants are commonly employed in ADHD treatment, and mixed amphetamine salts (MAS) are another type of amphetamine derivatives that have shown promising results when used for this purpose (Table 1).
• The therapeutic effects begin within 45−60 min after ingestion of an immediate-release tablet, with peak effect in 2 to 3 hours, and a total duration of 4−6 h.
• This review of the literature indicates that ecstasy (MDMA) and related drugs are potentially dangerous, even in the doses typically used by participants at raves.
• In the United States, the law classifies meth as a Schedule II drug, and about 2.6 million people reported using it in 2019.
• People who take amphetamines daily will typically test positive for nine days after the last dose.
• Amphetamines are DEA Schedule II controlled substances with a high potential for misuse and dependence.

Maximum plasma concentration for Adderall XR is achieved about 6 h after ingestion 15. Other molecular mechanisms by which amphetamine mediates monoamine release have also been implicated. These include amphetamine-induced exchange diffusion, channel-like transport, disruption of vesicular storage by the weak base properties of amphetamine, phosphorylation, and transporter trafficking 2. Amphetamine is presumed to amplify both tonic and phasic dopamine release through such mechanisms.

• Furthermore, it has shown promise in promoting post-traumatic growth and managing anxiety related to life-threatening illnesses.
• The prescription of chronic stimulant medication for maintenance therapy has long been the most effective treatment for ADHD 31, and stimulant use has continued to increase over the last decade.
• Psychedelic substances such as 3,4-methylenedioxyethylmethamphetamine (MDMA), psilocybin 5, and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) 6 have been studied in conjunction with therapy for various mental health conditions due to their properties 5,6.
• MDA urinary excretion represents less than 10% of the ingested dose of MDMA 21.
• It causes a dose-dependent decrease in anaphylactic histamine release, like amphetamine and methamphetamine.

Human studies- Negative consequences of chronic amphetamine use

The half-life of a drug is https://ecosoberhouse.com/ the average amount of time that it takes for the body to eliminate half of the initial dose from the system. Amphetamine salts can be detected in the urine for three days after a single use. People who take amphetamines daily will typically test positive for nine days after the last dose. Methamphetamine is detectable for longer than amphetamines and can be detected for up to seven days in the urine after just one dose. The liver breaks down amphetamines, but some of the drug is filtered into the urine by the kidneys.

D-ATS proved effective in treating ADHD in children and adolescents, showing significant improvements and a large effect size and number needed to treat (NNT) of 2–3 for a clinically meaningful response 69. The treatment demonstrated good tolerability, with minimal reports of dermal reactions and a low incidence of TEAEs overall 69. Mefenorex is a sympathomimetic agent with properties similar to those of amphetamine but with less effects on the cardiovascular system.

Symptoms of overdose may include the following:

• In 2020, about 5.1 million people in the United States reported misusing prescription stimulants, such as Adderall, within the past year.
• Neurotoxicity to the serotonergic system in the brain can also cause permanent physical and psychiatric problems.
• Natural amphetamines have been used for centuries through the consumption of various amphetamines-producing plants belonging to the genus Ephedra (family Ephedraceae), including Ephedra sinica 21.
• Benzedrine was initially commercialized for asthma and narcolepsy but was later introduced for amphetamine-induced behavioral problems in children in 1937 22,23.
• Amphetamine should not be prescribed to nursing women as it is excreted in human breast milk.

In earlier years, the name was applied to 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA). MDEA is also sometimes called ecstasy by its vendors and users, but is more often referred to as Eve. The 3 compounds are closely similar in their chemistry and in their biological effects, so that the description of MDMA in the rest of this review also applies in the main to MDEA, and to a considerable extent to MDA. A person can recover from drug misuse or SUD and improve their relationships, professional life, sense of self, and physical and mental health. If a person has been misusing more than one substance, half life of amphetamines the medical and therapeutic professionals designing their treatment plan will address each substance separately. A person may need treatment in a therapeutic community in which they will stay at a residence for a long period.