Stimulants and Amphetamines - Effects and Symptoms

Types of Drugs - Stimulants & Amphetamines

It can get quite confusing with all the different kinds of drugs that you hear about. You hear about marijaunna and ecstacy quite often amongst your teenage peers. To clear up a bit of the confusion about all of the different drugs and types, the following is a list of different types of drugs and their effects. Here, and the links below will look at specific drugs, symptoms and effects.

Stimulants/Amphetamines:

What are they?
Stimulants is a name given to several groups of drugs that tend to increase alertness and physical activity. The groups include pharmaceuticals such as amphetamines and the street drugs commonly called "uppers" or "speed," and cocaine. The more widely abused stimulants are amphetamines and cocaine.

What they do?
Used properly, amphetamines increase alertness and physical ability.
Amphetamines increase the heart and respiration rates, increase blood pressure, dilate the pupils of the eyes, and decrease appetite. Other side effects include anxiety, blurred vision, sleeplessness, and dizziness. Abuse of amphetamines can cause irregular heartbeat and even physical collapse.

While amphetamine users may feel a temporary boost in self-confidence and power, the abuse of the drug can lead to delusions, hallucinations, and a feeling of paranoia. These feelings can cause a person to act in bizarre fashion, even violently. In most people, these effects disappear when they stop using the drug.

A popular stimulant drug amongst teens is ecstasy. It is a designer drug created by underground chemists. It comes in powder, tablet, or capsule form. Ecstasy is a popular club drug among teens because it is widely available at raves, dance clubs, and concerts. In fact - this drug combines a hallucinogenic with a stimulant effect, making all emotions, both negative and positive, much more intense.

Symptoms:
Amphetamines are psychologically addictive. Users become dependent on the drug to avoid the "down" feeling they often experience when the drug's effect wears off. This dependence can lead a user to turn to stronger stimulants such as cocaine, or to larger doses of amphetamines to maintain a "high".

People who abruptly stop using amphetamines often experience the physical signs of addiction, such as fatigue, long periods of sleep, irritability, and depression. How severe and prolonged these withdrawal symptoms are depends on the degree of abuse.

That boost we get from that morning cup of coffee is the result of the caffeine that naturally occurs in coffee. Caffeine is a common stimulant and is found not only in coffee and tea, but also in soft drinks and other foods. It can also be bought over-the-counter in tablet form. Too much caffeine can cause anxiousness, headaches, and the "jitters." Caffeine is also addictive and a person who abruptly stops drinking coffee may experience withdrawal symptoms.