Top 5 Addictive Stimulants

The Dangers of Stimulant Addiction

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, people can become addicted to or dependent upon stimulants. The withdrawal symptoms that can occur when a person stops using stimulants include depression, fatigue, and disturbance of sleep patterns.

Stimulants abuse can result in sudden death even after the first time a person uses the drugs. All stimulants increase a user’s dopamine levels in their brain and increase their heart rate and body temperature. In high doses stimulants can cause a person to have cardiac arrest or can cause a person to have a stroke.

Stimulants main effect on a person’s body is the changes it produces in a person’s brain. When stimulants are being abused for long periods of time they can permanently impair a person’s brain chemicals resulting in the person not be able to have normal brain functioning abilities, such as the creation of dopamine. If a person is unable to create dopamine naturally then they will constantly feel sad and depressed and they will no longer be able to find enjoyment and pleasure in activities that used to make them happy. In addition, stimulant addiction can result in a person feeling angry and having aggressive behavior when they do not have the drug in their system.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, continuing abuse of stimulants, even if it is short lived, can lead to a person having feelings of paranoia or hostility and it can also lead to psychosis. Moreover, high doses of a stimulant in a person’s body can result in irregular heartbeats and dangerously high body temperature, which can lead to heart attack or seizures.

The Top Five Addictive Stimulants

Cocaine: An illegal stimulant that is commonly sold in powder form which people snort up their nostrils for fast acting effects. Cocaine’s effects are typically short lived usually only lasting for about an hour.

Crack Cocaine: An illegal stimulant that is hardened and crystalized cocaine, which is diluted and mixed with other ingredients, such as baking soda, and then smoked to receive the effects of the drug.

Amphetamine: A powerful and long lasting stimulant that can be sold in liquid, tablet, or powder form. Amphetamine is the main ingredient in prescription stimulants, but in its raw form is extremely potent and its effects can last for up to twelve hours.

Methamphetamine: Is an illegal drug that is stronger and more potent than amphetamine. When taken, methamphetamine breaks down to amphetamine is a user’s body, but due to the way it is broken down and metabolized in a person’s body the drug has stronger effects.

Adderall: A legally prescribed stimulant to help people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or narcolepsy, but when abused it is a dangerous drug that can cause many complications.