Amphetamines can create irregular heart rates and breathing problems on the short term.
Many Americans struggle with two ongoing issues that can easily encourage amphetamine use: weight problems and not enough energy to do everything that needs done. Amphetamines do an amazing job at boosting a person’s energy levels and confidence while at the same time curbing one’s appetite for food, according to the U. S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
Unfortunately, amphetamines, whether in prescription form or illegal, only deliver these benefits for a short period. Amphetamine effects have a way of boomeranging, leaving users in a worse state than before they started using.
Even short-term amphetamine effects start to backfire as the brain learns to adapt to the drug. Over time, amphetamine effects compromise a person’s physical and psychological health to the point where he or she becomes unable to function normally without taking frequent daily doses.
Amphetamine Effects
Amphetamine drugs include both prescription medications as well as illegal street drugs. Some of the more popular amphetamines include –
- Ritalin
- Crystal meth
- Methamphetamine
- Strattera
- Adderall
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, amphetamines effects closely resemble those produced by the brain’s monamine neurotransmitter group. Dopamine and serotonin make up the monamine neurotransmitter group, with both playing central roles in regulating a person’s overall sense of well-being and stability.
Amphetamines produce the same effects as monamines and also stimulate the production monamine chemicals. This increase in chemical levels accounts for the surge in energy levels and increased confidence users experience.
Psychological Short-Term Effects
Short-term amphetamine effects can take different forms depending on how long a person has been using the drug. During the early stages of use, short-term psychological effects usually take the form of –
- Heightened awareness
- Feelings of euphoria
- An overall excitement
- Improved focus and concentration
- Talkativeness
For people who abuse amphetamines on a regular basis, short-term effect may appear as –
- Restlessness
- Irritability
- Angry outburst
- Agitation
With chronic, long-term users, short-term effects may include –
- Violent outbursts
- Repetitive behaviors or tics, such as arm and neck movements
- Psychosis
- Paranoia
- Suicidal ideations
This progressive worsening of short-term effects results from the ongoing damage caused to brain functions from continuous amphetamine use.
Physical Short-Term Effects
Physical short-term amphetamine effects become increasingly worse with ongoing drug use in the same way psychological effects do. In effect, the body’s response to amphetamines changes over time.
During the early stages of use, physical short-term effects include –
- Elevated heart rate
- Elevated blood pressure rates
- Increase in breathing rate
- Blood vessel constriction
- Elevated body temperature
- Increase in motor activity
With ongoing amphetamine use short-term effects become –
- Irregular breathing rates
- Jitteriness
- Tremors
- Erratic heart rates
- Hyper-arousal or jumpiness
With ongoing, chronic drug use, users start to experience dangerous short-term effects, such as –
- Seizure episodes
- Blurred vision
- Dilated pupils
- Exhaustion
- Complete loss of appetite
While short-term effects from amphetamines may seem “passing” in nature, the damaging effects from these drugs continue and build over time.