Stimulant Drugs

The easy way to think of stimulant drugs is that they are drugs which increase your brain activity. This speeds you up. Stimulants make you feel more alert, change your mood and the awareness of your environment. You feel good and for this reason stimulant drugs are addictive.

Caffeine

Throughout the world, people use caffeine. You find this drug in coffee, cocoa, tea, soft drinks, etc. and like all stimulants, there are positive effects – increasing mental alertness, and energy. However, as with all stimulants, caffeine is physically addictive and has with-drawl effects. The severity with-drawl depends on how much caffeine you’ve taken. When you withdraw from caffeine, you can experience headaches, irritability and low energy.

Cocaine

Cocaine is another stimulant drug that has gone in and out of fashion. In the 1800s, it was commonly used recreationally (think of Sherlock Holmes) as well as for used therapeutically. Cocaine has since been found to be highly addictive, however it was still legal in the early 1900s and it was an active ingredient in non prescription medication.

This stimulant drug can be inhaled, injected, or swallowed. It is rapidly absorbed by the body and quickly reaches the brain. Cocaine is very addictive and is metabolized in approx 60 minutes or less, but it remains in the system and can be detected in urine for approx. 12 hrs. Here are the side effects of cocaine.

Nicotine

In North America, smoking has become unfashionable, but smoking was once ‘very fashionable’. Today, smoking is banned from public buildings and restaurants and health hazards are printed boldly on packages. In spite of the our awareness, nicotine is considered one of the three most widely used psychoactive drugs in the world. And even when North Americans are aware of the health risks of nicotine, SAMSA (the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) revealed that in 2001, approx 66.5 million Americans over 12 years of age, consume nicotine.

Amphetamines

These drugs affect the central nervous system (CNS) as well as the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and causes restlessness, tremors, tachycardia, insomnia, irritability, and suppresses the appetite. Amphetamines were commonly prescribed by physicians as weight loss drugs, but today, we know that these stimulants are addictive, they are seldom used. However, today’s popular ‘upper’, is methamphetamine This stimulant is also known as meth

Meth is one of the most commonly used amphetamine and using it can cause brain damage.

Prescription Drugs

Physicians prescribe stimulant drugs to treat physical and psychological disorders. These drugs effect dopamine and norepinephrine and can effect blood pressure, breathing, and feeling of well being. These drugs include: Ritalin, Adderall and Dexedrine. Stimulants are often prescribed for ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder) as well as narcolepsy.

If you suspect a problem with a teen here’s a test that can help you find out if it’s an addiction. Cognitive behavioral therapy has proven results with addicts.

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