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What are Prescription Stimulants?
A class of drugs that enhance brain activity. Prescription stimulants were used historically to treat asthma, obesity, neurological disorders, and a variety of other ailments, before their potential for abuse and addiction became apparent.
What are the street names/slang terms for Prescription Stimulants?
Adderall, Dexedrine, Ritalin.
What do they look like?
Tablets and capsules.
How are they used?
Medically, they are now prescribed for only a few health conditions, including narcolepsy, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and short-term treatment of obesity. They are swallowed and may be injected when abused.
What are their short-term effects?
Stimulants increase the amount of norepinephrine and dopamine in the brain, which increases blood pressure and heart rate, constricts blood vessels, increases blood glucose, and increases breathing. Effects can feel like an increase alertness, attention, and energy along with a sense of euphoria. There is also the potential for cardiovascular failure (heart attack) or lethal seizures.
What are their long-term effects?
Stimulants can be addictive in that individuals begin to use them compulsively. Taking high doses of some stimulants repeatedly over a short time can lead to feelings of hostility or paranoia. Additionally, taking high doses of a stimulant may result in dangerously high body temperatures and an irregular heartbeat. There is also the potential for cardiovascular failure (heart attack) or lethal seizures.
* Adderall® is the brand name for an amphetamine formulation that is prescribed for the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and for narcolepsy. Under the Controlled Substance Act, Adderall® is classified as a Schedule II drug because of its high potential for abuse and dependence. Data for this report on nonmedical use of Adderall® was collected as part of SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Nonmedical use is defined as use without a prescription belonging to the respondent or use that occurred simply for the experience or feeling the drug caused.
* Among persons aged 18 to 22, full-time college students were twice as likely to use Adderall® nonmedically in the past year as those who had not been in college at all or were only part-time students.
* Nearly 90% of the full-time college students who had used Adderall® nonmedically in the past year also were past month binge alcohol drinkers and more than half were heavy alcohol users. Students under the legal drinking age who used Adderall® were also more likely to be binge drinkers or heavy drinkers than their underage counterparts who had not used Adderall® nonmedically.
* Full-time college students who had used Adderall® nonmedically in the past year were more likely to be polydrug users in the past year than their non Adderall® using counterparts, that is, both drink alcohol and use other drugs.
* In the past year, full-time college students who had used Adderall® nonmedically in the past year were more likely to have used illicit drugs than their non Adderall® using counterparts: almost 3 times more likely to use marijuana (79.9% vs 27.2%), 8 times more likely to use cocaine (28.9% vs. 3.6%), 8 times more likely to use tranquilizers nonmedically (24.5% vs. 3%) and 5 times more likely to use pain relievers nonmedically (44.9% vs. 8.7%).
Source
DEA
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