Stimulants: Understanding The Effects of Stimulants, Risks & Treatment Options

Understanding Stimulants

What Is a Stimulant?

A stimulant is a class of drugs that includes legal prescriptions and illegal street drugs. 

How Do Stimulants Affect the Brain?

Stimulants speed up the central nervous system, causing the brain to act and react more rapidly. 

Speeding up the brain causes an increase in alertness, attention, energy, and focus. As a result, stimulants are commonly prescribed for mental health disorders such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Why Are Stimulants Prescribed for ADHD and Narcolepsy?

Stimulants are prescribed for ADHD and narcolepsy because of their impact on focus, attention, and alertness.

While ADHD looks different in every individual, stimulants increase focus and attention, helping adolescents and adults with ADHD in daily life. Simulants are used to treat narcolepsy as they increase alertness and help individuals stay awake, decreasing daytime drowsiness.

What Is the Difference Between Prescription Stimulants and Illicit Stimulants?

Prescription stimulants are regulated and generally classified as Schedule II drugs, meaning that while they hold the risk of addiction, they are approved for medical use. 

Illicit stimulants are not regulated and are used for recreational purposes. They commonly contain Schedule II and Schedule I drugs, which have a high potential for abuse and are not approved for medical purposes. Additionally, illicit stimulants are often cut with other substances, and due to the unknown potency and mixture of drugs, they are more dangerous to use.

Types of Stimulants

What Drugs Are Stimulants?

Stimulants include amphetamine, including methamphetamine and dextroamphetamine, MDMA, and methylphenidate. 

Additional stimulants include cocaine, caffeine, and cathinones, a drug that mimics the chemicals found in the Khat plant.

What Are the 7 Common Stimulant Drugs?

The seven common stimulant drugs include MDMA, cocaine, caffeine, nicotine, amphetamines, pseudoephedrine, and cathinones. 

Stimulants like caffeine, nicotine, and pseudoephedrine, a decongestant, are commonly used in daily life. Amphetamines, meth, cocaine, MDMA, pseudoephedrine, and cathinones are commonly abused.

What Are the Top 3 Stimulants?

The top three prescription stimulants include amphetamine/dextroamphetamine (brand name Adderall), methylphenidate (brand name Ritalin/Concerta), and lisdexamfetamine (brand name Vyvanse). 

These three drugs are the primary drugs used to treat ADHD and narcolepsy.

Is Vyvanse a Stimulant?

Yes, Vyvanse is a stimulant. 

However, it has a different chemical structure when compared to Adderall and Ritalin.

How Does Vyvanse Compare to Adderall and Ritalin?

When compared to other prescription stimulants, Vyvanse is released more slowly as it remains inactive until the blood breaks it down. 

Vyvanse has a lower risk of drug abuse, and the effects last longer when compared to Adderall and Ritalin.

Short-Term Side Effects of Stimulants

How Do Stimulants Affect Heart Rate and Blood Pressure?

Stimulants increase heart rate and blood pressure. 

While the use of stimulants is effective for ADHD and narcolepsy, the increase in blood pressure and heart rate increases the risk of cardiovascular health issues, especially with long-term use. It is important to work with a healthcare provider who can help mitigate the risk to cardiovascular health.

How Do Stimulants Influence Appetite and Body Temperature?

Stimulants decrease appetite and increase body temperature. 

The increase in body temperature can be dangerous, especially with unregulated illicit stimulants. Over time, decreased appetite can lead to weight loss.

Can Stimulants Cause Acute Anxiety, Insomnia, or Psychosis?

Yes, stimulants can cause anxiety, insomnia, and psychosis. 

Anxiety and insomnia are common short-term side effects of stimulants due to their impact on the nervous system. Psychosis occurs due to the high influx of dopamine, one of multiple neurotransmitters that are impacted by stimulants, causing the brain to become flooded.

Long-Term Side Effects of Stimulant Use

What Are the Long-Term Effects of Stimulant Use on Mental Health?

Long-term effects of stimulant use on mental health include increased anxiety, mood disturbances, and psychosis. 

Additionally, stimulants can cause violent or suicidal thoughts, confusion, and delusions. Lifelong learning and memory problems can also occur due to long-term stimulant abuse.

While prescription stimulants can still be abused, following the prescribed dosage helps reduce the risk of negative effects on mental health.

What Are the Long-Term Cardiovascular and Metabolic Risks of Stimulants?

Stimulant use increases the risk of cardiovascular and metabolic health challenges. 

Long-term use of stimulants puts stress on the heart, increasing the risk of a heart attack or stroke. Additionally, stimulants impact the metabolism, and long-term use commonly causes weight loss and metabolic changes.

Typically, long-term use of prescription stimulants, used as prescribed, helps reduce the risk of cardiovascular and metabolic complications associated with stimulant use.

How Can Chronic Stimulant Use Affect Cognition and Memory?

When used as a prescription for ADHD, ongoing stimulant use can improve cognition and memory. 

However, neuroscience research shows that chronic stimulant abuse can impair and damage cognition and memory, increasing the risk of young-onset dementia.

What Is the Role of Dopamine and Norepinephrine in Stimulant Effects?

According to Stimulants by Khashayar Farzam, stimulants impact both dopamine and norepinephrine through receptors in the brain. 

Dopamine helps manage motivation, reward, and impulse control. Stimulants, legal and illegal, cause an increase in dopamine levels, helping individuals with ADHD, for example, to improve their focus and motivation at work and at home.

Norepinephrine is associated with alertness and urgency. Stimulants increase norepinephrine levels by binding to adrenergic receptors, causing individuals to be more alert and energetic.

Signs and Symptoms of Stimulant Addiction

What Behavioral Signs Indicate Stimulant Misuse or Addiction?

Behavioral signs of stimulant misuse or addiction include changes in sleep patterns, edgy or anxious behavior, and unexplained fatigue. 

Ongoing stimulant misuse causes a person’s schedule to be disrupted, creating a cycle of little to no sleep when using a stimulant and periods of extended fatigue. This indicates misuse or addiction.

Additionally, if someone is using a stimulant illicitly, they are likely to engage in secretive behavior and changes in social groups.

What Physical Signs and Withdrawal-Related Symptoms Suggest Dependence?

Withdrawal-related symptoms that indicate stimulant dependence include drug cravings, physical pain, sleep issues, and severe mood swings. 

Prescription stimulants are closely monitored, and psychiatrists ensure a balance that reduces side effects. However, stimulants are highly addictive and can cause physical signs and withdrawal-related symptoms if abused.

The presence of withdrawal-related symptoms is a result of dependence, causing a reduction in dopamine production by the body.

How Do Cravings and Tolerance Develop With Stimulant Use?

When stimulants cause an increase in dopamine, the brain naturally decreases its own dopamine secretion.

This process is the brain’s effort to balance neurotransmitters in the brain and body. However, as the body produces less dopamine, individuals build a higher tolerance for a certain dose, which varies depending on the specific formulations of the drug. Over time, individuals begin to crave stimulants as a way to feel normal due to their body’s lack of dopamine secretion.

How Common Is Prescription Stimulant Misuse and Addiction?

Prescription stimulant misuse and addiction are highly common, especially among adolescents. 

Psychiatry is difficult, and many drugs have undesirable side effects, such as a high risk of substance abuse. Prescription stimulants are highly addictive and thus are highly regulated. Monitoring, family support, and structured treatment help reduce the risk of misuse.

Overdose Risks of Chronic Stimulant Use

What Is the Risk of Overdose From Prescription Stimulants?

The risk of prescription stimulant overdose when the drug is taken as prescribed is very low.

However, the risk increases if an individual is abusing a prescription stimulant. When high doses of stimulants are taken, they can cause acute cardiovascular stress and possible neurological failure, resulting in a very serious overdose.

How Does Mixing Drugs Increase Overdose Risk?

Mixing drugs drastically increases the risk of an overdose. 

Stimulants are commonly mixed with depressants, such as opioids, benzodiazepines, or alcohol.

Depressants cause a dampening of the nervous system, and when they are used in conjunction with stimulants, they cause a push-pull effect on the nervous system, which makes it difficult for the user to feel the full impact of either. As the stimulant wears off, the effects of the depressant, such as decreased heart rate and respiratory rate, can increase dramatically, increasing the risk of an overdose.

Mixing antidepressants, which are commonly prescribed alongside stimulants, and stimulants can also increase risk and require ongoing medication management to ensure compliance and effectiveness.

When Is Emergency Care Necessary for Stimulant Overdose or Severe Reactions?

If you or someone you love is experiencing confusion, extremely high body temperature, or other health symptoms, contact emergency services. Calling 911 can save lives. 

Withdrawal Symptoms & Management

What Are the Most Common Withdrawal Symptoms?

Common stimulant withdrawal symptoms include mood swings, pain, sleep issues, and anxiety.

Due to the impact on dopamine and norepinephrine, it is common for individuals to experience withdrawal as the body tries to rebalance neurotransmitter levels. This impacts energy, sleep, mood, focus, and physical wellness and causes withdrawal symptoms that affect both physical and mental health.

What Medical and Behavioral Strategies Support Safe Withdrawal Management?

Working with a professional treatment center is the best way to ensure a safe withdrawal experience. 

At Wellbridge, we offer medically monitored detox to help protect individuals’ mental and physical health throughout the detox process. Medical and behavioral support, through therapy and medical monitoring, helps to support safe withdrawal, protecting long-term health and wellness.

When Should Detox Be Considered?

If an individual is experiencing withdrawal symptoms, detox should be considered.

Every individual’s road to recovery is unique. It is important to consider all treatment options, including detox. Working with a treatment facility that offers detox can help you understand if detox is right for you or your loved one.

Treatment for Stimulant Addiction

What Evidence-Based Behavioral Treatments Are Effective for Stimulant Addiction?

Evidence-based treatments for stimulant addiction include cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).

CBT helps individuals identify patterns in thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that contribute to their substance abuse and overall mental health. DBT increases tolerance to difficult emotions and improves emotional regulation. Both CBT and DBT help individuals learn valuable coping skills for long-term recovery.

Are There Medication-Assisted Options for Stimulant Use Disorder?

There are currently no FDA-approved medication-assisted treatment options for stimulant use disorder.

However, medication management can be used to treat specific symptoms of withdrawal and co-occurring mental health disorders. Every treatment program is unique, and the best way to know if medication is right for you is to work with a treatment center you trust.

Do Treatment Plans Address Co-Occurring Mental Health Disorders?

Effective treatment programs consider and treat co-occurring mental health disorders.

Mental health and addiction commonly occur together and must both be treated in order to achieve lasting recovery.

At Wellbridge, we offer treatment for addiction and co-occurring mental health disorders because we know that untreated mental health challenges are likely to result in relapse.

Prevention and Ongoing Care

How Can Clinicians Reduce Risk When Prescribing Stimulant Medication?

Clinicians can reduce the risk of abuse with close monitoring.

When an individual is prescribed any stimulant medication, in pediatrics, adolescent, or adult medicine, ongoing monitoring is vital. This looks like regular check-ups and, for children and adolescents, contact with parents or caregivers who see them daily.

Additionally, clinicians can reduce the risk of addiction through education. Education can help patients understand the risks and open the conversation if they begin to experience withdrawal or abuse symptoms.

What Role Do Education, Monitoring, and Family Involvement Play in Prevention?

Family involvement, monitoring, and education play a vital role in prevention. 

While family involvement is particularly important for children and teens, it can also be useful for adults. By incorporating loved ones in treatment, the entire family gains awareness of the value and risks of stimulant prescriptions. This provides a high level of structure and support at home.

Monitoring and education are also important in addiction prevention. Through education, individuals learn what to expect when taking stimulants. This helps them monitor their own reactions and needs and gives the provider meaningful information at check-ups.

Monitoring is essential for stimulant prescriptions and allows the psychiatrist a structure to ensure compliance and check that the drug is providing the ideal outcomes.

What Aftercare and Relapse-Prevention Strategies Support Long-Term Recovery?

Detox and treatment are highly effective for long-term recovery. 

Aftercare and relapse prevention are commonly part of addiction treatment programs. Throughout treatment, relapse prevention helps individuals learn more about how they can best support their needs after leaving a treatment program. This includes skill-building and planning that act as a safety net to support long-term recovery.

Aftercare provides ongoing consistency in treatment. Common aftercare support includes peer support and ongoing outpatient therapy.

At Wellbridge, we offer an aftercare program that provides patients with consistency between life in treatment and life after treatment. Patients can transition out of treatment while still receiving support from outpatient programs and peer support groups. Community is an essential part of long-term recovery.