Rachael Amede

Professor Mohr

Health 116-91

November 5, 2020

Drug Report on Stimulants

Stimulant drugs are a class of psychoactive drugs. They affect the CNS in the brain by causing an

increase in blood pressure, pulse rate, alertness, and euphoria. The user gains an overall burst of energy.

Stimulants can be used as both recreational and prescription drugs. Health care workers sometimes

prescribed stimulants as a way to treat ADHD, weight loss, and clinical depression. The only way to

participate in stimulants legally would be to have a verified prescription and picking them up from a

pharmacy. Over time, stimulant drugs can disrupt the brain to the point where the user does not feel that

euphoric feeling at all. This can lead to a dependency and an overdose because the user may consume

larger amounts to achieve pleasure. Stimulants can be grouped into major and minor categories. Major

stimulants include drugs such as methamphetamine, cocaine, crack, Ritalin, and amphetamines. Minor

stimulants can include sugar caffeine and nicotine.

One major stimulant is methamphetamine. It is categorized as a class 2 drug by the DEA. This

means that under the Controlled Substance Act that it can be used for medical purposes but has a high

potential for abuse. They can only be legally obtained by a prescription without any refills, the user would

have to return to their doctor to receive another one. One brand name of methamphetamine is Desoxyn.

Street names can include but are not limited to: Crank; Meth; Uppers; Poor Man’s Cocaine; Crystal; and

Speed. Mexican drug traffickers are the primary source of methamphetamines in major cities in the

United States. There are U.S.-based laboratories that create this drug but they are made on a smaller scale.

With the drug having high abuse levels it would be harder to procure the chemicals to create

methamphetamines on a larger scale without being noticed. It would be easier to just have them ship them
into the country. However, to stop the creation of methamphetamines, The Combat Methamphetamine

Epidemic Act of 2005 was put into order. This requires pharmacies to keep non-prescription drugs that

contain ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, and or phenylpropanolamine behind the counter or in a locked

cabinet. At pharmacies, people have to present their driver’s license or state id to make a purchase. Their

information is then put into a database, to see if they have reached the maximum amount of purchases

within a month. Making methamphetamines, when you know what you are doing is fairly easy. It

involves items that can be found in a common household. Even though it's pretty hazardous, common

ingredients include fertilizer, acetone, ether, and lithium. The key ingredient pseudoephedrine requires

more to obtain, which results in the low amounts being made in the United States. Regular meth usually

comes in the form of a pill or powder. Although when made illegally and from home products “meth”

looks like glass or light-blue rocks, hence the name crystal meth. Methamphetamines have different

routes of administration. They can be swallowed through pill forms. They can also be snorted through

powder form. Finally, they can be injected when melted into a liquid or smoked when in rock form. When

methamphetamines are ingested or snorted, users are usually looking for a long-lasting high. The quick

administration, this causes a high level of a neurotransmitter called dopamine to be released into the parts

of the brain that controls pleasure. Long-term “meth” users tend to display an increase in anxiety,

hallucinations, paranoia, and violent behavior. One common hallucination is the feeling of insects and

bugs on the body. This more popular and imitated behavior of “meth” addicts. The effects of

methamphetamines no matter the amount can result in decreased appetite, increased heart rate, blood

pressure, and hyperthermia. High doses can result in a lethal body temperature and heart attacks.

Common signs of a “meth” addict are anorexia, dental problems, memory loss, and multiple visible

injection sites.

A minor stimulant that is common to the public is nicotine. It is an alkaloid and the main

addictive component in most tobacco products. Nicotine can be found in cigarettes, cigars, hookah, and a

lot of e-cigarettes. There are also forms of tobacco with nicotine that do not require inhalation, such as

2
chewing tobacco. The chemical formula is C10H14O2. Nicotine can be found in tobacco plants and is

commonly found in the Americas. In 1828, a chemist by Karl Ludwig and Wilhelm Heinrich found

nicotine and discovered that it was poison. In the late 19th century, the United States deemed that the drug

was too harmful to be able to be sold to anyone. In 1964 the U.S Surgeon General identified that

cigarettes are a cause of cancer and more specifically lung cancer and chronic bronchitis. So in a result,

lawmakers put restrictions on the sale of nicotine, so they couldn't be sold to minors. Then to ensure that

people knew what they were getting into when partaking in nicotine products, congress required that all

products included warnings. Then in 1984, Congress put into effect that cigarettes could not be advertised

on radio or television. Although nicotine is not as regulated as scheduled drugs like methamphetamines,

nicotine is highly addictive and very easy to get if you're 18 and older. However, Illinois recently put into

effect that users would have to be 21 years of age to buy tobacco products. Nicotine also affects the CNS

system in the brain. With the inhalation of nicotine, it causes dopamine to be released to the brain, just

like with methamphetamines. When nicotine is smoked in the form of cigarettes, it is quickly absorbed

and goes straight to the brain. However, the sense of euphoria only lasts about ten seconds with every

puff. This causes cigarette smokers to consume nicotine in large amounts as opposed to

methamphetamine. They are easier to access and most likely will not cause an instant overdose with large

consumption. Effects of this drug in the brain can be lightheadedness, irregular sleep patterns like waking

up in the middle of the night for a smoke. Smoking cigarettes can also affect a person's gastrointestinal

system. Side effects can include peptic ulcers, vomiting, and diarrhea. When discussing the heart,

cigarettes can lead to strokes and heart disease. With constant usage, users become addicted and

dependent on nicotine. In teens, it is common to underestimate how addictive cigarettes are. For instance,

the popularity of vaping. There was a lot of misinformation around vaping going around. One dangerous

incorrect fact was that vape pens did not have any nicotine in them. This increased in teens addicted to

nicotine. Addiction to nicotine in teens can lead to mood swings, learning difficulties, and memory loss.

The use of nicotine is also a very taboo subject when discussing pregnant women. Smoking cigarettes

when pregnant can lead to brain and lung developmental issues. Other effects can be low birth rate,

3
premature birth, and stillborn. Even though it takes multiple tries for addicts to stop, they eventually do

through nicotine replacements. Therapeutic aids can come in multiple forms such as gums, nasal sprays,

patches, and lozenges. The best way to find out what would be most effective is by talking to a doctor or

pharmacist.

4
 Works Cited

Fleckenstein, Annette E., et al. ​Drugs and Society​. Jones And Bartlett Publishers, 2017.

“Methamphetamine.” ​DEA,​ www.dea.gov/factsheets/methamphetamine.

“Methamphetamine.” ​National Center for Biotechnology Information. PubChem Compound

Database​, U.S. National Library of Medicine,

pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Methamphetamine.

National Institute on Drug Abuse. “How Is Methamphetamine Manufactured?” ​National Institute

on Drug Abuse​, 8 Apr. 2020,

www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/methamphetamine/how-methampheta

mine-manufactured.

National Institute on Drug Abuse. “Is Nicotine Addictive?” ​National Institute on Drug Abuse,​ 13

Apr. 2020,

www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/tobacco-nicotine-e-cigarettes/nicotine-

addictive.

“Nicotine.” ​American Lung Association​,

www.lung.org/quit-smoking/smoking-facts/health-effects/nicotine.

“Nicotine.” ​Nicotine - Alcohol and Drug Foundation,​ adf.org.au/drug-facts/nicotine/.

“Nicotine: Facts, Effects, and Addiction.” ​Medical News Today​, MediLexicon International,

www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/240820.

Products, Center for Tobacco. “Nicotine: The Addictive Chemical in Tobacco Products.” ​U.S.

Food and Drug Administration​, FDA,

www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/health-information/nicotine-addictive-chemical-tobacco-

products.

5
“Stimulants - Drug Fact Sheet.” ​DEA​,

www.dea.gov/documents/2020/06/05/stimulants-drug-fact-sheet.

“Stimulants.” ​Stimulants - Alcohol and Drug Foundation​, adf.org.au/drug-facts/stimulants/.

“What Are Stimulants?” ​Caron Treatment Centers​,

www.caron.org/addiction-101/drug-use/what-are-stimulants.