Amphetamine, Amphetamine

Initially, amphetamine was more popularly used to diminish the appetite and to control weight.Brand names of the drugs that contain amphetamine include Adderall , Vyvanse, and Dexedrine . The drug is also used illegally as a recreational drug and as a performance enhancer. The name amphetamine is derived from its chemical name: a lpha- m ethyl ph en et hyl amine . The name is also used to refer to the class of compounds derived from amphetamine, often referred to as the substituted amphetamines.

H. Nathanson, a Los Angeles physician, in 1935. He studied the subjective effects of amphetamine in 55 hospital workers who were each given 20 mg of Benzedrine. The two most commonly reported drug effects were "a sense of well being and a feeling of exhilaration" and "lessened fatigue in reaction to work". Iverson, Leslie. Speed, Ecstacy, Ritalin: the science of amphetamines. Oxford, New York. Oxford University Press, 2006.

After decades of reported abuse, the FDA banned Benzedrine inhalers, and limited amphetamines to prescription use in 1965, but non-medical use remained common. Amphetamine became a schedule II drug under the Controlled Substances Act in 1971.

The German military was notorious for their use of methamphetamine in World War II. Adolf Hitler received daily shots of a medicine his doctor called "vitamultine", which contained various essential vitamins in addition to methamphetamine. The pharmaceutical Pervitin was a tablet of methamphetamine which was available in Germany from 1938 and widely used in the Wehrmacht , but by mid-1941 it became a controlled substance, partly because of the amount of time needed for a soldier to rest and recover after use and partly because of abuse. For the rest of the war, military doctors continued to issue the drug, but less frequently and with increasing discrimination as the war progressed onwards towards Nazi Germany's and the Axis' eventual defeat in 1945.

Alexander Shulgin, one of the most experienced biochemical investigators and the discoverer of many new psychotropic substances, has tried to contact the Texas A&M researchers and verify their findings. The authors of the paper have not responded; natural amphetamine remains most likely a false discovery.

Beneficial effects for ADHD can include improved impulse control, improved concentration, decreased sensory overstimulation, decreased irritability and decreased anxiety. These effects on productivity can be dramatic in both young children and adults. The ADHD medication Adderall is composed of four different amphetamine salts, and Adderall XR is a timed-release formulation of these same salt forms.

If used within therapeutic limits, amphetamines are generally effective over long periods of time without producing addiction or physical dependence.

Because of this, mothers taking amphetamine are advised to avoid breastfeeding during their course of treatment.

Moreover, neurotransmitters involved in various reward pathways of the brain appear to be the primary targets of amphetamine.

Not surprisingly, the anatomical components of these pathwaysincluding the striatum, the nucleus accumbens, and the ventral striatumhave been found to be primary sites of amphetamine action.

Various studies have shown that in select regions, amphetamine increases the concentrations of dopamine in the synaptic cleft, thereby heightening the response of the post-synaptic neuron.

One theory emphasizes amphetamines actions on the vesicular level, increasing concentrations of dopamine in the cytosol of the pre-synaptic neuron.

Recent studies additionally postulate that amphetamine may indirectly alter the behavior of glutamatergic pathways extending from the ventral tegmental area to the prefrontal cortex.

The racemic mixture can be divided into its optical isomers: levo- and dextro-amphetamine. Amphetamine is the parent compound of its own structural class, comprising a broad range of psychoactive derivative, from empathogens, MDA and MDMA known as ecstasy, to the N -methylated form, methamphetamine known as 'meth', and to decongestants such as ephedrine . Amphetamine is a homologue of phenethylamine.

It is hypothesized that d-amphetamine acts primarily on the dopaminergic systems, while l-amphetamine is comparatively norepinephrinergic (noradrenergic). The primary reinforcing and behavioral-stimulant effects of amphetamine, however, are linked to enhanced dopaminergic activity, primarily in the mesolimbic dopamine system.

The rigidness of the erection and the size of the penis are in part affected by the amount of blood flow to the penis. When amphetamine constricts the blood vessels enough it reduces blood flow to the penis and then can produce a penis that is slightly smaller and this effect is often coupled along with impotence and erectile dysfunction. Upon erection the penis returns to normal size.

In a study published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence, researchers examined data from more than 3 million people between 18 and 44 years old hospitalized from 2000 through 2003 in Texas. After controlling for cocaine abuse, alcohol abuse, tobacco use, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, lipid disorders, obesity, congenital defects, and coagulation defects, they found a relationship between a diagnosis of amphetamine abuse and heart attack.

Users will commonly stay up for 2 or 3 days to avoid the withdrawals then dose themselves with benzodiazepines, barbiturate, and in some cases heroin, to help them stay calm while they recuperate or simply to extend the positive effects of the drug. Chronic users of amphetamines sometimes snort or use drug injection to experience the full effects of the drug in a faster and more intense way, with the added risks of infection, vein damage, and higher risk of overdose with drug injection.

British troops used 72 million amphetamine tablets in the second world war De Mondenard, Dr Jean-Pierre: Dopage, l'imposture des performances, Chiron, France, 2000 and the RAF used so many that "Methedrine won the Battle of Britain" according to one report. Grant, D.N.W.; Air Force, UK, 1944 American bomber pilots use amphetamine ("go pills") to stay awake during long missions. The Tarnak Farm incident, in which an American F-16 pilot killed several friendly Canadian soldiers on the ground, was blamed by the pilot on his use of amphetamine. A nonjudicial hearing rejected the pilot's claim.

The mods, being working class, were often opposed to the slower, more contemplative, meditative ideals and lifestyle of the hippies. Amphetamines therefore suited their high energy and aggressive aesthetics and lifestyle, whether it was dancing to soul music at all night parties, or fighting rockers.

This lead them to be banned from venues, even starting riots. Like JAMC, The Who were keen amphetamine users early in their existence, especially Keith Moon, whose drumming style was possibly influenced by it. Members of Husker Du used it to curb their appetites, as they couldn't afford to eat often.

However, several years later he later spilled the beans that it mimicked someone under the effect of amphetamine.

Motorhead named themselves after the slang for an amphetamine addict. Interestingly, Lemmy Kilmister, said amphetamine was the only drug that he found any benefit in using, saying: " first got into speed because it was a utilitarian drug and kept you awake when you needed to be awake, when otherwise you'd just be flat out on your back. If you drive to Glasgow for nine hours in the back of a sweaty truck you don't really feel like going onstage feeling all bright and breezy... It's the only drug I've found that I can get on with, and I've tried them all except smack and morphine: I've never fixed anything." The amphetamine use and experience or perception of high energy and electronic dance music, particularly the more rapid-tempo genres like gabber and drum and bass, has long been associated with consumption of amphetamine.

The maximum penalty for unauthorized possession is five years in prison and an unlimited fine. The maximum penalty for illegal supply is fourteen years in prison and an unlimited fine. Methamphetamine has recently been reclassified to Class A, penalties for possession of which are more severe (7 years in prison and an unlimited fine).

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