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Amphetamine [note 2] (contracted from alpha-methylphenethylamine) is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is used in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), narcolepsy, and obesity; it is also used to treat binge eating disorder in the form of its inactive prodrug lisdexamfetamine.
The prescription medicine Adderall (dextroamphetamine sulfate/amphetamine sulfate/dextroamphetamine saccharate/amphetamine aspartate monohydrate) is also frequently used recreationally. However, using non-prescribed drugs, using non-prescribed dose regimen, can cause polysubstance dependence, or combined drug intoxication which may lead to deaths.
Amphetamine type stimulants can be used in the treatment of narcolepsy, a rare neurological disorder where the brain is unable to regulate the sleep-wake mechanism. [17] Amphetamines causes an increase in dopamine release, which is the proposed mechanism for its wake-promoting effect. [18]
When substituted amphetamines are used, drug tolerance develops rapidly. [8] Amphetamine dependence has shown to have the highest remission rate compared to cannabis, cocaine, and opioids. [9] Severe withdrawal associated with dependence from recreational substituted amphetamine use can be difficult for a user to cope with.
Drugs in the class of amphetamines, or substituted amphetamines, are known to induce "amphetamine psychosis" typically when chronically abused or used in high doses. [7] In an Australian study of 309 active methamphetamine users, 18% had experienced a clinical level psychosis in the past year. [8]
Stimulant use disorder is a type of substance use disorder where the use of stimulants caused clinically significant impairment or distress. It is defined in the DSM-5 as "the continued use of amphetamine-type substances, cocaine, or other stimulants leading to clinically significant impairment or distress, from mild to severe". [1]
Long-term amphetamine exposure at sufficiently high doses in some animal species is known to produce abnormal dopamine system development or nerve damage, [40] [41] but, in humans with ADHD, long-term use of pharmaceutical amphetamines at therapeutic doses appears to improve brain development and nerve growth.
The first patented amphetamine brand, Benzedrine, was a racemic (i.e., equal parts) mixture of the free bases or the more stable sulfate salts of both amphetamine enantiomers (levoamphetamine and dextroamphetamine) that was introduced in the United States in 1934 as an inhaler for treating nasal congestion. [2]