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Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US); Office of the Surgeon General (US). Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General's Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health [Internet]. Washington (DC): US Department of Health and Human Services; 2016 Nov.
Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General's Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health [Internet].
Show detailsPrescription Stimulants
| Medications that increase alertness, attention, energy, blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing rate.i | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common Commercial Names | Street Names | Common Forms | Common Ways Taken | DEA Schedule / Legal Status |
| Amphetamine (Adderall®, Benzedrine®) | Bennies, Black Beauties, Crosses, Hearts, LA Turnaround, Speed, Truck Drivers, Uppers | Tablet, capsule | Ingested, snorted, smoked, injected | Schedule II / Legal by prescription only |
| Methylphenidate (Concerta®, Ritalin®) | JIF, MPH, R-ball, Skippy, The Smart Drug, Vitamin R | Liquid, tablet, chewable tablet, capsule | Ingested, snorted, smoked, injected, chewed | Schedule II / Legal by prescription only |
| Uses & Possible Health Effectsii | ||||
| Short-term Symptoms of Use | Increased alertness, attention, energy; euphoria; insomnia, wakefulness; increased blood pressure and body temperature, metabolism, and heart rate; narrowed blood vessels; increased blood sugar; agitation; opened-up breathing passages; and violent and erratic behavior. High doses: dangerously high body temperature and irregular heartbeat; seizures; and death from heart failure or suicide. For amphetamines specifically: Paranoia, picking at the skin, preoccupation with one's own thoughts, and auditory and visual hallucinations. | |||
| Long-term Consequences of Use and Health Effects | Heart problems, psychosis, anger, paranoia, addiction, and chronic sleep problems. | |||
| Other Health-related Issues | Risk of HIV, hepatitis, and other infectious diseases from shared needles. | |||
| In Combination with Alcohol | Masks the depressant action of alcohol, increasing risk of alcohol overdose; may increase blood pressure and jitters. | |||
| Withdrawal Symptoms | Depression, tiredness, and sleep problems. | |||
| Medical Useiii | For narcolepsy, obesity, and hyperkinesis. | |||
| Treatment Optionsiv | ||||
| Medications | There are no FDA-approved medications to treat stimulant addiction. | |||
| Behavioral Therapies | Behavioral therapies that have helped treat addiction to cocaine or methamphetamine may be useful in treating prescription stimulant addiction. | |||
| Statistics as of 2015v | ||||
| Prevalence | Lifetime: Data not collected. Past Year: 5.3 million (2.0%) aged 12 or older have misused stimulants in the past year. | |||
| Average Age of Initiation | Stimulants in general: 22.3 | |||
- i
Source: NIDA, (2016).
- ii
Sources: NIDA, (2016) & DEA, (2015).
- iii
Source: SAMHSA, (2004).
- iv
Source: NIDA, (2016).
- v
Source: CBHSQ, (2016).
- [Table], Prescription Stimulants - Facing Addiction in America[Table], Prescription Stimulants - Facing Addiction in America
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