What are the psychological effects of amphetamines?

Amphetamines are well known substances both in medicine and in the field of illegally used drugs.

That is why it is important to know the implications of its use and, among other things, its emotional and behavioral effects. This is precisely the subject on which we will focus in the following lines, in which you will find a summary of the psychological effects of amphetamines.

• Related article: "Psychopharmaceuticals: drugs that act on the brain"

What exactly are amphetamines?

Amphetamines are a group of psychoactive substances used in medical contexts and also as drugs for recreational use, and that are characterized by acting on the nervous system as adrenergic agonistsIn other words, its effects on neurons are similar to those of adrenaline, a neurotransmitter naturally present in our body.

Thus, in the same way that adrenaline (also called epinephrine) activates our nervous system, amphetamines are considered stimulant substances that, once we have consumed them, lead us to a state of high brain activation in a matter of minutes. That is why in the medical field it is relatively common to use some psychotropic drugs based on amphetamines to treat people with psychiatric disorders whose causes are believed to be linked to a lack of adrenaline in certain parts of the Nervous System Central.

Thus, these drugs would act as a kind of partial replacement for epinephrine that, unlike it, has been synthesized in a laboratory and included in drug rations to allow its use in safe treatments.

However, amphetamines exist beyond their use in psychiatry, and unfortunately many people fall victim to their use without medical indication. As we will see, this brings many problems and involves exposing yourself to serious health risks in both the short and long term.

• You may be interested in: "Adrenaline, the hormone that activates us"

Main psychological effects of amphetamines

The illegal use of amphetamines, or their use in violation of medical indications, can lead to very dangerous situations. These range from the development of psychotic outbreaks with hallucinations to death from vascular accidents after an overdose. However, even in cases where the body does not experience immediate physical exhaustion after consumption, the consumption of these substances can lead to unwanted psychological effects in the medium and long term and they can be very problematic or even dangerous without medical monitoring and advice. Let's see it next.

1. Development of addiction

As we have advanced before, many of the amphetamines have a facet as a psychiatric drug with potential that can be used by psychiatrists and patients, and on the other hand a facet linked to the illegal sale of drugs, with all the dangers and harmful effects on health that this carries. One of the consequences of this uncontrolled use of amphetamines is the possibility of falling into a strong addiction.

This occurs when the person's nervous system develops tolerance to this substance introduced from outside the body and it begins to work as if the drug was always there, with what you need to take more and more to achieve the same effect.

Thus, when amphetamine is stopped, abstinence appears and the person begins to feel bad, feeling the urgent desire to continue using it. This predisposition to continue taking the drug is one of the psychological effects of amphetamines more notable, and an element that attempts to mitigate when this substance is used in a treatment.

2. Increased sensitivity to stimuli

As amphetamines activate the brain more, people who consume them become more sensitive to the stimuli that come from around them. With what they are more predisposed to get involved in different activities and also to be irritable when something bothers them.

3. Increased ability to concentrate

As we have seen, amphetamines make those who consume them feel more active, but that does not mean that everything around them distracts them.

In fact, some substances of this type are consumed precisely because they help people to focus on their studies or work. What predominates is that psychological effect associated with mental energy, the ability to engage people in psychologically demanding activity for relatively long periods of time.

4. Insomnia problems

Since amphetamines keep neurons in the brain highly activated, this complicates the ability to go to sleep, as if it were a much more intense version of caffeine.

• You may be interested in: "The 3 Most Important Psychological Effects of Caffeine"

5. Increased mood and sociability

Many people indulge in recreational use of amphetamines because it gives them more self-confidence and helps them be sociable with others at parties. However, as we have mentioned, this carries many risks and could even have an opposite effect to desired in key moments, because it also increases the predisposition to face others due to the emotional state altered.

Looking for addiction treatment?

If you are interested in having treatment to overcome an addiction to drug use or a behavioral addiction, get in touch with our team of professionals.

On CITA Clinics we specialize in offering assistance and therapy to people with these kinds of health problems, working both from psychotherapy and from medicine and psychiatry. We offer outpatient assistance and also short, medium and long term income treatment in our fully equipped residential module located in Dosrius (Mataró), where our patients have access to all kinds of leisure activities and a quiet environment in which the nature.