Stimulant drugs: characteristics and effects of their consumption

Drugs are addictive substances that can generate a great dependency in the person who consumes them.

In this article we will make a brief description of what drugs are, to later delve into how one type of them works: stimulant drugs. Specifically, we will talk about the two most frequent stimulant drugs: cocaine and amphetamines. We will analyze its most outstanding characteristics, its mechanism of action, the disorders associated with them and what effects they produce in our body.

• Related article: "Types of drugs: know their characteristics and effects"

What are drugs?

drugs are substances that, when introduced into the body, act on the central nervous system (CNS), altering or modifying its functioning.

These are substances that can easily cause different psychological disorders, such as consumption disorder (where the consumption of the drug is excessive, interfering with the normal functioning of the person) and two types of disorders induced by the drug itself substance; intoxication and withdrawal (withdrawal syndrome).

But... What types of drugs are there? In the DSM-5 (Diagnostic Manual of Mental Disorders), we find the following classification of drugs:

• Alcohol
• Caffeine
• Hallucinogens (phencyclidine and others)
• Caffeine
• cannabis
• inhalants
• opiates
• Sedatives/hypnotics/anxiolytics
• Stimulants (cocaine, amphetamines and others)
• Tobacco
• other substances

That is, according to the manual, we find up to 10 different types of drugs, depending on their characteristics and effects.

As we can see, within the stimulant drugs we find: cocaine, amphetamines and others. That is why in this article we will talk about cocaine and amphetamines, as they are the most common stimulant drugs.

stimulant drugs

Stimulant drugs are a type of drug that, as its name suggests, stimulate the activity of the central nervous system (CNS); that is, they are excitatory drugs that intensify brain activity.

On the other hand, among the effects of stimulant drugs we find increased mental sharpness, as well as increased energy and focus, along with increased blood pressure and the speed of breathing and heart.

Regarding their mechanism of action, stimulant drugs increase the levels of three types of brain neurotransmitters: dopamine, the serotonin and the norepinephrine (all of them monoamines).

Now yes, let's talk about the stimulant drugs mentioned:

1. Cocaine

The cocaine It is one of the stimulant drugs that exist. Thus, it is a drug that excites or stimulates the central nervous system (CNS), through a mechanism of action that consists of increasing the levels of dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine in the brain. Specifically, what cocaine does is block the neuronal reuptake of these three brain neurotransmitters.

This drug produces a series of important psychological and behavioral changes, which are manifested through three phases: up phase (with symptoms such as euphoria, overflowing energy...), the down phase (depressive symptoms) and the phase of hangover.

1.1. route of consumption

Cocaine can be consumed in different ways, that is, it has different routes of consumption. The most common are: intravenous, smoked or sniffed. In the first two cases, its progression through the body is faster; in the third case (sniffed), its progression is more gradual.

1.2. consumption pattern

The consumption pattern associated with cocaine, logically, varies from one person to another. The episodic pattern implies a separate use of it, of two or more days, with “binge eating” in between. The daily pattern, on the other hand, implies a progressive increase in the consumption of the substance.

1.3. prevalence

According to the DSM-5, about 0.3% of subjects older than 18 years have a cocaine use disorder, situating the age interval of greater consumption in 18-29 years. On the other hand, a greater consumption of this stimulant drug is observed in men (0.4%), if we compare it with the consumption in women (0.1%).

1.4. Cocaine withdrawal syndrome

Withdrawal syndromes associated with different stimulant drugs produce a series of symptoms that can cause great discomfort in the person who suffers from it. In the case of cocaine (as it is a stimulant drug), the symptoms that appear in such a syndrome are opposite: that is, essentially depressive symptoms will appear.

Specifically, in cocaine withdrawal syndrome, a triphasic pattern occurs, which consists of three phases. In the first phase (crash phase), acute dysphoria appears, with a descent into a depressed mood, along with anxiety. Other associated symptoms also appear, such as: agitation, fatigue, exhaustion, hypersomnolence, anorexia, etc.

In the second phase, the withdrawal itself occurs, with the reduction of the previous dysphoric symptoms. In this phase, the subjects respond with more abstinence to conditioned environmental stimuli (such as places where the subject usually consumes the drug).

Finally, in the third and final phase of the cocaine withdrawal syndrome, a state of arousal is produced in the subject; its duration is indefinite, and an irresistible intermittent desire appears in it, associated with multiple conditioned stimuli, such as: moods, places, people, white powder, mirrors, etc

2. amphetamines

Another of the stimulant drugs that we can find are amphetamines. Amphetamines, like cocaine, are compounds with reinforcing and stimulating effects for the brain and the organism.

Along with cocaine and other substances, amphetamines are included in the DSM-5 in the group of stimulant drugs. For its part, the ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases) includes them in the group of "other stimulants", along with caffeine.

Regarding its mechanism of action, amphetamines act primarily by inducing the release of monoamines (ie serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine, three types of brain neurotransmitters). That is, like cocaine, amphetamines act on these three same neurotransmitters, although in a different way.

Compared to cocaine, these stimulant drugs have a longer-lasting effect on the body, and for this reason they need to be administered less frequently.

• You may be interested in: "Amphetamines: the effects and mechanisms of action of this drug"

2.1. prevalence

Regarding the prevalence of amphetamine use disorder, this is slightly lower than in the case of cocaine, being, according to the DSM-5, about 0.2% in subjects over 18 years of age.

In addition, subjects with a diagnosis of amphetamine use disorder are located mainly in the age group from 18 to 29 years (0.4%), its consumption being more prevalent among men (vs. women).

2.2. Associated disorders

As with the other stimulant drug, cocaine, amphetamines can lead to different disorders. We can talk about two large groups of disorders: disorders induced by the consumption of substance (use disorder), and disorders induced by the substance itself (intoxication and abstinence).

Thus, amphetamines (and/or their consumption) can cause all these disorders.

Bibliographic references:

• American Psychiatric Association –APA- (2014). DSM-5. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Madrid: Pan American.
• WHO (2000). ICD-10. International classification of diseases, tenth edition. Madrid. Pan American.
• Stahl, S.M. (2002). Essential Psychopharmacology. Neuroscientific bases and clinical applications. Barcelona: Ariel.