What happens when you use amphetamines?
Types of amphetamines Amphetamines can appear in the form of powder, tablets, capsules or crystals. ❥❥ The powder form appears as a white through to a brown powder, sometimes even orange and dark purple. Common names include speed, meth, up, fast, louee, goey, whiz, pep pills or uppers. ❥ It is usually snorted, injected or swallowed. ❥❥ The tablets and capsules vary in colour and are sometimes combined with other drugs and sold ❥ as ecstasy. They are generally swallowed. ❥❥ Base is more potent than the powder form. It is a damp. sticky or oily powder that can range from white to yellow or brown. It is sometimes called paste, pure or wax. ❥ It is usually swallowed, snorted, injected, or smoked. ❥❥ Crystal methamphetamine is the most potent form. It generally comes in large sheet-like crystals, or as a crystalline powder. It can appear in a range of colours. Common names include ice, crystal meth, meth, glass, shabu or shard. It is usually smoked, injected, swallowed or snorted.
Soon after taking amphetamines a person may experience: ❥❥ A speeding up of bodily functions, including an increased heart rate, breathing and blood pressure and sweating. ❥❥ Feeling more energetic, alert, talkative, restless, excited, full of confidence. ❥❥ Feelings of increased strength and faster reaction times. ❥❥ Anxiousness, irritability, hostility and aggression. They may even have panic attacks. ❥❥ Other effects such as a dry mouth, enlarged pupils, headaches, reduced appetite and difficulty sleeping.
Larger amounts of amphetamines may also produce: ❥❥ Dizziness, blurred vision, stomach cramps, tremors and loss of coordination. ❥❥ Irregular heartbeat and breathing, stroke and heart failure. ❥❥ High body temperature and seizures. ❥❥ ‘Amphetamine psychosis’, which includes paranoid delusions, hallucinations leading to itching, picking and scratching and aggressive or violent behaviour.
For more information: www.shop.adf.org.au www.druginfo.adf.org.au www.facebook.com/australiandrugfoundation The information in this pamphlet is not a substitute for specific advice from your doctor or other health professional. © Australian Drug Foundation 2014 Published by the Australian Drug Foundation Tel: 1300 85 85 84
What are amphetamines? Amphetamines are a group of drugs that include methamphetamines— each made with a different recipe. Sometimes amphetamines are prescribed by a doctor to treat medical conditions. Other forms of amphetamines are produced in backyard laboratories and sold illegally. These drugs are often mixed with other substances and can have unpleasant or harmful effects. This pamphlet provides information about illegally produced amphetamines or the misuse of prescribed amphetamines.
❥❥ inflammation, abscesses, ❥ vein damage ❥ and scarring
Injecting can cause:
Veins
❥❥ smoking can damage ❥ the lungs
Lungs
❥❥ repeated snorting damages the nasal lining
Nose
❥❥ depression, anxiety, tension and paranoia
❥❥ cracked teeth and other dental problems from clenching the jaw, grinding the teeth, dry mouth and poor hygiene
❥❥ sharing injecting, snorting and smoking equipment can increase the risk of contracting blood-borne viruses
❥❥ reduced resistance to infections
❥❥ malnutrition and weight loss due to reduced appetite
❥❥ chronic sleeping problems
Immune system & ❥ general health
❥❥ rapid and irregular heartbeat
❥❥ high blood pressure
Heart
❥❥ increased risk of dependence
❥❥ increased risk of stroke
❥❥ may impair thinking and memory
Brain
Mouth
Regular amphetamine use over time ❥ can cause damage to both the ❥ male and female body.
How can amphetamines damage your health?
As the effects of amphetamines begin ❥ to wear off, a person may experience a range of symptoms including aggression, tension, radical mood swings, depression and❥ total exhaustion.