Medicinal substance, stimulant drug, doping agent – the amphetamine has already gone through a lot in its history and received many designations. Under the name “speed” it is illegal in this country, but as late as the 1930s it was used as a cold remedy and against depression or impotence. As medicines, amphetamines have actually become obsolete nowadays because of their addictive potential – but the ADHD drug methylphenidate is also an exception here.
What is amphetamine?
As drugs, amphetamines have actually become obsolete nowadays due to their addictive potential – however, the ADHD drug methylphenidate is an exception here as well. The active ingredient name amphetamine is the short version of the chemical name alpha-methylphenethylamine and describes a synthetically produced substance from the group of phenylethylamines, which has a non-hallucinogenic stimulating effect in the body. The various amphetamines have a lot of effects and have been used as medicines for many different indications throughout their history – nowadays there is no medical indication due to the enormous addictive potential. As a drug, amphetamines are also known as “speed” – MDMA (methylenedioxymetamphetamine) is also a well-known representative of this substance class.
Pharmacological effect
Amphetamines exert their pharmacological effects through their relationship to the body’s adrenaline and via the release of the neurotransmitters norepinephrine and dopamine in the central nervous system. They thus belong to the pharmacological group of sympathomimetics. In the periphery of the body, amphetamines have a clear direct adrenergic effect: blood vessels are constricted, heartbeat and blood pressure are increased, the bronchi are dilated for increased oxygen uptake, and mucous membranes swell. All these and many other partial effects are part of the fight-or-flight system of our autonomic nervous system, the sympathetic nervous system. However, this is then stimulated directly once again in the central nervous system: as “wake-up amines“, amphetamines easily cross the blood–brain barrier into the brain and release norepinephrine and dopamine from the stores of nerve cell endings. Like caffeine, amphetamines have a more pronounced effect on fatigued persons than on those who are wide awake. Fatigue disappears, the mood is lifted, euphoria may occur, and the performance capacity reduced by fatigue is restored for a few hours. Power reserves are mobilized, attention and concentration increase, and at the same time there is an inhibition of appetite and an increased urge to move – the body is put into fight-or-flight mode right down to the tips of its hair. The flip side of the coin is that with repeated administration, the body soon enters a state of exhaustion, eventually lacking sleep and nourishment – even if the mind no longer recognizes this. Habituation occurs, which leads to an increase in dose. Eventually, habit formation and addiction occur. Psychosis can also develop at this stage of abuse. For this reason, amphetamines are classified as narcotics and are not freely available or prescribable.
Medical application and use
Nowadays, there is no legitimate medical use for amphetamines. In the past, the opposite was true: pretty much every one of the effects described above led to the use of amphetamines as medicines. In the 1930s, they were cold remedies and anti-allergics, used to help students get through all-nighters, and later were used to treat Parkinson’s disease, depression, narcolepsy, and impotence. During the Second World War, armies kept their soldiers awake en masse with amphetamines – thus paving the way for the spread of the active substance as a drug, which became widespread especially from the 1950s. In 1948, an amphetamine was also marketed to treat ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) – this is the last remaining medical use today (the methylphenidate in use today is related to amphetamines and is therefore also subject to BtM prescription regulations). In high-performance sports, amphetamines are also popular as doping agents to enhance performance.The athlete does not notice his physical fatigue in this way and continues to give “full throttle” – psychological brakes, which are actually very useful to protect the body from overexertion, are thus switched off, so in the short term the performance is increased.
Risks, side effects and dangers
Risks and side effects of amphetamine and its derivatives are so severe that amphetamines are no longer used (legally) today. Possession and trafficking of amphetamines is punishable in Germany and most other European countries. The main problem is, of course, the physical emaciation that occurs when amphetamines are used without the person concerned noticing or being able to assess it properly. Energetic nights of dancing under the influence of speed and related drugs thus not only lead to a hangover the next morning, but can also cause serious life-threatening states of exhaustion. In the long term, lack of appetite and sleep contribute to this problem. At the same time, amphetamines have an enormous addictive potential due to their intoxicating effect. In this context, the dose must be steadily increased due to rapid habituation processes in order to still achieve the same effect.
