This activity reviews the indications, action, and contraindications for amphetamine as an agent in treating ADHD and narcolepsy. Call for an appointment with your health care provider if you or someone you know is addicted to amphetamines and needs help to stop using. Also call if you are having withdrawal symptoms that concern you. Tell your doctor if you also take opioid medicine, herbal products, or medicine for depression, mental illness, Parkinson’s disease, migraine headaches, serious infections, or prevention of nausea and vomiting. An interaction with amphetamine could cause a serious condition called serotonin syndrome.
Evekeo is sometimes used to treat obesity in people who have not lost weight with diets or other treatments. Amphetamine is used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Other street drugs that are based on the structure of amphetamine include methamphetamine, cathinone, ephedrine, MDMA (ecstasy), and 2,5-Dimethoxy-4-methylamphetamine (DOM). People who follow the prescribed, how long do amphetamines stay in your blood therapeutic dose are unlikely to experience severe adverse effects. A review published in Cochrane in 2011 suggested that adults with ADHD might benefit from short-term use of amphetamines, but that they were unlikely to persist with the treatment because of adverse effects. Those who use mixed amphetamine salts, however, were more likely to continue with the treatment.
Effects of Steroid Use: Short-Term, Long-Term, Side Effects, and Treatment
Some side effects of dextroamphetamine may occur that usually do not need medical attention. This medication is used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder – ADHD. It works by changing the amounts of certain natural substances in the brain.
Do not increase your dose or use this drug more often or for longer than prescribed. Your condition will not improve any faster, and your risk of side effects will increase. Do not drink alcoholic beverages while taking this medication.
For Healthcare Professionals
Due to concerns over their side effects, however, amphetamines are increasingly being replaced by modafinil, a medication that promotes wakefulness. Scientists carrying out a review of 20 studies concluded that stimulants are probably helpful for people with ADHD. Avoid use with medications that increase stomach or urine alkalinity, including sodium bicarbonate, acetazolamide, and some thiazide diuretics (water pill).
Stimulants have caused stroke, heart attack, and sudden death in people with high blood pressure, heart disease, or a heart defect. Long-term treatment with amphetamine-based medication in children appears to prevent unwanted changes in brain function and structure. Along with its needed effects, amphetamine may cause some unwanted effects. Both amphetamine and methamphetamine are stimulant drugs that have different effects on your body based on the chemicals that make up each drug. Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects.
What is amphetamine?
Many amphetamines are Schedule II stimulants, which means they have a high potential for abuse and are legally available only through a prescription. When used for medical purposes, the doses are much lower than those typical among abusers of the drugs. Though it helps many people, this medication may sometimes cause addiction. This risk may be higher if you have a substance use disorder (such as overuse of or addiction to drugs/alcohol).
In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking this medicine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive. Ask your doctor before using a stomach acid medicine (including Alka-Seltzer or sodium bicarbonate). Some of these medicines can change the way your body absorbs amphetamine and dextroamphetamine, and may increase side effects.
Amphetamine is FDA-approved for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy. It has indications as a first-line agent for ADHD in adults and children six years of age and older. Amphetamine is also a second-line agent for the treatment of narcolepsy. Lisdexamfetamine, a long-acting amphetamine medication, is FDA-approved for the treatment of a binge-eating disorder. When amphetamines are used at higher doses and through routes that are not prescribed by a doctor, they can have severe adverse effects. Dopamine levels in the brain can rise quickly, and to a great extent.
- If you are close to the next time on your schedule to take another dose, wait until your scheduled time to take your next dose.
- Tell your doctor if you have had problems with drug or alcohol abuse.
- If you are taking amphetamines as a new parent, talk with your provider about whether or not it is safe to breastfeed.
- The amount of medicine that you take depends on the strength of the medicine.
- Stress has been shown to precipitate spontaneous recurrence of methamphetamine psychosis in formerly psychotic methamphetamine abusers.
- Talk to your doctor if you’re pregnant or planning to become pregnant.
