You should take FDA-approved amphetamines orally (by mouth) as directed by your healthcare provider. Bingeing practices greatly increase the length of time amphetamines stay in the system as the body’s cells and tissues keep storing up residue materials along the way. The more dehydrated you are, the longer it’ll take for your body to get rid of the amphetamine. Thus, drinking a lot of water can help your body eliminate the drug faster (or, at the very least, keep it from staying in you longer than an average length of time—see the charts above).
Therapeutic use of amphetamine
However, at higher doses the massive release of serotonin not only gives rise to acute psychotic symptoms (as described earlier) but also causes chemical damage to the cells that released it. These medications are part of the phenethylamine group, which includes drugs that can cause hallucinations, enhance a desire for social contact, or act as stimulants. This is not the same as substance dependency — the physical symptoms of tolerance and withdrawal. “Addiction” is the term for long-term behavioral, physical, and social changes a person may experience as a result of substance misuse. Amphetamine-related toxicity requires management by controlling life-threatening central nervous system and cardiovascular signs in a quiet environment. Hospital supportive care includes monitoring the airway, breathing, and circulation.
Therapeutic Applications
Although available documentation is poor, pharmacologic considerations lead physicians to suspect the interaction of amphetamine and thiazide diuretics. The interaction may be life-threatening as it may result in increased exposure to amphetamine. Assess the risk of abuse before prescribing, and monitor for signs of misuse and dependence while on therapy. Clinicians should exercise caution with this drug in patients with a history of ethanol or drug use disorder. The American Academy of Pediatrics rates amphetamines as drugs of abuse for which there are reports of adverse effects on the infant during breastfeeding. Clobenzorex (N-2-chlorobenzyl-amphetamine), an anorectic drug, is a precursor drug that is metabolized to amphetamine by the body and excreted in the urine.
Treatment / Management
Drugs metabolized to methamphetamine and/or amphetamine present significant concerns in the interpretation of amphetamine-positive drug testing results. The presence of the parent compound or unique metabolite can be strong evidence for the involvement of the drug rather half life of amphetamines than amphetamine abuse 32,34. Benzedrine was initially commercialized for asthma and narcolepsy but was later introduced for amphetamine-induced behavioral problems in children in 1937 22,23. Bradley’s research 23 revealed that a week’s treatment with amphetamine improved school performance for children with the disorder now recognized as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) 23. Always follow your healthcare provider’s instructions when taking amphetamines. Depending on what type and the dosage of the prescribed amphetamine, take extended-release capsules once daily and immediate-release tablets and oral solutions up to three times per day.
- These agents should not be prescribed liberally, and even when prescribed, the patient must have close monitoring to ensure that there is no misuse of the medication.
- It is crucial to distinguish between these derivatives when using these drugs therapeutically or recreationally.
- Talk to your child’s doctor about the risks of giving amphetamine to your child.
- You should take FDA-approved amphetamines orally (by mouth) as directed by your healthcare provider.
- When administered orally, 90% of the dosage is absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract.
The average half life of Adderall is about 13 hours, meaning the body eliminates it within a few days. Unlike opioids and benzos, there are no antidotes or reversal agents for amphetamines. Ultimately, your body must process amphetamines and get them out of your system by itself. However, by the 1990s, https://ecosoberhouse.com/ the United States Pharmacopoeia’s resource, “Drug Info for the Health Care Professional”, no longer recommended amphetamine for treatment of obesity due to the high abuse potential and availability of equally effective appetite-suppressants with lower abuse potential. Amphetamine was initially synthesized in Berlin in 1887 as 1-methyl-2-phenethylamine.
- For oral administration, peak methamphetamine concentrations are seen in 2-4 hours; snorting, smoking, and injecting peak concentrations occur within minutes.
- However, groups of people encouraged the use of amphetamine pills, recommending them for a variety of physical and mental conditions.
- Clobenzorex (N-2-chlorobenzyl-amphetamine), an anorectic drug, is a precursor drug that is metabolized to amphetamine by the body and excreted in the urine.
- Detailed psychiatric history, including a family history of suicide, bipolar disorder, and depression screening, should be considered in these patients to evaluate the risk of bipolar disorder.
- The length of time Adderall remains in the system can also help predict the duration of any side effects.
- Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand.
Talk with your healthcare provider if you feel like you are dependent on amphetamines or if they are not working to alleviate your symptoms. Providers will monitor how your body reacts to amphetamines to see if they alleviate your symptoms and prevent side effects, especially addiction. A person’s tolerance begins slowly, which could result in dependence over time.