How amphetamines affect an individual can greatly depend on their age, weight, height, and dose, among other factors. This means that the effects of speed or any other drug of abuse vary from person to person. As you may have guessed from the name, speed drug effects are energy-boosting and work in tandem with an alerting and euphoric high. However, because speed is such a dangerous substance, frequent use can result in physical dependence, which may contribute to some unwanted repercussions. Keep reading to learn more with Banyan Treatment Centers Palm Springs.
What Is Speed?
Speed is another name for methamphetamine, a central nervous system stimulant that produces an energetic and euphoric high by impacting nerve activity and neurotransmitter levels in the brain. Chemically related to amphetamine, speed is a white, odorless, and bitter-tasting powder that can be smoked, swallowed, snorted, or injected. Also known as meth, speed is classified as a Schedule II drug by the United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) because it has a high potential for abuse and is only legally available via prescription. Some other common names for speed include methamphetamine, meth, chalk, and crystal meth.
The drug speed has been used in the medical field to treat conditions like attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and obesity. However, due to the severe side effects of using speed as a recreational drug, its medical use is limited in the U.S. When prescribed, the dose of speed is usually much lower than when used recreationally. In the U.S., methamphetamine or speed is prescribed under the brand name Desoxyn. Despite the damage it can do when abused, people still find ways to make speed illegally.
Meth is a cheap and easy drug to make and is often created in other countries and then distributed in the U.S. Also known as meth labs, these domestic superlabs and clandestine buildings often create huge batches of speed combined with various other additives known as cutting agents. Cutting agents are chemicals or substances that are used to make drugs weigh more. They’re often similar in appearance to the pure substance itself and are mainly used to make more money selling less product.
It’s the cutting agents in speed that make it so dangerous. Not only do chemicals like paint thinner and pseudoephedrine create several physical ailments, but they can further contribute to an addiction that may require an in-depth medical detox to treat.
What Are the Effects of Speed Drugs?
Immediately after smoking or injecting speed, the user may experience an intense sensation or “rush” of energy that may be extremely pleasurable but short-lived. Also known as an amphetamine high, this rush of energy and happiness that speed users experience after one dose can be enough to encourage further drug use in the long run.
Some common speed drug effects on the body include:
- Increased activity
- Increased alertness and energy
- Increased talkativeness
- Increased body temperature
- Rapid breathing
- Increased concentration
- Decreased appetite and weight loss
- Elevated blood pressure
- Rapid heart rate
- Psychosis
- Increased libido or sex drive
- Tolerance
- Physical dependence or addiction
How Long Does Speed Last?
The effects of speed on the brain and body usually begin within 20 minutes and can last anywhere between 4 to 6 hours. However, a speed high may not last as long. Amphetamines have a rapid onset of action, quickly penetrating the bloodstream and invading the central nervous system. Over the first hour, users frequently report feeling energized, more alert, and euphoric; this powerful but transient mood of enhanced well-being is typically experienced. Users might also notice an increase in heart rate, blood pressure, and decreased hunger as a result of the drug's interactions with neurotransmitters such as dopamine and norepinephrine, which adds to the stimulant impact overall.
The brief duration of the high is an important feature of speed use, even though the physiological effects of the drug last for a comparatively long time. To sustain the euphoric feelings, many people find themselves forced to take more doses regularly, which can result in a risky cycle of increasing usage. Furthermore, the length of the speed high can fluctuate from person to person depending on things like how the drug was consumed, how pure it was, and how each person's metabolism works. Because of this temporal unpredictability, users run the danger of developing dependence and addiction as they try to prolong the ephemeral high by using more and more frequently.
Why Is Speed Addictive?
Whether utilizing amphetamines or other stimulant substances, the attraction of speed is its capacity to provide an immediate high for the user. The brain's reward system manipulates neurotransmitters, especially dopamine, which is responsible for this strong sensation of pleasure. When speed is consumed, dopamine is released instantly, which results in a strong feeling of happiness and energy. But this exhilarating surge is infamously fleeting, wearing off in a matter of minutes or even seconds. Because this happy mood is so short-lived, people are driven to seek out more and more dosages in an attempt to achieve the elusive high that initially drew them in.
The enduring influence of speed addiction on the brain's delicate chemical balance adds to its insidious nature. Users frequently discover that they need higher dosages of the medication to achieve the same initial feelings of exhilaration as their tolerance increases. This spiraling tendency makes addiction more likely to occur quickly and traps people in a vicious cycle of dependence that negatively impacts many facets of their lives. Wide-ranging effects of speed addiction include declining physical health, strained relationships, lost professions, and more. Sadly, people who refuse meth detoxification at our Southern California rehab or disregard treatment centers altogether run the risk of suffering from serious side effects, including meth mouth, meth mites, hallucinations, and the constant danger of overdosing.
Speed is addictive, but treatment is available. Our California rehabs offer different kinds of substance-specific programs to help people with drug problems, including meth addiction treatment. If you or someone you know is battling substance abuse, do not wait a moment longer to get help. Call Banyan today at 888-280-4763 to learn more about our Palm Springs rehab programs.
