Stimulants: cocaine, amphetamines and party drugs
David Haslam in Care of Drug Users in General Practice, 2021
Stimulants are drugs that make people feel more energetic and wide awake. Caffeine lies outside the scope of this book but nonetheless it should be remembered that the problems it causes can be serious and are often unrecognised. Amphetamine is the most frequently used illicit stimulant, partly because it is cheap. Methamphetamine and khat are widely used abroad but not much as yet in the United Kingdom (UK). Methylphenidate (Ritalin) is very similar to amphetamine. The amount prescribed for the treatment of attention deficit disorder has increased and there is evidence that some is diverted and abused. Cocaine is an alkaloid made from the leaves of the coca bush, which grows in the mountain regions of South America. Cocaine has traditionally been used by rich people and also by sex workers but this has changed to some extent as the price has fallen. Overall, amphetamine probably causes more problems than cocaine because of its much wider use.
Thoughts, Functions, Brains and Boosters
Aaron C. T. Smith, Bob Stewart, Kate Westberg, Constantino Stavros in Performance and Image Enhancing Drugs and Substances, 2018
This chapter offers a review of performance and image enhancing drugs and substances (PIEDS) that can be employed for cognitive enhancement. Cognitive enhancers are popularly referred to as 'nootropics'. The most commonly used prescription drugs for cognitive enhancement include: modafinil; psychostimulants such as methylphenidate or mixed amphetamine salts including dextroamphetamine; and drugs such as donepezil that are used to treat Alzheimer's disease. Stimulants that can elicit some sort of cognitive effect on athletes go beyond modafinil and methylphenidate, and can be grouped in a myriad of ways. Broadly speaking, the application of nootropics and associated cognitive enhancement remains relatively unexplored for sporting advantages. Cognitive enhancers that facilitate greater learning and memory capability should be invaluable in almost every sport given the complexities of performance execution through technical analysis, enhanced coaching and kinesiology. Elite athletes must make numerous micro-decisions under intense pressure and, for the most part, are trained to revert to their 'muscle-memory'.
Fatigue, drowsiness, lethargy and weakness
Mervyn Dean, Juan-Diego Harris, Claud Regnard, Jo Hockley in Symptom Relief in Palliative Care, 2018
Fatigue is the commonest symptom in advanced disease and patients view it as more troublesome than pain, nausea or vomiting. Reduced alertness may be due to drowsiness but can be due to causes that make patients less aware of their surroundings. Lethargy can be used to describe low mood or depression, but may also be used to describe fatigue or weakness. Patients deteriorating day by day because of their underlying disease often have fatigue, drowsiness, lethargy or weakness. Chemicals produced by tumors may partly mediate fatigue. Lambert-Eaton myesthenic syndrome is an autoimmune disease that causes a proximal weakness that improves after sustained contraction or with cold. Depression is strongly associated with lethargy and fatigue, while an anxiety state can cause fatigue through constant physical arousal. Psychostimulants such as methylphenidate are occasionally used to achieve a rapid effect when this is needed for a special event, but anxiety, anorexia and insomnia can occur.
Prohibition or Coffee Shops: Regulation of Amphetamine and Methylphenidate for Enhancement Use by Healthy Adults
Published in The American Journal of Bioethics, 2013
This article analyzes appropriate public policies for enhancement use of two most important stimulant drugs: Ritalin (methylphenidate) and Adderall (mixed amphetamine salts). The author argues that appropriate regulation of cognition enhancement drugs cannot be a result of a general discussion on cognitive enhancements as such, but has to be made on a case-by-case basis. Starting from the recently proposed taxation approach to cognition enhancement drugs, the author analyzes available, moderately permissive models of regulation. After a thorough analysis of relevant characteristics of methylphenidate and amphetamine, the author concludes that a moderately liberal permissive regulation of enhancement use by healthy adults might be appropriate for extended release forms of methylphenidate. However, due to their danger profile, amphetamine and instant release forms of methylphenidate should not be made readily available to healthy adults and would need to be prohibited.
Methylphenidate for the Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction Induced By Long Acting Injectable Paliperidone Palmitate: A Case Report
Published in Klinik Psikofarmakoloji Bülteni-Bulletin of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 2013
Ng Chong Guan, Koh Ong Hui, Jesjeet Singh Gill
Erectile dysfunction is one of the common sexual adverse effects encountered in male patients treated with antipsychotics. It is associated with prolactin secretion secondary to dopamine antagonism by the antipsychotics. Methylphenidate is a psychostimulant that inhibits the reuptake of dopamine. In this case, we report a 42 year old schizophrenic male, who developed erectile dysfunction after administration of a long acting injectable antipsychotic, namely paliperidone palmitate. The erectile dysfunction did not respond to sildenafil but recovered with the treatment of methylphenidate 10mg. The current finding suggests that clinicians should be aware of the possible emergence of erectile dysfunction among patients on long acting injectable antipsychotics. Methylphenidate may be an alternative treatment option for erectile dysfunction induced by antipsychotics.
Chin Trembling Induced by Combined Use of OROS Methylphenidate and Procaterol Hydrochloride in a Boy with ADHD
Published in Klinik Psikofarmakoloji Bülteni-Bulletin of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 2014
Rongwang Yang, Jundong Feng, Suhan Zhang, Rong Li, Zhengyan Zhao
Recently, asthma has been reported to be a potential comorbidity of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It is, therefore, possible to have combined use of medications for both ADHD and asthma although, potential adverse reactions are unknown. The case presented here is that of a 61/2-year-old boy diagnosed as having both ADHD and asthma. He presented with chin trembling after the first administration of OROS methylphenidate and procaterol hydrochloride. This is the first report of an adverse event in patients using a combination of these two types of drugs. It raises an awareness of chin trembling as an adverse effect in patients using a combination of methylphenidate and procaterol hydrochloride, especially among those who are younger and underweight.
Related Knowledge Centers
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Narcolepsy
- Dexmethylphenidate Hydrochloride
- Phenylacetates
- Phenol
- Piperidines
- Central Nervous System Stimulant