If you’ve been abusing amphetamines on a frequent basis, you’ve likely experienced one or more bouts of withdrawal since first starting the drug. Amphetamine withdrawal symptoms can be highly uncomfortable to the point where finding relief is all a person can think about.
Amphetamine drugs, such as crystal meth, Adderall and ecstasy produce powerful effects, many of which impact the brain and body in ways that go unnoticed. Ultimately, amphetamine withdrawal symptoms play a critical role in keeping a person trapped inside the addiction cycle.
If you need help overcoming an amphetamine addiction problem, call our toll-free helpline at 800-816-1059(Who Answers?) to ask about available rehab treatment options.
What Causes Amphetamine Withdrawal Symptoms?
The increased energy, feelings of confidence and feelings of euphoria amphetamines cause result from their impact on the brain’s chemical processes. According to the Canadian Medical Journal, most all amphetamine drugs target the brain cells that produce dopamine and norepinephrine neurotransmitter chemicals.
These drugs force cells to produce large amounts of these chemicals, which in turn speed up the body’s central nervous system. With repeated drug use, these effects cause damage to affected brain cells. Before long, chemical imbalances start to form within the brain.
After a certain point, the brain can no longer function as normal. In effect, amphetamine withdrawal symptoms reflect the state of chemical imbalance that’s present in the brain.
3 Ways Amphetamine Withdrawal Symptoms Keep You Trapped
Emotional instability is a common amphetamine withdrawal symptom.
1. Weakening the Brain’s Functional Capacity
The brain’s overall health relies on a delicate balance of chemicals at all times. The effects of amphetamines slowly wear down chemical-producing cells and weaken them in the process.
Over time, a domino effect takes shape as growing imbalances start to wear away at other areas of the brain. By the time addiction sets in, the brain’s overall structure has changed in drastic ways.
2. Needing More of the Drug
Over the course of a developing addiction, the damage done to affected brain cells makes them less sensitive to the effects of amphetamines. The less sensitive cells become, the larger the drug dose required to produce the desired effects.
Considering how amphetamine withdrawal symptoms work to drive continued drug use, the brain’s need for more of the drug will only continue to increase. According to the University of Maryland, this cycle of drug use not only keeps you using the drug, but also paves a wide path for addiction to take hold.
3. Emotional Instability
Amphetamine withdrawal symptoms not only disrupt the body’s physical state, but also one’s emotional well-being. Feelings of depression, anxiety and even panic become increasingly worse with each successive withdrawal episode.
Ultimately, amphetamine addiction takes root within the areas of the brain that regulate emotions, thinking and behavior. The emotional instability that comes with addiction becomes yet another driving force behind compulsive drug-using behavior.
Overall, the combined effects of amphetamine withdrawal symptoms, increasing tolerance levels, and emotional instability creates a vicious cycle of drug abuse and addiction.
If you or someone you know is battling an amphetamine addiction problem, we can help. Call our helpline at 800-816-1059(Who Answers?) to speak with one of our addiction counselors.
