Recognizing the Signs a Loved One Needs Amphetamine Addiction Treatment

Signs of Amphetamine Usage

Amphetamine is a stimulant that will cause a user to feel more alert and more energized. A person using amphetamine, also known as speed, will alter the chemicals in their brain causing their dopamine and serotonin levels to increase, which will provide a user with a euphoric and highly pleasurable feeling. However, once a person crashes form their amphetamine high they will feel depressed due to their dopamine and serotonin levels being depleted.

According to, the Illinois Department of Human Services, amphetamine usage can include any of the following side effects, rapid speech, fast movements, aggression, dilated pupils, insomnia, convulsions, hallucinations, increased heart rate, headaches, irritability, paranoia, increased breathing rate, dizziness, reduced appetite, blurred vision, dry mouth, anxiety, increased blood pressure, and loss of coordination.

Getting Help

If you notice that a loved one is using amphetamines you should consider getting them amphetamine addiction treatment. Amphetamine addiction is a chronic illness that is extremely difficult for people to overcome.

amphetamine addiction help

Encouraging your loved one to seek help can save their life!

There are two factors about amphetamine addiction that make the illness very difficult for people to conquer. First, most people who become addicted to amphetamines continue to take higher dosages of the drug because their body rapidly builds a tolerance to the drug. This causes numerous amounts of amphetamine abusers to take high amounts of the drug causing their body to form a high dependency to the drug.

Second, the psychological effects of amphetamine withdrawal last far longer than the physical withdrawals. Being that amphetamine significantly impacts a person’s brain chemicals, specifically their pleasure system, they may feel depressed and unhappy for years after using the drug for prolonged periods of time.

The psychological withdrawals need to be addressed through long periods of therapy and sometimes are just too hard for people to deal with, so they relapse on the drug, causing a cycle of detoxing and relapsing to continue to form throughout their life.

As soon as you are aware that a loved one of yours is using amphetamine you should talk with them and get them help. Amphetamine addiction treatment programs will provide your loved one with the support and resources, both medically and psychologically, that they will need to stop using the drug. Amphetamine addiction treatment will also provide your loved ones with education and means to assist them with staying clean once they leave the program and begin fully living their life again.