As one of the most powerful and addictive drugs on the market, the likelihood of experiencing amphetamine side effects is high for anyone who abuses these drugs on a frequent basis. With continued use, amphetamine side effects become increasingly worse and more intense the longer a person continues to abuse these drugs, according to Semel Institute.
If you or someone you know takes amphetamines on a regular basis, here are 20 amphetamine side effects you may experience –
- Increase in Drug Use – over time a person requires increasingly larger doses of amphetamines to produce the desired drug effects, especially when abusing these drugs
- Eye Twitching – this amphetamine side effect becomes more and more noticeable with continued drug use
- Mood Swings – over time, amphetamines cause brain chemical imbalances to form. Mood swings increase in intensity and frequency the longer a person keeps using.
- Strong Drug Cravings – this amphetamine side effects is the first sign of a growing addiction problem
- Bingeing – once the brain and body develop a tolerance for amphetamines, users have to ingest incredibly large amounts of the drug to experience the desired high effects
- Fatigue – before long, amphetamine abuse drains the body’s energy levels leaving users in a constant state of fatigue
A common side effect of Amphetamine abuse is fatigue.
- Weight Loss – amphetamines all but eliminate a person’s appetite for food. Noticeable weight loss soon becomes apparent with continued drug use
- Severe Depression – as brain chemical levels become depleted from continued drug use, symptoms of severe depression start to take over a person’s overall demeanor
- Loss of Control Over Drug Use – once brain tolerance levels reach a certain point, this amphetamine side effect leaves users helplessly dependent on amphetamine effects
- Break from Reality – with long-term amphetamine abuse, users are at high risk of developing psychotic-like symptoms, also known as amphetamine psychosis
- Violent Behavior Displays – amphetamine effects all but eliminate a person’s ability to control his or her impulses, especially when angry
- Hallucinations – people experiencing this amphetamine side effect have likely developed a full blown addiction to the drug as considerable brain damage is present
- Self-Mutilation – self-mutilation entails cutting or picking at the skin. Hallucinations drive this behavior.
- Suicidal Ideations – the ongoing effects of amphetamines result in feelings of severe depression that bring on recurrent thoughts of suicide
- Paranoia – as brain chemical imbalances worsen, a person’s reasoning and judgment skews further and further off balance to the point where he or she becomes highly suspicious of others and their intentions
- Flat Affect – with continued drug use, emotions in general flattens out leaving users in an emotionless state for much of the time
- Delusions – with long-term amphetamine abuse, delusional thinking patterns take root as the cognitive areas of the brain start to deteriorate from the drug’s effects
- Disorganized Speech Patterns – an inability to speak in a coherent manner. At this point users start to have difficulty communicating with others.
- Relationship Conflicts – once amphetamine addiction sets in, important relationships in a person’s life start to fall by the wayside
- Lifestyle Changes – this amphetamine side effect indicates addiction has taken hold. Money problems, problems at work and problems with the law become the norm in a person’s life..
