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Chapter 6
Stimulants
© 2006 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.

Stimulants are substances that cause the
user to feel pleasant effects, such as an
increase in energy, due to the ability of the
drugs to release dopamine.
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Stimulants increase alertness, excitation,
and euphoria, and are referred to as
uppers.
© 2006 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
History of Cocaine
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Cocaine can be traced back to Coca. It
has been used as a stimulant for
thousands of years.
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Natives of the Andes mountains chewed
coca leafs which gave them energy to run
and carry things long distances.
© 2006 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
History of Cocaine
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Coca Wine
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Local Anesthesia
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Angelo Mariani
Lozenges, tea, wine, Coca-Cola
Hypodermic syringe
Dr. W.S. Halsted
Early Psychiatric uses
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Sigmund Freud
Treatment for depression and morphine depression
© 2006 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Early Legal Control
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From 1887 to 1914, 46 states passed laws
to regulate cocaine
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Press and politicians associated cocaine
with black urbanites of New York
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Major influence on the passage of the
Harrison Act
© 2006 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Cocaine Administration
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Orally
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Inhaled into the nasal passages
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“Snorting”
Injected intravenously
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Chewing of the coca leaf
Hypodermic needle
Smoked
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Freebasing
Crack
© 2006 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Contemporary Legal Controls
on Cocaine
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End of the 1960s cocaine use began to increase
again
Many raved about the benefits of cocaine
Until 1985 it was the drug of choice, due to the
high cost, for those with extra income
Then an inexpensive ($5 to $10 a hit) form that
could be smoked became available
© 2006 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Contemporary Legal Controls
on Cocaine
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Again, the media and politicians going
after blacks urbanites
The Anti-drug Abuse Act of 1986 was
passed
The Anti-drug Abuse Act of 1988 added
tougher penalties for first-time users
Concerns about racial profiling
© 2006 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Figure 6.1
Cocaine
© 2006 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Mechanism of Action
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Chemical structure does not tell us how or why it
works
Cocaine blocks reuptake of many
neurotransmitters
Absorption and Elimination
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Chewing or sucking provides a slow absorption and
onset of effects
Snorting is absorbed rapidly and reaches the brain
quickly
Intravenous use delivers a high concentration to the
brain producing a rapid and brief effect
Crack is less invasive than intravenous use and the
onset of effects is just as fast
© 2006 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Cause for Concern
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Acute Toxicity
Chronic Toxicity
Dependence Potential
© 2006 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
3 Main Stages of Cocaine
Withdrawal
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The “crash,” the initial abstinence phase
consisting of depression, agitation, suicidal
thoughts, and fatigue
Withdrawal, including mood swings,
craving, anhedonia, and obsession with
drug seeking
Extinction, when normal pleasure returns,
which cues trigger craving and mood
swings
© 2006 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Amphetamines
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History
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Wartime use
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Ephedrine
Sympathomimetic drug
Patented in 1932
Used by American soldiers in WWII to fight fatigue
Speed Scene
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Amphetamines are often used with other
combinations of drugs called ‘speedballs’
Illegal methamphetamine
Most common and heavily-used amphetamine
© 2006 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Amphetamines
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Causes alertness
Can cause anxiety, severe apprehension
or panic
Potent effects on dopamine in the reward
center of the brain
Behavioral stereotyping
© 2006 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
How Stimulants are Taken
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Amphetamines can be taken:
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Orally
Intravenously
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Speed freak
Smoking
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Ice
© 2006 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Athletics
Hyperkinetic
behavior
Weight reduction
Approved Uses of
Amphetamines
Narcolepsy
© 2006 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
“Smart Pills”
Side Effects of Therapeutic Doses
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Agitation, anxiety, panic
Irregular heartbeat, increased blood
pressure, and heart attack or stroke
Intense and high-dose abuse can cause
severe psychotic behavior, stereotyping,
seizures, and severe cardiovascular side
effects, as noted above
© 2006 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Summary of the Effects of
Amphetamines
Body
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Increase heartbeat
Increase blood pressure
Decreased appetite
Increased breathing rate
Inability to sleep
Sweating
Dry mouth
Muscle twitching
Convulsions
Fever
Cheat pain
Irregular heartbeat
Death due to overdose
© 2006 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Mind
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Decrease fatigue
Increased confidence
Increased feeling of alertness
Restlessness, talkativeness
Increased irritability
Fearfulness, apprehension
Distrust of people
Behavioral stereotyping
Hallucination
Psychosis
Current Misuse
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Decline in abuse in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s
In 1993, the declines were replaced by an
alarming increase
Increase in use of methamphetamine led to the
“National Methamphetamine Strategy” in 1996
“Speed”
Due to the ease of production, methamphetamine is often made in makeshift labs in
homes or garages
© 2006 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Cause for Concern
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Acute Toxicity
Chronic Toxicity
Dependence Potential
© 2006 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.