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STIMULANTS
Arvin Ramores
Cheerlyn Jan Arteta
Mary Ann Montecastro
Mikaela Arlou Soller
STIMULANTS
 Stimulants are substances that
stimulate the activity of the central
nervous system. Stimulants are
often referred to as "uppers"
because they increase or speed up
mental and physical processes in
the body.
STIMULANT
DRUGS
STIMULANT DRUGS

Stimulant drugs are drugs that
temporarily increase alertness and
awareness. They usually have
increased side-effects with increased
effectiveness, and the more powerful
variants are therefore often
prescription medicines or illegal drugs.
FUNCTIONS
FUNCTIONS
 Stimulants increase the
activity of
either the sympathetic nervous
system, the central nervous system
(CNS) or both. Some stimulants
produce a sense of euphoria, in
particular the stimulants which exert
influence on the CNS.
FUNCTIONS

Stimulants are used therapeutically to
increase or maintain alertness, to
counteract fatigue in situations where
sleep is not practical to counteract
abnormal states that diminish alertness
consciousness, to promote weight loss as
well as to enhance the ability to
concentrate in people diagnosed with
attention disruptions.
FUNCTIONS
 Occasionally, they
are also used to
treat depression. Stimulants are
sometimes used to boost endurance
and productivity as well as to
suppress appetite, therefore also
known to promote eating disorders
such as anorexia if abused.
FUNCTIONS
 The euphoria produced by
some
stimulants leads to their recreational
use, although this is illegal in the
majority of jurisdictions.
KINDS
KINDS

There are both legal and illegal
stimulants. Those stimulants that are
legal include nicotine (found in tobacco
products) and caffeine. Stimulants like
methylphenidate are prescribed to
increase alertness and physical activity.
Illegal stimulants include
methamphetamine, cocaine and crack.
EXAMPLES
EXAMPLES
 Examples of
other well known
stimulants include ephedrine,
amphetamines, cocaine,
methylphenidate, MDMA, and
modafinil.
EXAMPLES
 Caffeine, found in beverages such
as coffee and soft drinks, as well as
nicotine, which is found in tobacco,
are among some of the world's most
commonly used stimulants.
Amphetamine
EXAMPLE
Amphetamine
 Amphetamines (prescribed as
either racemic amphetamine or
dextroamphetamine) increase the
heart and respiration rates, increase
blood pressure and in some users,
dilate the pupils of the eyes and
decrease appetite.
Amphetamine

Amphetamine increases the levels of
nor epinephrine and dopamine in the
brain via reuptake inhibition; however,
the more important mechanism by which
amphetamines cause stimulation is
through the direct release of these
catecholamine from storage vesicles in
cells.
Amphetamine
 Amphetamines are known
to cause
elevated mood and euphoria as well
as rebound depression and anxiety.
Other possible effects include
blurred vision, insomnia, and
dizziness.
Amphetamine
 Amphetamines are sometimes
prescribed therapeutically by
physicians and their availability makes
them prime candidates for misuse.
Used properly, amphetamines
increase alertness, concentration and
physical endurance.
Amphetamine

They are often prescribed to counter the
effects of narcolepsy, a disorder marked
by episodes of uncontrollable sleep, and
to help patients with learning disabilities.
Dextrorotary methamphetamine is
occasionally used in the treatment of
AD(H)D that does not respond
sufficiently to traditional amphetamines.
Amphetamine
 On
occasion, major depression is
treated with amphetamines as well.
Amphetamines can be used as an
add-on to antidepressant therapy
as well, with some success in certain
populations.
Methylenedioxymetamphetamine
EXAMPLE
Methylenedioxymetamphetamine

Methylenedioxymethamphetamine
(MDMA) is a drug that comes either in
tablet or capsule form (known as
ecstasy, zoom, scrap), as a powder or
crystal. Stimulant effects of MDMA
include increased blood pressure and
heart rate, loss of appetite, rapid
sweating, and a dry mouth and throat.
Methylenedioxymetamphetamine
 Ecstasy pills often contain
amounts of other drugs which may
include any of a wide range of
substances such as MDA,
MDEA, MBDB, PCP, DXM,
Ketamine, Caffeine, Amphetamine,
Methamphetamine, Ephedrine,
Methylenedioxymetamphetamine
 cinnamedryl Pseudoephedrine,
Aspirin, Paracetamol, and, in a small
number of cases, PMA, Cocaine,
Fentanyl, mCPP, BZP+TFMPP,
DOB, and 2C-B. In some cases
the substance sold as ecstasy may
not contain MDMA at all.
Methylenedioxymetamphetamine
 MDMA
was historically used in a
therapeutic setting by a small
number of psychiatrists for marriage
counseling, before it was outlawed
by the DEA because of its
widespread recreational use.
Methylenedioxymetamphetamine
 As
of 2001, it is being considered
by the FDA in the treatment of
Post-traumatic stress disorder. It is
also being evaluated for possible
usages in palliative care.
Norepinephrine and
Dopamine Reuptake
Inhibitors (NDRIs)
EXAMPLE
Norepinephrine and Dopamine
Reuptake Inhibitors (NDRIs)
 These compounds inhibit the
uptake of the monoamines
dopamine and norepinephrine into
storage vesicles, effectively
increasing their amounts in the brain
and causing a stimulating effect.
Norepinephrine and Dopamine
Reuptake Inhibitors (NDRIs)

Many of these compounds are effective
ADHD medications and
antidepressants. The most popular and
well-known dopamine and
norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor
antidepressant is bupropion
(Wellbutrin).
Norepinephrine and Dopamine
Reuptake Inhibitors (NDRIs)
Other examples of NDRIs include
MDPV, pyrovalerone,
 mazindol and pipradrol. Although these
medicines have similar methods of action to
stimulants, they are less popular for abuse
(thus not scheduled) and have an extended
release mechanism or a very long half life.
Many NDRIs are also phenethylamines.

Cocaine
EXAMPLE
Cocaine
 Cocaine is
made from the leaves of
the coca shrub, which grows in the
mountain regions of South American
countries such as Bolivia, Colombia,
and Peru. In Europe and North
America, the most common form of
cocaine is a white crystalline powder.
Cocaine
 Cocaine is
a stimulant but is not
normally prescribed therapeutically
for its stimulant properties,
although it sees clinical use as a
local anesthetic, particularly in
ophthalmology.
Cocaine

Most cocaine use is recreational and its
abuse potential is high, and so its sale
and possession are strictly controlled in
most jurisdictions. Other tropane
derivative drugs related to cocaine are
also known such as troparil and
lometopane but have not been widely
sold or used recreationally.
Caffeine
EXAMPLE
Caffeine

Caffeine is a drug that is found
naturally in coffee, tea, and to a small
extent cocoa. It is also found in many
soft drinks, particularly energy drinks.
Caffeine stimulates the body,
increasing heart rate and blood
pressure, and alertness, making some
people feel better and able to
concentrate.
Caffeine
 In
large doses, caffeine is also a mild
diuretic. The vast majority (over
80%) of people in the United
States consume caffeine on a daily
basis. As a result, few jurisdictions
restrict its sale and use.
Caffeine

Caffeine is also sold in some countries
as an isolated drug (as opposed to its
natural occurrence in many foods). It
serves as a mild stimulant to ward off
sleepiness and sees wide use among
people who must remain alert in their
work (e.g. truck drivers, military
members).
Caffeine
 Some medications contain caffeine
as one of their minor active
ingredients, often for the purpose
of enhancing the effect of the main
ingredient or reducing one of its
side effects.
Nicotine
EXAMPLE
Nicotine

Nicotine is an alkaloid found in the
nightshade family of plants
(Solanaceae), predominantly in
tobacco, and in lower quantities in
tomato, potato, eggplant (aubergine),
and green pepper. Nicotine alkaloids
are also found in the leaves of the coca
plant.
Nicotine
 Nicotine constitutes 0.3 to
5% of
the tobacco plant by dry weight,
with biosynthesis taking place in the
roots, and accumulates in the
leaves. It is a potent nerve poison
and is included in many insecticides.
Nicotine
 The primary therapeutic use
of
nicotine is in treating nicotine
dependence in order to eliminate
smoking with its risks to health.
Nicotine

In very low concentrations, nicotine acts
as a stimulant, and it is one of the main
factors responsible for the
dependence-forming properties of
tobacco smoking. Although pure
nicotine is noncarcinogenic, its
presence may inhibit the body's ability
to cull aberrant cells.
Ampakines
EXAMPLE
Ampakines

Recently, there have been
improvements in the area of stimulant
pharmacology, producing a class of
chemicals known as ampakines, or
eugeroics, (good arousal). These
stimulants tend to increase alertness
without the peripheral (body) effects or
addiction/tolerance/abuse potential of
the traditional stimulants.
Ampakines
 They have minimal effect on
sleep
structure, and do not cause rebound
hypersomnolence or "come down"
effects. Currently, there are two
stimulants in this class being used:
modafinil and adrafinil, marketed as
Provigil and Olmifon, respectively.
Ampakines
 Modafinil and
adrafinil also have
some amphetamine like actions, in
terms that they increase dopamine
and nor epinephrine, but they also
have another mode of action as
GABA antagonists.
Ampakines

Newer ampakines such as ampalex and
CX717 have been developed but are
still in clinical trials and have not yet
been sold commercially. Another
compound with similar effects to these
drugs is carphedon, which is sold as a
general stimulant in Russia under the
brand name Phenotropil.
TESTING
TESTING

The presence of stimulants in the body
may be tested by a variety of
procedures. Serum and urine are the
common sources of testing material
although saliva is sometimes used.
Commonly used tests include
chromatography, immunologic assay and
mass spectrometry.
TESTING
 Recent chronic abuse of stimulants
can also be detected, with a high level
of certainty, after metabolism has
eliminated the presence of any
stimulant metabolite from the body.
All stimulants destabilize the action
of the hypothalamus on the pituitary.
TESTING

Under controlled conditions the
hypothalamus secretes thyroid-releasing
hormone (TRH).This then stimulates the
pituitary to release thyroid-stimulating
hormone (TSH). Generally when 1
ampule of TRH (Protirelin) is injected
into a vein, 5-10 ug of TSH is detected
in the bloodstream after 20 minutes.
TESTING

The amount of TSH released after a
recent history of chronic stimulant use,
is decreased. Usually the level of
TSH in such a blood sample is less
than 5 ug. This test is generally
accurate even after discontinuance of
the drug several weeks earlier and with a
negative drug screen.
THE END
MR. MARK ANTHONY
DEL ROSARIO
Health III