He Speed Is the name given to a drug synthesized from amphetamine sulfate that is consumed by the nasal (snorted) or oral route.
The main consequences of speed are feelings of well-being, increased energy, alertness and activation, decreased tiredness, hunger and sleep, and a generalized over-activity of mental state.
However, the consumption of this drug can be highly dangerous and reports a series of very negative consequences in the long term and in the short term.
What is speed?
Speed is a drug that belongs to the family of Phenethylamines , That is to say, it forms part of the group of substances amphetamínicas.
Its scientific name is amphetamine sulfate and is made up synthetically from the substances of amphetamine.
Amphetamines are natural drugs that, when consumed, stimulate the central nervous system of the brain.
Methamphetamine, on the other hand, are synthetic compounds from this substance that are made with the aim of producing drugs of abuse.
In this way, the speed is performed in laboratories to be commercialized illegally and to be administered as recreational drug.
Thus, in spite of possessing therapeutic properties used in treatments of Narcolepsy And the Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity , Its main use is in party spaces.
The speed is usually consumed snorting, which produces a more immediate effects, although it can also be consumed smoked and orally and intravenously.
People who consume it report effects such as increased energy, increased mood, joy, suppression of tiredness and a generalized state of well-being.
However, the consumption of this drug causes an overstimulation of the brain that can also produce unpleasant symptoms such as nausea, palpitations, dizziness or Headaches .
Likewise, the risks of this drug are accentuated when consumed of prolonged, abusive or chronic form.
It should be noted that speed specifically stimulates the central nervous system and, unlike amphetamine, is synthesized to produce very high effects.
In this way, the drug overstimulates the brain in an uncontrolled way, so it can produce brain damage and psychopathological alterations very easily.
Likewise, this drug has an addictive potential elevad so that"hooking"to speed is relatively simple if consumed periodically.
Effects of speed on health
1- Dangerous poisoning
First, it must be taken into account that the consumption of speed can have negative consequences with a single consumption.
In this way, the repercussions do not only appear with prolonged consumption of the drug since a simple intoxication can already have negative consequences.
As we said, speed overstimulates the central nervous system, so when we consume the drug and it reaches our brain, it can greatly modify our mental functioning.
The main negative symptoms that can lead to the consumption of Sspeed are the feelings of irritability, hyperactivity, restlessness or even aggressiveness .
These symptoms are usually annoying but above all can create a serious danger for the person intoxicated by speed.
Being overactivated, restless, hyperactive or even aggressive can lead the person to engage in risky behaviors that can intrude on their physical integrity.
On the other hand, the consumption of speed can also cause hallucinations, convulsions or insomnia, symptoms that can be highly dangerous.
Finally, it must be taken into account that the overactivation and overstimulation produced by the drug also increases the heart rate so it can cause palpitations, tachycardia, nausea, headaches or even death.
2- Amphetamine toxic psychosis
Abandoning the direct effects of consumption, we are already focusing on the long-term consequences that speed consumption can produce.
It is necessary to emphasize that these effects that we will comment next do not occur whenever speed is consumed of periodic form, nevertheless, yes that they appear in a great number of cases of people that abuse of this drug.
The first of all we will comment on is the toxic amphetamine psychosis.
This type of psychosis is mental illness very similar to Schizophrenia In which the person suffers a psychotic disorder through the direct effect of speed.
Although this condition does not appear in all cases, it is necessary to take into account that it is not necessary that the person consumes speed of prolonged form during years to suffer a toxic psychosis amphetamine.
Typically, this condition is characterized by symptoms typical of schizophrenia such as: hallucinations, delusions, disorganization in thinking and extravagant behaviors, and referral when the effects of the drug have disappeared.
However, sometimes this psychosis can end up leading to a pure psychotic disorder so that psychosis becomes chronic.
3- Anxiety crisis
Another disturbance that can cause prolonged consumption of speed is the anxiety crisis.
This disorder is characterized by sudden state suffering from extreme anxiety in which the person is totally paralyzed by their fear.
Anxiety attacks or panic attacks Appear suddenly and unpredictably, and from them the individual experiences fear in the face of the possibility that they may recur and in relation to the physical or psychic consequences of them.
Likewise, crises occur repetitively so that the person is suffering from unpredictable anxiety attacks on a constant basis.
During the attack, the individual who suffers from it may experience palpitations, heart shaking or increased heart rate, sweating, shaking or shaking, feeling of shortness of breath or breathlessness, choking sensation, oppression, nausea or dizziness.
You may also experience instability, lightheadedness or fainting, depersonalization, fear of losing control or going crazy, or affraid to die , And lives the crisis as an extremely unpleasant moment.
This psychological disorder does not only appear with the consumption of speed since it presents other types of causes, however, the cerebral alterations that this drug makes can predispose to the chronic consumer of speed to suffer anxiety crisis.
4- Dependence and tolerance
Dependence and tolerance Are undoubtedly the most important problems presented by all substances that have an addictive component.
In fact, if the addictive substances did not cause one of these two symptoms in the consumer, most probably would not appear the others.
This fact can be understood in this way since a consumer of any drug, would surely stop taking it as soon as he began to perceive the negative effects of having to take the substance periodically.
However, the onset of drug addiction is what causes the person to remain hooked on the drug and continue to abuse it despite being aware of the harm caused by the drug.
In this way, speed constitutes a psychoactive drug with a clear addictive component, so that the person who takes this drug can be hooked to it with relative ease.
In fact, due to the high release of dopamine (the main neurotransmitter of addiction) in the brain that produces Methamphetamine , Speed is one of the most addictive drugs.
This demonstrates the high danger of consuming this Type of drug , Since it does not require years of consumption to create a clear addiction.
Also, when we talk about addiction we have to take into account its two basic concepts: tolerance and dependence.
Tolerance refers to the Habituation Which makes the body and mind to drug consumption.
Thus, when speed is consumed for the first time, possibly with a very small dose and we will be able to notice the effects we want from the drug.
However, as a person is consuming this drug on a regular basis, the tolerance to the substance will be greater.
This means that as a person consumes greater amounts of speed, each time he requires higher doses to experience the effects he previously experienced with much smaller doses.
In addition, tolerance affects not only the rewarding effects but also the more negative effects caused by non-consumption of speed.
In this way, when a person starts to use this drug frequently, his brain asks for the administration of speed when it takes a certain time without consuming it.
At first these desires of the speed-consuming brain can be satiated with small doses and not very frequent, however, as more is consumed and increasing tolerance, the brain will require more and more doses of the substance.
The latter we have explained is closely related to the other concept of addiction: dependency.
When a person becomes dependent on a substance implies that the brain requires the administration of the drug in order to function correctly.
Otherwise, the person will begin to experience a series of unpleasant symptoms and a high need for consumption.
This can happen very easily with the speed, so the consumer begins to be dependent on the substance to be able to function properly.
This fact causes a high discomfort in the person when not consumed by what the drug needs, not only to achieve pleasant effects but to avoid unpleasant effects.
5- Severe depression
As we have said, speed is a psychostimulant drug of the Central Nervous System .
Brain stimulation is performed primarily through a neurotransmitter known as dopamine.
Thus, dopamine is a substance that is in the brain that connects neurons to others.
Although the functions of dopamine are multiple, one of them stands out above all: the sensation of reward and pleasure.
In this way, this neurotransmitter is the component of the main brain that allows us to have feelings of pleasure and gratification.
As we have seen in the previous section, the modification of this Neurotransmitter That causes the speed is the main aspect that explains the clear addiction that causes its consumption.
However, by modifying the pleasure sensations of the brain as high as speed does, the mood can also be highly disturbed.
When we consume speed we accustom the brain to experience gratification only when we consume high amounts of a substance that produces an immense release of dopamine.
Thus, it is very likely that the dopamine that releases our brain when we perform enjoyable activities is too low, so we can start not being able to enjoy anything, decrease motivation and, eventually, develop severe depression .
6- Brain Impairment
The repeated consumption of speed not only modifies the functioning of the substances of our brain but can change and deteriorate certain brain structures.
In this way, the prolonged consumption of speed affects and deteriorates very well to parts of the brain known as Rafe nuclei .
This brain region is responsible for performing a large number of physiological functions such as:
- Regulation of pain.
- Corporal temperature regulation.
- Ingestion of food and drink.
- Motor activity.
- Control of cardiovascular function.
- Muscle contraction, regulation of sexual activity.
- Memory and learning processes.
Consuming speed in a long way can lead to dysfunctions in these activities.
7- Teeth, gums and nails disorder
It should be noted that the consumption of speed does not only cause changes in the mental level but also can deteriorate other parts of the body.
In this sense, the teeth, gums and nails can be clearly harmed and may cause various alterations.
8- Acne and dry hair
Finally, in the same line as the previous point, the consumption of speed is very harmful for skin and hair development.
Thus, the appearance of acne on the skin and dryness in the hair are two typical symptoms that causes the consumption of this drug.
References
- Becoña, E.I., Rodríguez, A.L. And Salazar, I.B. (Eds), Drug addiction 1. Introduction University of Santiago de Compostela, 1994
- Cooper, J.R., Bloom, F.L. & Roth, R.H. The biochemical basis of neuropharmacology. Oxford University Press 2003
- Korenman, S.G. And Barchas, J.D. (Eds) Biological Basis of Substance Abuse Oxford University press, 1993
- Snyder, S.H. Drugs and Brain Barcelona: Scientific Press, 1992
- Stahl, S.M. Essential psychopharmacology Barcelona: Ariel. 2002