Stimulant Addiction

Stimulants are a class of drugs that work to speed up the central nervous system and raises levels of physiological or nervous activity in the body resulting in increased energy, alertness, anxiety and restlessness. Some examples of drugs that fall under the stimulant category include, adderall, ritalin, cocaine, meth and amphetamines. Adderall and Ritalin are stimulant medications that are intended to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy, a chronic sleeping disorder. In many cases these prescription medications if not taken as prescribed become easily abused. Symptoms of stimulant abuse can include irregular heartbeat, loss of appetite, major changes in sleeping patterns, severe anxiety, exhaustion, secretive behavior, mania, psychosis, extreme impulsivity, tremors, seizures and even death. When combined with other medications stimulant abuse can result in elevated blood pressure, tremors, seizures, irregular heartbeat, heart failure, stroke and even death.
Dependence on stimulants can be both psychological and physiological. People who are dependent on stimulants find that using the drug becomes far more important than other activities in their life. The cravings and use of them becomes the focal part of their activities of daily living and can be extremely destructive.