Its effects on dopaminergic transmission lead to the same consequences. If you ask science: any stimulant can produce addiction via its very nature. These smart drugs create tolerance and then showcase characteristic withdrawal symptoms like exhaustion, depression, altered moods, psychomotor retardation, irritability, disturbed sleep patterns, increased appetite, and so forth. Rarely does it make its way into a headline-or if it does-it lurks in the shadow of the article which speaks on the string of overdose deaths related to painkillers.ĭespite, studies prove that the effects of amphetamine-based medication and methylphenidate functions similarly to amphetamines (known as d-amphetamine) and cocaine. For one, Adderall and study drug addiction is not nearly addressed as say, opioids for instance. There is a massive amount of work yet to be done regarding these performance-enhancing drugs and addiction. It is in this threshold, this limbo between ‘need’ and ‘want’ that the demon of addiction can make its entrance. The medication then becomes a necessity for ‘normality’ rather than an aid to help a condition, as the patient reels beneath the pressure of extreme fatigue, depression, anxiety, a lack of appetite, and reduced cognitive function and awareness. When the drug is removed, the patient can have a greater imbalance than before. A brain ill-equipped to generate its own supply of dopamine will begin to rely on these medications as a crutch, treating the pill as the neurotransmitter itself, thus working less to generate its own supply. Not engineered for long-term use, the prolonged use of these medications alter brain chemistry. Meaning those predisposed to this condition can take only one pill and trigger a mental illness otherwise dormant.īeyond that, in a larger sense, study-drugs pose serious dependency problems. This means, at their very worst, study-drugs can be triggers for psychosis (investigate links between schizophrenia and study drugs). What the healthcare industry is selling here is a stimulant by definition and can interact with the brain in the same way as meth. The word amphetamine-found in most of the common ‘study-drugs,’ should be enough to raise an alarm. This is why, when taking a stimulant, a patient must be vetted to ensure they have no heart condition (or any condition) that could pose a threat to their health when using a stimulant. Sweat can be a sign of this-as stimulants raise body temperature. The metabolism activates, breathing shortens, and your body begins to act as if it is experiencing a non-intensive form of exercise.
The heart rate increases, driving blood pressure upwards. Lastly, this ‘hyper-drive’ gear it shifts the brain into then advertently affects the body. Essentially, these study drugs not only activate the parts of your brain responsible for your ‘intellectual effectiveness but they also work to nourish the reward center, which can produce happiness and even aid the mentally ill in their struggles with depression. These neurotransmitters live in the prefrontal cortex, a region of the brain responsible for executive functioning, which is why these increases in cognitive performance ensue. As these neurotransmitter levels raise, the effects are a heightened sense of focus, higher energy, extended calmness, and bliss (the euphoria is due to the stimulation in the brain’s reward center). Typically, amphetamine-based stimulants (the generality for stimulant drugs) stimulate the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine. Every study drug is going to interact with the brain in its own way.