Top 7 Most Commonly Used Stimulants

The negative effects of caffeine...

1. Cardiovascular Problems:  Caffeine increases the heart rate, elevates blood pressure, and can contribute to the development of heart disease.  Drinking both decaf and regular coffee may also increase cholesterol and homocysteine levels, increasing the risk of heart attack.  Caffeine is linked to coronary vasospasms, causing 20% of all fatal heart attacks that kill otherwise perfectly healthy people.
2. Stress & Anxiety:  Caffeine stimulates the release of stress hormones that can produce increased levels of anxiety, irritability, muscular tension and pain, indigestion, insomnia, and decreased immunity.  It artificially stresses the body.  Sleep is one of the most effective ways to fight anxiety, and drinking coffee in excess or too late in the day may prevent the body from using this natural stress-coping mechanism.
3. Emotional Disturbances:  Anxiety and irritability are well-known mood disturbances associated with caffeine consumption, but equally important are depression and attention disorders.  Depression may occur as the stimulant effect of caffeine wear off.  It may also appear as a temporary withdrawal symptom when caffeine is given up while the brain's chemistry readjusts and normalizes.  Caffeine can decrease blood flow to the brain by as much as 30%.
4. Blood Sugar Swings:  Diabetics and hypoglycemics should avoid caffeine because it stimulates a temporary surge in blood sugar, followed by an overproduction of insulin, which causes a blood sugar crash within hours.  This roller-coaster causes weight gain because insulin's message to the body is to store excess sugar as fat.  Caffeine can impair insulin sensitivity, even in healthy individuals.  ...Read more about insulin
5. Gastrointestinal Problems:  Many people experience a burning sensation in their stomach after drinking coffee because coffee increases the secretion of hydrochloric acid, which leads to an increased risk for ulcers.  Coffee, including decaf, reduces pressure on the valves between the esophagus and the stomach so that the highly acidic contents of the stomach pass up to the esophagus.  This can lead to heartburn and gastro-esophageal reflux disease. 
6. Nutritional Deficiencies:  Caffeine inhibits the absorption of some essential nutrients and causes the urinary excretion of calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, and trace minerals.
7. Male Health Problems:  Milton Krisiloff, MD, has found that in the majority of cases, men can significantly reduce their risk for urinary and prostate problems by making dietary changes, which includes eliminating caffeine.
8. Female Health Problems:  Fibrocystic breast disease, PMS, infertility problems, miscarriage, low birth weight, and menopausal problems such as hot flashes are all exacerbated by caffeine consumption.  Women on birth control pills are particularly at risk since they tend to have a decreased ability to detoxify caffeine.
9. Osteoporosis:  Caffeine can cause the excretion of calcium from the bones, contributing to osteoporosis and other bone conditions.
10. Aging:  Many people find that in their 40's, they can no longer tolerate the same level of caffeine consumption they could in their 20's and 30's.  Production of DHEA, melatonin, and other vital hormones decline with age, but caffeine speeds up that decline.  Caffeine has been shown to inhibit DNA repair and slow the ability of the liver to detoxify foreign toxins.
11. Adrenal Exhaustion:  Caffeine consumption over time can lead to adrenal exhaustion, which can leave you vulnerable to a variety of health disorders related to fatigue.
12. Dehydration:  Caffeine dehydrates the body, which contributes to aging of the skin and conditions such as cellulite.
13. Weight Gain:  Coffee is rarely taken black.  Refined sugars, milk, chocolate, and other flavors are often added that are high in fat and calories.  Coffee houses sell specialty drinks that can easily reach in excess of 400, 500, and even 600 calories just for one drink. 
14. Mutagens:  When coffee beans are roasted, mutagens and genotoxins are created such as methylglyoxal.  A genotoxin is a substance toxic to genes and chromosomes and plays a critical role in disease and aging.

Quitting A Caffeine Addiction

The occasional cup of coffee is not the problem.  It is the addiction to the effects of caffeine, creating a need for it on a daily basis that is the issue.

Quitting a caffeine addiction may be a challenge, but the great news is that it is a short-term one.  When we give up caffeine, the withdrawal symptoms are temporary and well worth the effort.  Your highs should come from being naturally high on life, not from any artificially stimulated highs! 

Caffeine can be given up slowly by steadily reducing the number of times you drink it, or given up cold-turkey.  Following a good, solid plan that addresses the addiction, and the reason you engage in it in the first place, will help you kick the habit for good.

If you begin by decreasing caffeine consumption over time, you will reduce the withdrawal symptoms.  Increasing other fluids and coffee alternatives, while decreasing caffeine, helps tremendously during this transition.  Drink other fluids such as bottled or filtered water, fresh fruit or vegetables juices, and coffee alternatives.

• Ready to quit caffeine?  Let's get started! 
• Check out healthier alternatives to coffee & caffeine

#2 - Tobacco/Smoking

The American Lung Association states that tobacco smoke contains over 500 known toxins, the worst being nicotine, tar, and carbon monoxide.  These toxins are inhaled into the lungs, and are then absorbed into the bloodstream.  

"Smoking is directly responsible for 1 in 3 of every cancer." Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

As we know, tobacco is highly addictive.  The National Institute of Drug Abuse estimates that smoking is responsible for over 300,000 premature deaths each year, with more than 500,000 Americans dying from smoking-related illnesses.  The vast majority of smokers are heavily addicted to smoking, and many try in vain to give up the habit.

Why Smoke?

People smoke for many reasons:  To help them relax, to cope with tension and anxiety, and simply out of habit.  Because it has become an ingrained part of the daily ritual, smoking becomes an automatic response when taking a break, relaxing with friends, watching TV, after eating a meal, and when having a glass of wine.  Many people especially associate having a cigarette with alcohol.

The Effects of Smoking on the Body

Smoking negatively affects nearly every organ of the body.  

• In the US alone, smoking cigarettes causes over 480,000 deaths each year.
• Of the people who smoke, 1/3 to 1/2 will die early from the habit by approximately 9 years, simply because they are smokers.
• Smoking a pack a day makes you twice as likely to die from lung cancer, emphysema, and heart disease than non-smokers. 
• About 80% of all deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are caused by smoking.

When we are addicted to one substance, we are typically attracted to other addictive substances.  Studies have shown that smoking also creates a desire for both caffeine and sugar, and that twice as many smokers are found among coffee drinkers than non coffee drinkers.  And vice versa, the typical SAD (Standard American Diet) contains addictive food additives, intensifying smoking addiction.  This is why when we choose to adopt a healthy diet while quitting smoking, our chances of success are much higher because we are not engaging in an addictive behavior.

Let's take a look at how smoking impacts the body:⁽³⁾

How smoking damages the body...

1. Reduced Oxygen Capacity:  The lungs of a smoker have a greatly reduced surface area, and cannot take in oxygen as efficiently.  Your body holds nearly 100,000 miles of blood vessels, and each time you inhale smoke, these blood vessels constrict and deprive your body of a much larger amount of fresh oxygen.  The result is reduced oxygen circulation within the body.  Check out the high vibrational living program to understand why a well-oxygenated body is critical to vibrant health.
   
   The surface area of the lungs are greatly decreased by tissue degeneration from the effects of smoking (well-known to those suffering from emphysema).  When the surface area of the lungs decreases, this can create a serious problem during strenuous exercise, which requires a larger exchange of gases over the surface of the lungs.  The American Heart Association says that smoking 2 packs each day increases death from cardiovascular disease by 3 times.  
   
   The heat and tar in the smoke paralyzes the cilia in the lungs, which act as filters.  When paralyzed, they can no longer filter properly and the carbon monoxide attaches to the hemoglobin in the blood, crowding out the oxygen.  This is why smokers become oxygen-starved, as up to 20% of their red blood cells are filled with carbon monoxide.
   
   
2. Premature Aging:  Smoking prematurely ages the tissues of the face, especially around the nose and mouth. 
   
   
3. Increased Heart Rate:  Nicotine can increase the heart rate by up to 25%, and multiply the amount of adrenalin in circulation as much as 4 times.  Smoking a pack each day can maintain a constant adrenalin flow.  Over time, this continual shot of adrenalin can wear out the adrenals and contribute to both adrenal and chronic fatigue. 
   
   By constricting the blood vessels while increasing the heart rate and decreasing oxygen, the heart has to work harder to pump the blood.  It makes the blood more "sticky," activating the clogging mechanism, contributing to atherosclerotic build-up.
   
   
4. Increased Risk Of Blood Clot:  Women on birth control pills who smoke run a higher risk of developing hardening of the arteries, blood clots, and heart disease. 
   
   
5. Effect on Pregnancy & Fetal Health:  Pregnant women seriously endanger the health of their unborn fetus when they smoke, and are at higher risk for early delivery, ectopic pregnancy, babies at risk of stillbirth, low birth weight, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and orofacial clefts.
   
   
6. Lower Bone Density:  Women who smoke have lower bone density (weaker bones) after childbearing years and are at greater risk of broken bones.
   
   
7. Increased Risk of Cataracts:  Smoking increases your risk for cataracts and other degenerative eye conditions.
   
   
8. Smoking & Cancer:  Smoking increases your risk of developing cancer in almost every area of the body.  The CDC estimates that smoking is responsible for 1 in 3 of every cancer.

The effect of second-hand smoke on non-smokers...

Non-smokers have a right to healthy, clean air just as smokers have a right to smoke.  Luckily, in the US many public places such as corporate office buildings, shopping malls, restaurants, and public transportation such as planes, trains, buses, and public buildings have banned smoking. 

Let's take a look at the following American Cancer Society statistics on the effects of second hand smoke (SHS):

• SHS contains 7,000 chemical compounds. More than 250 of these chemicals are known to be harmful, and at least 69 are known to cause cancer.
• There is a definitive link between SHS and lung cancer.
• Evidence suggests SHS is linked to lymphoma, leukemia, brain tumors in children, and cancers of the larynx (voice box), pharynx (throat), nasal sinuses, brain, bladder, rectum, stomach, and breast in adults.
• SHS contains about 20 chemicals that, in high concentrations, cause breast cancer in rodents.  In humans, chemicals from tobacco smoke reach breast tissue and can be found in breast milk.  A report from the California EPA in 2005 concluded that the evidence regarding SHS and breast cancer is “consistent with a causal association” in younger women. This means that SHS acts as if it could be a cause of breast cancer in these women.

In the US, the costs of extra medical care, illness, and death caused by SHS are over $10 billion each year:

• SHS causes between 150,000 and 300,000 lower respiratory tract infections (lung and bronchus) in children under 18 months of age, with 7,500 to 15,000 hospitalizations each year in the US.
• SHS causes an estimated 42,000 deaths from heart disease.
• SHS causes an estimated 3,400 deaths from lung cancer in adults.
• SHS causes worse asthma and asthma-related problems in up to 1 million asthmatic children.

Never Allow Cigarette Smoke In Your Home

The smoke from smokers especially pollutes air in enclosed spaced.  The amount of carbon monoxide in the blood of a non-smoker doubles in a poorly ventilated area that fills with cigarette smoke. 

• If you spend 8 hours in an office where smoking is permitted, you will inhale the equivalent of 3 low-tar cigarettes.
• If you spend 3 hours in a restaurant's non-smoking section while smokers sit in a smoking section, you will inhale the equivalent of 1 low-tar cigarette.
• If you spend 4 hours at a party where there are smokers, you will inhale the equivalent of 2 low-tar cigarettes.

More cadmium is released from the smoking end of the cigarette (or an idle cigarette) than is actually taken in by the smoker.  Cadmium is related to bronchitis, emphysema, and high blood pressure.  

Quit your smoking habit today...

#3 - Alcohol

Alcohol, whether it is a beer or a glass of wine, or a shot of vodka or hard liquor, has become a symbol good times and social events.  Parties, get-togethers, dinner parties, ball games, and dating all offer the thrill of alcohol.  It is not only socially accepted but it's expected!  When dating, women look forward to being "wined and dined," and how many of us enjoy a glass of wine after an evening meal, or to simply help us wind down the day.  Let's face it, alcohol is a deeply ingrained part of our culture.

Unless a person has a medical condition that can be worsened by consuming alcohol, they are under the legal drinking age, or they are abusing alcohol, having an occasional glass of wine or high quality beer from time to time does not qualify as an addiction.  If you have a healthy and highly nutritious diet, then all the better to help your body quickly recover from any negative effects of the occasional drink.  Do your body a favor and go one step further:  Make it organic, which means you won't be drinking any pesticide residue!

Do You Have An Alcohol Addiction?

"Billions of dollars are spent annually on health & medical care, car accidents, work loss, industrial injuries, suicide attempts, violent & non-violent crime, support groups, & social programs that are all related to alcohol abuse."

Some of us only drink socially, and others drink more often.  Many do not realize their drinking habit is bordering on an addiction or that they are already addicted.  The ability to easily drink more than others is an early symptom of alcoholism, and indicates a tolerance that can move into a dependence.

In this day and age of high-stress jobs and relationships, the cold and hard statistic is that if you drink, you have a 1 in 10 chance of living to become an alcoholic.

• Light drinking:  2-3 drinks per week or less.
• Moderate drinking:  1-2 drinks per day.
• Heavy drinking:  3 or more drinks per day.
• Hard drinking:  Drinking hard and steady at any time throughout the day - either without any sign of being drunk, or to the point of drunkenness.

If a normally tense, highly strung, or nervous person regularly drinks alcohol to become "relaxed" at the end of their stressful day, that person is more likely to become alcohol dependent.  

This quiz from Alcoholic's Anonymous can help us understand if alcohol has become a larger part of our life than we may have realized, and to a degree that it is no longer healthy.  If you answer yes to 3 or more of these questions, then it may be time to address a potential problem:

1. Do you drink to escape from problems or worries?
2. Do you crave a drink at certain times of the day?
3. Do you often drink alone?
4. Do you drink to increase your self-confidence?
5. Have you ever used alcohol as a medicine?
6. Do you say "I've only had a couple of drinks" when you know you have had more?
7. Do you look forward to drinking?
8. Do you feel resentment towards those who question the amount you drink?
9. Have you ever lost time from work or activities due to drinking?
10. Has your drinking ever created problems in your relationships?
11. Do you feel guilty after drinking?
12. Do you drink to feel relaxed or to feel less tense?

The Effect of Alcohol on the Body

In small doses, alcohol makes us feel relaxed, less tense, and more self-confident by depressing the inhibitory centers in the brain.  After several drinks, however, the central nervous system slows down and we become noticeably affected.  We have slower reflexes, delayed reaction time, and have less control over our muscular responses.  Critical thinking is also depressed.

Alcohol abuse kills not only people, but damages and destroys relationships and our quality of life.  It can and does severely affect the lives of those who surround the alcohol sufferer.  Billions of dollars are spent annually on health and medical care, car accidents, work loss, industrial injuries, suicide attempts, violent and non-violent crime, support groups, and social programs that are all related to alcohol abuse.  The emotional toll on both the person and loved ones cannot be quantified.

Alcohol abuse is a part of 1 in 3 American families.
If you drink, you have a 1 in 10 chance of becoming an alcoholic.

Studies show that alcohol abusers die up to 16 years earlier than other people.  This is because alcohol impairs the entire system, not just the liver.  A healthy human liver takes about 1 hour to detoxify one shot of 100 proof liquor.  It takes the body approximately a week to completely detoxify from a drunken fest.  

The health consequences of drinking alcohol...

• When we drink alcohol, it is broken down into toxic substances that damage our bodies at a cellular level.
• It destroys the cells in the brain (approximately 100,000 each time we drink an alcoholic beverage). 
• It elevates blood pressure and stimulates cortisol release, causing sodium and water retention that further elevates the blood pressure. 
• It stimulates the loss of potassium, which contributes to an irregular heartbeat. 
• It has a diuretic effect, dehydrating the body and causing blood to thicken and clot. 
• It damages heart muscle fibers, resulting in alcoholic cardiomyopathy, where the heart becomes dilated and unable to pump as efficiently. 
• Over time with chronic alcohol abuse, organs such as the liver become permanently damaged.  Normal liver cells are replaced by fibroid (scarred) tissue so that the liver can no longer function as it should. 
• It can cause us to become irrational and experience extremes of emotion, ranging from euphoria to anger, happiness to sadness.
• Alcohol in very large doses can cause alcohol poisoning and cause us to lose consciousness.  In severe cases, it can cause death as the cardiovascular and respiratory systems shut down.
• People who have between 1-3 drinks each day have a higher risk of developing oral cancer than non-drinkers.
• It damages the digestive organs, affecting the way the body assimilates the nutrients from food.
• It damages bone marrow.
• Prolonged, heavy drinking leads to lower sex drive, and in some men, impotency.
• Pregnant drinking women expose their unborn baby to risks of fetal alcohol syndrome.
• Abnormal sugar metabolism occurs in 70-90% of all alcoholics.
• Those who have an alcohol dependence are much more likely to eat a standard American diet of processed junk food, contributing to malnutrition, mineral deficiencies, and many types of chronic and autoimmune diseases.

You Are Not A Victim Of Your Past Environment

If one or both of your parents is an alcoholic, statistically you have a higher chance of becoming addicted to alcohol.  But you are not a victim of the environment you are raised in.  The opposite is true.  On the contrary, becoming fully aware of your family history, of the negative personal experiences you may have suffered at the hands of those who are alcohol-dependent, and knowing about the health impact, you can make the decision right now to choose the path of not being a victim of your past environment.  Instead, you have the choice to create a new environment where alcohol is no part of your game plan.

You are absolutely in control of your fate,
and you can choose to not be part of this statistic.  

Ready to quit an alcohol addiction?...

#4 - Chocolate

The average American consumes almost 12 lbs. of chocolate each year (with the Swiss consuming around 22 lbs. per person).

Chocolate comes from the seed of the cacao tree.  When first extracted, cacao has a very bitter taste.  Ancient civilizations such as the Aztecs, Mayans, and Omet in Mexico and Central America used the cacao beans and mixed them with various spices (usually chili powder, vanilla, or honey) to make delicious chocolate drinks.  The cacao flowers were also used to treat fatigue, and the paste was used as an appetite stimulant.  Cacao is high in potassium, iron, and calcium, as well as vitamins A, B, C, and D. 

Unfortunately, this is not the chocolate of today.  The chocolate that fills our grocery stores is commercially produced, and many have been stripped of all the nutrients found in the cacao bean.  Many do not even contain cacao, but instead, contain a variety of artificial chemicals that mimic real chocolate.  They also contain high amounts of sugar, fat, and trans fats.  There is very little about today's chocolate that resembles the healthy treat consumed in older civilizations.

So, why is it that we crave chocolate?  Because compounds such as theobromine⁽²⁾ found in the chocolate stimulate the release of serotonin in our brain, which is what helps produce feelings of pleasure, and gives us a sense of comfort and relaxation.  Theobromine is the alkaloid in cacao that is highly toxic to dogs.  But we also crave chocolate because of other addictive ingredients in the chocolate (known as "excitotoxins") that manufacturers add to keep us coming back for more.

Good Chocolate vs. Bad Chocolate - Make the Right Choice

There is nothing wrong with an occasional piece of chocolate, just make it the healthy kind!  Healthy chocolate is high in cacao, and is minimally processed with no unhealthy chemicals or ingredients.  Chocolate high in cacao content is known as dark chocolate (as opposed to milk chocolate or white chocolate), and there is now a large selection of dark chocolate that contains wonderful ingredients.  Even better, there are also brands of raw chocolate where none of the nutrients have been damaged by processing and high cooking temperatures. 

Follow these tips for buying both awesome AND healthy chocolate:

1. Choose high cacao content
   Choose at least 70% cacao content.  Look for the percentage on the front of the packaging.
   
   
2. If possible, choose organic
   Chocolate laced with pesticide residue just isn't healthy!  But don't assume that just because chocolate is listed as organic, it is necessarily good for you.  Some organic chocolates are filled with all sorts of undesirables, or a very high quantity of fat.  Some even contain hydrogenated oils.
   
   
3. If possible, choose raw
   If possible, purchase raw (Righteously Raw Chocolates  and Go Raw are two great examples of healthy, raw chocolate).
   
   
4. Choose only healthy ingredients
   Read the ingredient list carefully and choose chocolate that contains only healthy foods for ingredients.  The fewer ingredients, the better.  For example, the Go Raw chocolate in the picture contains only 3 ingredients:  Raw organic cacao, raw organic agave nectar, and organic orange oil.  You can't get much better than that..!

Healthy Ingredient Examples:
Cacao butter, cacao powder, cacao nibs, sea salt, nuts, honey, agave nectar, coconut, nut oils (e.g. coconut oil), vanilla bean, herbs, botanicals (e.g. lavender), essential oils...

Unhealthy Ingredient Examples:
Soy lecithin, natural flavor or color (unless it clearly states it comes from a whole food, e.g. paprika or strawberries), artificial flavor or color (e.g. yellow 6 or red 40 - these chemicals have been linked to health conditions), corn starch, sugar...

Dangers of chemicals in our food...

#5 - Energy Drinks & Energy Supplements

Supplement and soft drink manufacturers use all sorts of stimulants in energy drinks, soft drinks, energy supplements, energy bars, and diet food and drinks.  The stimulants they use range from caffeine to lab manufactured chemicals and herbal stimulants. Over 90% of the supplements on the market are synthetic (and many made in China).

 

Learn more about supplements - when to use them & what to avoid:
The Body Healer Protocol...

 

"The average 16 oz. can of an energy drink contains 13 tsp sugar & the caffeine equivalent of 4 or more colas."

We typically take an energy drink when we need to feel "stimulated" or need to study for a test, or in general, want to feel mentally alert and awake.  But similar to a caffeine addiction, some people are addicted to their effects and need to take them on a daily basis, or take them in an attempt to artificially rev up their metabolism when trying to lose weight.

Even if the ingredient list only contains organic and natural substances, energy drinks and bars still cause the body to become artificially stimulated because they are stimulants.  Energy drinks can often contain multiple stimulants to increase their effects.  If you drink energy drinks or take energy supplements on a regular basis, make sure you understand how a stimulant "stimulates" your body, and the long-term consequences you are setting yourself up for.  Also understand that, over time, this chronic stimulation damages the health of the thyroid and adrenal glands..

How stimulants affect our body...

The average 16 oz. can or bottle of energy drink can contain 13 teaspoons of sugar and the caffeine equivalent of 4 or more colas.  Despite what flashy energy drink labels say, there is very little difference between a junk soda and an energy drink.  In some cases, the energy drink is worse because most of them are glorified sodas containing an array of chemicals that your organs must then work harder to excrete.  

The main difference between a soda and an energy drink is the use of stimulant that has been added.  Popular ones include:  

• Taurine
  Taurine is an amino acid that is naturally produced by the human body.  Your body creates taurine using the amino acids methionine and cysteine.  It is also found naturally occurring in foods such as meat and seafood.  But the version found in energy drinks is chemically manufactured, not the natural kind.
  
  
• Guarana
  Extracted from the Paullinia Cupana plant native to South America, guarana is denser in caffeine than coffee beans.  The guarana fruit contains 2.5-7% caffeine – several times more than coffee beans.  It differs from caffeine in that it contains the molecules theobromine and theophylline,⁽²⁾ but the effects are similar to that of caffeine.
  
  
• Yerba Mate
  This herbal, earthy product gives you a mild energy buzz similar to caffeine, but without any of the negative and jittery side effects.  Like many teas and coffees, it contains various antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals including quercetin, theobromine,⁽²⁾ and theophylline.  The "mateine" in yerba mate refers to the caffeine.  In a food study, yerba mate was shown to restore insulin sensitivity in obese rats. 
  
  
• Ginseng
  Panax Ginseng is an Asian plant with a fleshy root that clinical studies are now linking to improved thinking and learning ability, concentration, memory, and other mental functions.  It has also been shown to lower blood pressure and reduce nervous tension.  In a typical serving, it does not have the same negative side effects as caffeine, and yet can help improve our ability to focus and concentrate.  It is often combined with caffeine in energy supplements to give an energy boost.  The health concern lies in the combination of ingredients often mixed with ginseng, rather than the ginseng itself.

#6 - Amphetamines & Methamphetamines

The name amphetamine comes from the chemical name alpha-methylphenethylamine.  Also known as "uppers" and "speed," amphetamines are a class of psychostimulant drug that affects the central nervous system and autonomic nervous system.  They can be highly addictive.  As well as giving the user an enhanced feeling of alertness and focus, they can also reduce appetite.

 

Amphetamines were once used as a weight loss treatment, but because of their addictive properties and negative side effects, they are much less commonly prescribed. 

Common side effects include:

• Tremors
• Constriction of blood vessels
• Insomnia / restlessness
• Irregular heart beat / heart palpitations
• Agitation / aggression / hostility / irritability / nervousness
• Dizziness
• Appetite loss
• Dry mouth
• Headaches
• Paranoia
• Itching / picking / scratching
• Increased talkativeness / abrupt shifts in thought and speech that are difficult to comprehend
• Increased body temperatures / sweating

Higher doses can result in more amphetamines than their body can deal with, leading to “amphetamine psychosis" where paranoid delusions, hallucinations, and bizarre, aggressive, or violent behavior is experienced.  These symptoms typically fade a few days after the person stops using amphetamines, but it takes the body take much longer to recover from the assault. 

Common overdose symptoms include:

• Hallucinations
• Seizures
• Violent and aggressive behavior
• Loss of coordination
• Irregular breathing / tremors
• Blurred vision
• Seizures
• Stroke
• Coma

From a prescription perspective, various amphetamines are prescribed to treat ADHD (see below).  The potential side effects are the same.  There is no "safe" level of amphetamine use.  ANY dosage of the drug always carries some risk, including prescribed medications that produce unwanted side effects and addiction.

Amphetamine vs. Methamphetamine

Although very similar in in many ways, including the side effects experienced and the action on the body, they are not quite the same thing. 

Methamphetamine (meth) breaks down into amphetamine when metabolized.  This means that meth turns into amphetamine in the body, and is excreted as amphetamine. The main difference between methamphetamines and amphetamines comes in the way that these drugs are processed, and this changes the way they affect the body.  Meth is "double methylated" instead of methylated once, which means it has a much stronger and quicker effect on the body.

Meth is in the same class as cocaine and is one of the most commonly used illegal amphetamines in the US.  It first acts as a stimulant, but then begins to systematically destroy the body.  It is associated with serious health conditions, including memory loss, aggression, psychotic behavior, and potential heart and brain damage as it destroys tissues within the brain.  It is highly addictive, burning up the body’s resources and creating a devastating dependence that can only be relieved by taking more of the drug.

Withdrawal from short-term use of both amphetamines and meth can cause depression, fatigue, and hunger.  Short-term users typically have slight symptoms that can last for several days, while long-term users may experience severe symptoms that can be overwhelming and last for several weeks.  They may feel agitated and anxious, suicidal, sleep too much, and have intense and lucid dreams.

#7 - Prescription Stimulants

Prescription stimulants are a class of drugs that artificially stimulate the processes within the body, including brain activity.  They are used to treat conditions ranging from ADHD to obesity, narcolepsy, depression, and neurological disorders.

Common names of prescription stimulants include: 

• Methylphenidate (Ritalin and Concerta) - prescribed for ADHD, narcolepsy, depression
• Dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine and Adderall) - prescribed for ADHD, depression, obesity
• Dextrostat - prescribed for ADHD, narcolepsy 
• Desoxyn - prescribed for ADHD, obesity
• ProCentra - prescribed for ADHD, narcolepsy
• Vyvanse - prescribed for ADHD
• Benzedrine - prescribed for ADHD, narcolepsy

Prescription stimulants work by increasing the effects of neurotransmitters called dopamine and norepinephrine.  As these drugs are classed as amphetamines, their side effects are the same as for amphetamines (see above).  They increase energy, attention, alertness, focus, and concentration, and can create feelings of euphoria.  They also raise a person's blood pressure and heart rate. 

Prescription stimulants can be very addictive, and when taken at high doses over a short period of time, can cause feelings of paranoia and aggressiveness. 

Avoid Drugs For Depression, ADHD, & Weight Conditions

Prescription stimulants are never a healthy answer for depression, ADHD, or weight conditions.  They are a band-aid solution that do not in any way address the root cause of the problem or help you recover from it.  They only serve to provide your body with unhealthy side effects that often create secondary health issues worse than the one you are treating.  

If you are ready to move away from prescription drugs, then you are in the right place.  By taking a look at each area of your life and working to restore them to a state of balance, your need for prescription drugs will disappear. 

Bring your body back into balance

The Body Healer Protocol

 

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RELATED ARTICLES

In this section...

• Stimulants & addictions 
• Top 7 most commonly used stimulants 
• Quit your addiction! 
• The Dirty Dozen:  What they are & why you should avoid them 
• Soda, pop, & energy drinks
• The standard American diet:  Fast-track to sickness 
• Additives & chemicals in our food 
• What are processed & refined foods 
• Why stress is a silent killer

 

In other sections...

• Get off the diet merry-go-round 
• Is your diet healthy?  See how it stacks up 
• Healthy food choices for children 
• Healthy food choices for pets
  

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View Sources & References

• ⁽¹⁾  Caffeine Blues:  Wake Up to the Hidden Dangers of America's #1 Drug, by author Stephen Cherniske
• ⁽²⁾  Theobromine is the alkaloid in cacao that is highly toxic to dogs, and produces a stimulatory effect.  Whereas caffeine is a vasoconstrictor, theobromine is a vasodilator, relaxing the smooth muscle in blood vessels to allow for better blood flow.
• ⁽³⁾  Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC)