SPEED: amphetamine harm reduction
Amphetamines - a brief history
First produced in 1887, amphetamine has been used to treat several conditions, such as:
- depression
- low blood pressure
- low sex drive
- attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- narcolepsy (inability to stay awake)
Amphetamines (or similar drugs such as Ritalin) are still prescribed today to treat conditions like ADHD.
It was first used commercially in the 1930s in the USA as a nasal decongestant (Benzedrine).
Amphetamine was available as an over-the-counter ‘pep pill’ and slimming aid during the 1950s before becoming popular in the early 1960s amongst people who wanted to get high and stay up all night and party, prompting a Government ban under the Drugs (Prevention of Misuse) Act 1964.
In the 1970s and 1980s, amphetamine use increased among young people in the mod and punk scenes and the all-nighter Northern Soul clubs, before gaining a new lease of life in the rave clubs of the 1980s and onwards. It is still one of the most widely used illegal drugs in the UK.
Speed
Speed (amphetamine) is a synthetic stimulant drug that increases energy and alertness. Amphetamine is part of the phenethylamines group of substances, which include MDMA (ecstasy), and more recent compounds like Bromodragonfly and Benzofuran.
Appearance
It is usually sold as an off-white, yellowish or pinkish powder or paste.B
Body and brain
Amphetamine works by stimulating your central nervous system and increasing the levels of brain chemicals dopamine, noradrenaline, and serotonin. It increases your heart rate and causes feelings of increased confidence, sociability, and energy.
How amphetamine is used
It can be snorted as a powder, mixed in drinks, wrapped in a cigarette paper and swallowed (bombed), or injected.
Snorting
Snorting amphetamine normally produces effects in a few minutes. They typically last for 4-8 hours.
Injecting
Injecting increases the chance of overdose and can damage veins and lead to infections and abscesses.
Bombing
When swallowed, the effects of amphetamine usually appear in around 30 minutes - or longer on a full stomach.
The effects
Amphetamines can affect different people in different ways. How you feel when you use amphetamine can depend on your mood, your personality and how you expect to feel.
Mental
- Increased confidence
- Feelings of wellbeing
- Alertness
Physical
- A rush of energy
- Increased heart rate
- Higher blood pressure
- Enlarged pupils
- Higher body temperature
- Reduced appetite
- Dry mouth
Negative
- Irritability
- Aggression
- Restlessness
- Paranoia
- Depression
The risks
Spreading germs
Sharing snorting tubes can spread infections and viruses, like Covid, hepatitis C and HIV.
Damaging your nostrils
Snorting damages your septum (the cartilage separating the nostrils). It can also lead to a reduced sense of smell, nosebleeds, pain when swallowing, a runny or blocked nose and recurring nose or throat infections.
Injecting
Injecting Speed is dangerous. It’s much easier to overdose. You will also inject the impurities in Speed and cause damage to your veins and arteries. And you are also at risk of getting HIV, hepatitis, or bacterial infection, if you share injection equipment.
Lack of sleep
Lack of sleep and appetite can put a strain on your body and immune system, leaving you open to infections and viruses like Covid, colds and flu.
Low energy
As the body’s energy stores become depleted, and the comedown kicks in, you can start to feel anxious and irritable. Using a lot, especially over a few days, can produce panic and paranoia. These feelings will generally go away after the drug is out of your system.
Heart attack and stroke
Amphetamines increase heart rate and blood pressure. High heart rate and blood pressure will increase the chances of heart attack or stroke - particularly in people with underlying health conditions.
Psychosis
Although rare, using amphetamines in large amounts over some time can cause long-term psychosis for some people. The symptoms can include hearing voices, seeing things that aren’t there, feeling that people are talking about you behind your back, or following you.
Your thoughts can be jumbled up, and you can feel scared and afraid. Some people fail to recover fully from psychosis and have lasting symptoms.
People with mental health issues or a history of family mental health problems are more likely to develop amphetamine-related mental health problems.
Addiction
Amphetamines are addictive. If you use a lot regularly, you can build up a tolerance, which means you will need more and more, to get the same buzz or feel ‘normal’ or to avoid the unpleasant feelings of withdrawal.
Regular amphetamine use can quickly become compulsive and out of control, and users can experience insomnia, mood swings and cravings when they try to stop.
Long-term use can damage the heart or cause an irregular heartbeat and is associated with changes in the brain that can have a long-term impact on how you feel.sense of smell, nosebleeds, pain when swallowing, a runny or blocked nose and recurring nose or throat infections.
Mixing amphetamines with other drugs
Mixing drugs is dangerous. When drugs are combined, the risk of overdose is substantially increased. Stimulants Using amphetamine with other stimulants can result in palpitations, chest pain and heart problems, along with dangerously high blood pressure and body temperature. Depressants Amphetamines can mask the depressant effects of alcohol or heroin.
Because your body processes different drugs at different speeds, depressant drugs can rise to dangerous levels, reducing your breathing and heart rate to critical levels. Antidepressants Using antidepressants with amphetamines can cause unpredictable and unpleasant effects.
High blood pressure can occur when amphetamines are combined with some antidepressants. Certain antidepressants can interfere with your liver’s ability to process amphetamines, increasing amphetamine levels.
The law
Amphetamine is a Class B drug, which means it’s illegal to possess, give away or sell.
Possession can get you up to 5 years in prison, an unlimited fine or both.
Supplying someone, even giving some to your friends, can get you up to 14 years in prison, an unlimited fine or both.
Additional law Amphetamine prepared for injection becomes a Class A drug and can get you harsher sentencing if you’re caught with it or selling it.
Drug driving
Like drink-driving, driving when high is dangerous and illegal. Driving under the influence will lead to a hefty fine, driving ban, or prison sentence. A roadside swab test, introduced in March 2015, can catch drug offenders on the roads. A conviction for drug-driving will get you:
- A minimum one-year driving ban
- A fine of up to £5,000
- A criminal record
Your driving licence will also show a conviction for drug-driving, and it will stay on there for 11 years.
A conviction for drug-driving also means you will struggle to get car insurance. If you have a driving job, your employer will see the conviction on your licence, and you may have trouble travelling to certain countries, such as the USA.
