AMPHETAMINE AND METHAMPHETAMINE

Amphetamine And Methamphetamine

Amphetamine And Methamphetamine

In 1893, methamphetamine (meth) was first synthesized from ephedrine by Japanese chemist, Nagayoshi Nagai. In 1919, Akira Ogata synthesized crystallized meth by reducing ephedrine using red phosphorous and iodine. In the 1950s, Pharmacology and Therapeutics reported legal prescriptions of methamphetamine given to the American public for the treatment of narcolepsy, post-encephalitic Parkinsonism, alcoholism, and obesity.

Meth is an extremely potent stimulant that works within the central neverous system and affects the body's neurochemical mechanisms that are responsible for regulating appetite, heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, blood pressure, attention, mood and automatic responses such as alertness or alarm. Methamphetamine causes the norempinephrine transporter and the dopamine transporter to switch their direction of flow. This switch causes a release of these transmitters from the vesicles to the cytoplasm and from the cytoplasm to the synapse, causing increased stimulation of post-synaptic receptors. In addition, Meth indirecly prevents the reuptake of these neurotransmitters; causing them to remain in the synaptic cleft. It is neurotoxic in overdose.

The majority of street methamphetamine is produced in clandestine laboratories (e.g. reduction of l-ephedrine or d-pseudoephedrine over red phosphorus with hydroiodic acid, or reduction with sodium or lithium in condensed liquid ammonia). Methamphetamine remains concentrated in western U. S. states and some rural areas elsewhere. d-Methamphetamine is a schedule II controlled substance (Desoxyn®) available in 5 mg white, 10 mg pink, and 15 mg yellow strength tablets.

Medicinally, methamphetamine is used in the treatment of narcolepsy, attention deficit disorder (ADD), and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Typical doses are 10 mg/day or up to 40 mg daily, and a course of greater than six weeks is not recommended. Methamphetamine is infrequently used in the treatment of obesity, overeating disorders, and weight loss due to its abuse potential. Amphetamine is also used in ADD, narcolepsy, and weight control. Recreationally, methamphetamine is abused to increase alertness, relieve fatigue, control weight, treat mild depression, and for its intense euphoric effects.

Methamphetamine users often begin with intranasal or oral use and progress to intravenous use, and occasionally smoking. In contrast to cocaine, the hydrochloride salt of methamphetamine can itself be smoked. Methamphetamine is used sometimes with alcohol or marijuana, particularly during the withdrawal phase.

Methamphetamine increases synaptic levels of the neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin (5-HT) and norepinephrine, and has a and b adrenergic agonist effects. Norepinephrine is responsible for methamphetamine's alerting, anorectic, locomotor and sympathomimetic effects; dopamine stimulates locomotor ...