Messing With Mother Nature

Drugs change, correct, add to, or take away from what Mother Nature already has set into place.  Stimulant drugs are a good example of a type of drug that can be helpful or harmful.

Stimulants such as Ritalin, Adderall and methamphetamine all affect how much of a substance called dopamine is saturating the cells of the brain.

Surprised to hear two drugs used in the drug treatment of attention deficit disorders coupled with a drug that is pretty much confined to the arena of drug abuse? Let’s explore why.

Ritalin is a stimulant drug that increases the ability to focus on tasks and sharpens attentiveness and alertness.   It is prescribed to children and adults to help them control impulsive behavior and increase attention in school or work, when they have been diagnosed with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) or ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).   Other uses are for narcolepsy, a medical condition where someone falls asleep suddenly and uncontrollably, even when driving or walking the dog.

Ritalin is ordered by a physician at lower doses, and is slowly and carefully increased over time until just the right effect is achieved for the patient.  This is where the difference between “use” and “misuse” begins.

Stimulant drugs are misused by taking frequent and higher doses so that the brain is flooded with dopamine.  This creates a “high”, a pleasurable sense of well-being.

Adderall is a combination drug made up of dextroamphetamine and amphetamine.  It, too, is a stimulant drug used to treat ADHD in adults and children.

Both Ritalin and Adderall can be misused and abused, and have become an increasing problem as more and more prescriptions have been written for legit uses and then turned into illegal ones.

Methamphetamine is a bad guy in the stimulant bunch. Although it has some medicinal use, it is more widely abused in order to obtain the high that is achieved by the rush of dopamine to the receptors in the brain.

While cocaine, another stimulant, is removed from the body rather quickly, methamphetamine stays in the body much longer. From the addict’s perspective this is a positive, but there are severe consequences.

Recent studies on methamphetamine drug abuse shows that long-term users have actual permanent changes in the brain, none of which are good. These changes affect memory and emotion.

Stimulants have a high potential for dependency and drug addiction.

They should only been taken under close and ongoing medical supervision.