What It Feels Like to Get High on Amphetamines

What It Feels Like to Get High on Amphetamines Addiction Drug Use Prescription Medications Print How It Feels to Get High on Amphetamines By Elizabeth Hartney, BSc., MSc., MA, PhD Elizabeth Hartney, BSc, MSc, MA, PhD is a psychologist, professor, and Director of the Centre for Health Leadership and Research at Royal Roads University, Canada. Learn about our editorial policy Elizabeth Hartney, BSc., MSc., MA, PhD Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD on November 09, 2019 Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital. Learn about our Medical Review Board Steven Gans, MD on November 09, 2019 PeopleImages/DigitalVision/Getty Images More in Addiction Drug Use Prescription Medications Cocaine Heroin Marijuana Meth Ecstasy/MDMA Hallucinogens Opioids Alcohol Use Addictive Behaviors Nicotine Use Coping and Recovery Amphetamines are a group of synthetic psychoactive drugs that get you high by stimulating the central nervous system. Physicians prescribe them attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), narcolepsy, and other health conditions. Whether your amphetamine high is pleasant or unpleasant depends on a number of factors, including: Set and settingPast experiences using amphetaminePast experiences with other drugsYour mental health and well-beingHow much you takeExposure to other substances, both prior to and during the period of intoxication on speed While the feeling of getting high is different for everyone, and even for the same person at different times, there are certain common characteristics of an amphetamine buzz. Amphetamines Increase Your Energy Athletes and others like speed because it increases their energy and stamina. Soon after consuming amphetamines, users experience an increase in  alertness and  physical strength  that makes them feel:?? More powerfulEnthusiasticReady for anything Amphetamines Prevent Drowsiness Along with the increased energy, amphetamines prevent the normal phases of drowsiness and sleep. This is one of the reasons speed is popular among people who need to stay awake when they would normally be asleep, such as  night-shift workers and  long-haul truck drivers.?? Its also appealing to partygoers who want to stay awake or alert at night for recreational reasons, such as dancing at clubs or raves into the early morning hours. Decreasing Mental Performance Unfortunately, the interference with sleep can become problematic when you use amphetamines for an extended period of time and during the hours when you would normally sleep. Students use speed to cram for exams, but despite its ability to increase energy and focus, amphetamines have a complex effect on cognitive processing and can actually cause a deterioration in mental performance.?? In addition, sleep deprivation interferes with learning and memory. Speedy Speech While amphetamine users often believe speed improves their social and mental functioning, in fact, research shows amphetamines  tend to simply speed up speech, at the expense of the accuracy of that speech. At times, people who are high on amphetamines can be socially annoying. They may chatter incessantly and have trouble engaging in normal conversation because they cant listen to others.?? Mood Swings and Anxiety Perhaps the most compelling reason people give for taking amphetamines is the temporarily elevated mood they often experience. The flip side of this good mood is that coming down often causes a crash and an increase of depressive feelings so amphetamines are not a good solution if youre already feeling down. There is also a chance that taking amphetamines when you are in a bad mood will only make you irritable and/or anxious. Amphetamines can sometimes lead to chronic fatigue, paranoid or delusional thinking. How Amphetamines Are Consumed Amphetamines usually come as a pill. Either your physician prescribes them to you or you buy them from another source. You may then ingest them in a variety of ways, including: Dissolving it in water and injecting it with a needleCrushing and  snorting  itSmoking it in a glass pipeSwallowing it just like other medications Getting Help Methamphetamine is addictive, but behavioral treatments can help you stop using it. To learn more about methamphetamine, contact the Federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) at 1-877-726-4727.