Stimulants
Increase alertness, wakefulness, locomotion (makes animals faster)
Increased productivity motivation, arousal, and requires less food and sleep
Natural receptors: norepinephrine, dopamine, nicotinic acetylcholine
Very commonly used, either coffee or cigarettes
Types
o Adrenaline: the fight/flight hormone, heightens activity to survive life or death
situations
o Amphetamine “speed”: highly addictive, causes withdrawal syndrome
o Methamphetamine (crystal meth): methylated amphetamine, popular in Asia, a
major illegal drug
o MDMA (ecstasy): methamphetamine dioxy derivative that produces feelings of
closeness or intimacy
Methamphetamine
o Syntehsized by Nagai Nagayoshi from “huang ma”
o Use started in WWII, illicit use increased in 1970s and 80s
o Extremely addictive, causes weight loss, heart attack, stroke, etc
o 1990s: “meth labs” become an increasingly major problem
o Governments control access to precursor chemicals to prevent illegal synthesis
MDMA: Ecstasy
o Synthesized in 1912 by Anton Kollish, but ignored it until the 1970s
o In the 1970s, Berkeley students published a report of its psychotropic effects
o Said to induce euphoria, intimacy, less anxiety
o May increase level of oxytocin, related to pair bonding, orgasm
o Normal doses = (euphoria, fatigue, depression)
o Overdose = heart damage, stroke, panic attack, hyperthermia
Nicotine
o From tobacco plant, tertiary amine, used as insecticide and is a natural insect
repellant
o Is a liquid at room temperature
o Increases heartrate, blood pressure, allows relaxation, causes sharpness
o Long term effect: heart disease
o Withdrawal syndrome is severe, many attempts are required
o Tolerance makes smokers smoke even more
o Potentially more addictive than heroin
o Health effects of smoking
So unhealthy that heroin is even better
Lung, larynx, esophagus cancer, emphysema, heart disease
Carcinogenicity from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons disrupt DNA
replication and heredity
Caffeine
o Crystalline xanthide containing alkaloid stimulant
Increase alertness, wakefulness, locomotion (makes animals faster)
Increased productivity motivation, arousal, and requires less food and sleep
Natural receptors: norepinephrine, dopamine, nicotinic acetylcholine
Very commonly used, either coffee or cigarettes
Types
o Adrenaline: the fight/flight hormone, heightens activity to survive life or death
situations
o Amphetamine “speed”: highly addictive, causes withdrawal syndrome
o Methamphetamine (crystal meth): methylated amphetamine, popular in Asia, a
major illegal drug
o MDMA (ecstasy): methamphetamine dioxy derivative that produces feelings of
closeness or intimacy
Methamphetamine
o Syntehsized by Nagai Nagayoshi from “huang ma”
o Use started in WWII, illicit use increased in 1970s and 80s
o Extremely addictive, causes weight loss, heart attack, stroke, etc
o 1990s: “meth labs” become an increasingly major problem
o Governments control access to precursor chemicals to prevent illegal synthesis
MDMA: Ecstasy
o Synthesized in 1912 by Anton Kollish, but ignored it until the 1970s
o In the 1970s, Berkeley students published a report of its psychotropic effects
o Said to induce euphoria, intimacy, less anxiety
o May increase level of oxytocin, related to pair bonding, orgasm
o Normal doses = (euphoria, fatigue, depression)
o Overdose = heart damage, stroke, panic attack, hyperthermia
Nicotine
o From tobacco plant, tertiary amine, used as insecticide and is a natural insect
repellant
o Is a liquid at room temperature
o Increases heartrate, blood pressure, allows relaxation, causes sharpness
o Long term effect: heart disease
o Withdrawal syndrome is severe, many attempts are required
o Tolerance makes smokers smoke even more
o Potentially more addictive than heroin
o Health effects of smoking
So unhealthy that heroin is even better
Lung, larynx, esophagus cancer, emphysema, heart disease
Carcinogenicity from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons disrupt DNA
replication and heredity
Caffeine
o Crystalline xanthide containing alkaloid stimulant
