Amphetamines have been used to treat a variety of conditions including asthma, obesity, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)1. Amphetamines and other stimulants increase alertness and physical and mental performance and reduce drowsiness. The mechanism by which stimulants exert these effects appears to involve the increase in the level of dopamine (DA) in the striatum that results from their competitive inhibition of DA uptake, which facilitates DA release from synaptic vesicles, and their promotion of reverse transport of DA into the synaptic cleft2,3. In some individuals, amphetamines induce pleasurable effects. However, misuse of stimulants saturates DA receptors, disrupts the normal production of DA, and may lead to severe pathophysiological effects, including tachycardia and myocardial infarction, withdrawal-related outcomes such as anxiety, depression, and psychosis3.
