Expert: Jurriaan Plesman, Nutritional Psychotherapist - 6/21/2004

Question
agreed, but you are talking of extremes. Alcohol is alot worst than amphetamines long term but that dont stop 90% of the planet using. There is a risk of death by walking accross the road, same principle with stroke side effect. Anyway, i do not use in bulk and i restrct what i take. If its so bad then why is ritalin and adderral used by kids with ADHD.

All i want to know is real solutions to limit my side effects, not negative long term problems that it may cause. Everything has cause and effect, how do i restrict the adverse effect,
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Followup To
Question -
Gooday Sir,

First of all please do not email me back by criticising my recreational drug use or by telling me that you will not answer what i have to say due to it. Anyway let it be known Sir that my demeanour is one that is rather non addictive, i can use drugs and stay off and not need again. However, i am a very bad speaker and i find that it causes social barriers for me. I cannot be understood first time and people often have poor impressions of me due to it. It causes me to be very shy when in reality i should be an outgoing extrovert.

I found a cure for my speaking problem, using speed amphetamines allows me to articulate correctly and clearly and as a result i have been using for quite some time now. I do not use the drug for its reinforcing benefits or high feelings caused by the release of dopeamine, i essentially use it as i can speak normal with it and progress up the world. In my view the part of the brain responsible for language is underdeveloped or stimulated and that is why i am usually unable to speak correctly without the use of drugs.

I am using speed now on a regular basis and its helping me so much to be normal again and to feel confident about myself, but i am worried about the potential long term side effects of it. Firstly, i have heard about it attacking levels of calcium etc and using extra bodily sources in abundance so i am wondering what i can do to reverse those effects. Basically, what can i do to ensure my amphetamine use is safe and that my bodily is able to get the necessary nutrients to stay healthy. Perhaps i can buy vitimin pills and take more than usual? Is there anything i can take to ensure my skin looks normal? What can i do to ensure that i am eating properly while on them, anything that will block the appetite supression effect?

Furthermore, another question, is there anything at all i can take to reverse the enlarged pupil side effect? Because that may lead people to suspect that i am taking amphetamines.

thank you sir.

if you could answer anything i have asked i would be so thankful man.

cheers bro
Answer -
Well, from what you write I get the impression that you are not intending to stop taking amphetamines for your psychological problems. Long-term use of amphetamines may have the following consequences:

“Meth is addictive, and users can develop a tolerance quickly, needing larger amounts to get high. In some cases, users forego food and sleep and take more meth every few hours for days, 'binging' until they run out of the drug or become too disorganized to continue. Chronic use can cause paranoia, hallucinations, repetitive behavior (such as compulsively cleaning, grooming or disassembling and assembling objects), and delusions of parasites or insects crawling under the skin. Users can obsessively scratch their skin to get rid of these imagined insects. Long-term use, high dosages, or both can bring on full-blown toxic psychosis (often exhibited as violent, aggressive behavior). This violent, aggressive behavior is usually coupled with extreme paranoia. Meth can also cause stroke and death “

from: Partnership for a drug-free America

http://www.drugfreeamerica.org/Drug_Resource/Default.asp?ws=PDFA&vol=1&grp=Drug+

This is of  course entirely up to you. However, I feel you should have a clear understanding as to why people take drugs to self-medicate a ‘psychological' problem over which they have no complete control.

Most people who use drugs because they counter the adverse effects of an underlying metabolic disorder.

Such people may be suffering from a insulin resistance, which is a sugar handling problems. It results in the brain not getting sufficient glucose from the  food we eat, with the result that part of the brain is not functioning properly.

When there is a sudden drop on blood sugar levels, the body produces stress hormones, such as adrenaline which raises the blood sugar levels again to feed the brain, but these internally driven stress hormones could also be responsible for the very symptoms of which you are talking.

Methamphetamine is a stimulant and it could well be that you are artificially stimulating yourself, because your body fails to do so naturally. One of the effects of stimulants is to raise blood sugar levels, which is partly responsible for the ‘high', but this is soon followed by a sudden drop with unpleasant side effects, which prompts you to take the drug again. There are natural products that can also help people addicted to stimulants such as phenylalanine, but this should always be considered with the help of a nutritional doctor.

Of course, the exact reason why YOU are taking drugs needs to be determined in an individual interview.

Our web site contains articles that explain to people the consequences of hypoglycemia and how it affects drug addicts. See for instance: “The Serotonin Connection”.

You may wish to read them and find out whether the condition applies to you.

But I can assure you that continued use of amphetamines is going to severely affect your health and the longer you are using it, the more difficult it becomes to recover from their long-term side effects.

I hope I have been helpful.

Jurriaan Plesman
Free web site
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au

Answer
A lot of people can consume alcohol because they have no genetic predisposition to become alcoholic. Some people become addicted to alcohol and manage their alcoholism, until a point is reached that their alcoholism is UNMANAGEABLE. This is where they may be seeking help. See step one of AA.

As a nutritional psychotherapist I am not in favour of drug therapy in general, but there are circumstances where medication can be helpful. People have to take responsibility for their own welfare.

If you take a poison that has side effects, a person has an option to stop taking the poison. I am not aware of any measures that can minimize the long-term side effects of amphetamines. If you feel you are addicted, you can be treated for that. But if you feel you are not addicted then it is up to you to do whatever you want to do.

I am afraid I cannot help you.

Jurriaan Plesman
Free web site
http://www.hypoglycemia.asn.au