“Amphetamine, as with cocaine, can induce symptoms similar to those seen in obsessive disorder, panic disorder, and phobic disorders.”

ABOVE: Kaplan and Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry (2007) citing American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

Desoxyn Side Effects and Warnings

Brand Name: DESOXYN

Generic Name: methamphetamine hydrochloride

Category: CEREBRAL STIMULANTS

FDA “Black Box” Warning Label

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires the following "black box" warning on all amphetamines, including Desoxyn, which means that medical studies indicate these drugs carry a significant risk of serious, or even life-threatening, adverse effects.

WARNING METHAMPHETAMINE HAS A HIGH POTENTIAL FOR ABUSE AND SHOULD BE TRIED ONLY IN WEIGHT REDUCTION PROGRAMS WHERE ALTERNATIVE THERAPY HAS BEEN INEFFECTIVE. ADMINISTRATION OF METHAMPHETAMINE FOR PROLONGED PERIODS MAY LEAD TO DRUG DEPENDENCE. THE DRUG SHOULD BE PRESCRIBED OR DISPENSED SPARINGLY. MISUSE MAY CAUSE SUDDEN DEATH AND SERIOUS CARDIOVASCULAR ADVERSE EVENTS.

ABOVE: FDA black box warning label means that medical studies indicate the drug carries a significant risk of serious or even life-threatening adverse effects. The bold warning label appears on the manufacturer's wholesale packaging and is the strongest alert the FDA can require of drug-makers.

Description

Desoxyn (methamphetamine) is an amphetamine drug.

Used For

Attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity

Obesity

How Desoxyn Works

When we are stressed or under threat, the central nervous system prepares us for physical action by creating particular physiological changes. Methamphetamine prompts the brain to initiate this 'fight or flight' response. These changes include:

The release of adrenaline and other stress hormones

Increased heart rate and blood pressure

Redirected blood flow into the muscles and away from the gut

In small doses methamphetamine can banish tiredness and make the user feel alert and refreshed. However, the burst of energy comes at a price. A "speed crash" always follows the high and may leave the person feeling nauseous, irritable, depressed and extremely exhausted.

Do Not Use If

You have not tried other psychotherapy, have high blood pressure or any form of heart disease, are very nervous or have severe insomnia, have a history of addiction to drugs or alcohol, or have Tourette syndrome. Do not combine with monoamine oxidase inhibitors.

Methamphetamine is not recommended for use as an anorectic [suppressing or causing loss of appetite] agent in children under 12 years of age.

Tolerance Warning

Tolerance to the anorectic [suppressing or causing loss of appetite] effect usually develops within a few weeks. When this occurs, the recommended dose should not be exceeded in an attempt to increase the effect; rather, the drug should be discontinued (see DEPENDENCE, TOLERANCE AND WITHDRAWAL below).

Common Side Effects

Dry Mouth

Loss of appetite

Headache

Difficulty falling asleep (insomnia)

Nervousness including agitation, anxiety and irritability

Addiction

Less Common Side Effects

High blood pressure

Rapid pulse rate

Tolerance (constant need to raise the dose)

Feelings of suspicion and paranoia

Visual hallucinations (seeing things that are not there)

Depression

Cocaine craving

Dermatoses (infected or diseased skin)

Urinary tract infection

Infection or viral infection

Elevated ALT enzyme levels in the blood (signaling liver damage)

FDA Warning: Links Between ADHD Drugs and Priapism and Sexual Dysfunction In a recent drug-safety announcement, the FDA announced that drugs containing methylphenidate must including warnings about the risk of priapism. (Methylphenidate drugs include: Concerta, Daytrana, Focalin, Metadate, Methylin, Quillivant, and Ritalin.) It's a serious problem: priapism is a persistent, usually painful, erection that lasts for more than four hours and occurs without sexual stimulation. If the condition is not treated immediately, it can lead to scarring and permanent erectile dysfunction. The FDA included an even stronger warning about atomoxetine (Strattera): “Priapism appears to be more common in patients taking atomoxetine than in patients taking methylphenidate products. Health care professionals should be cautious when considering changing patients from methylphenidate to atomoxetine.” The safety warning also raised concerns about links between priapism and amphetamine drugs, which include Adderall, Dexedrine, ProCentra and Vyvanse.

ABOVE: U.S. FDA Drug Safety Communication: FDA warns of rare risk of long-lasting erections in males taking methylphenidate ADHD medications and has approved label changes. (12/17/2013).

Overdose Side Effects

Methamphetamine has been extensively abused. Extreme psychological dependence and severe social disability have resulted. Abuse of methamphetamine may cause a sudden heart attack even in those with no signs of heart disease. Symptoms of overdose that require immediate medical assistance include:

Restlessness

Tremor

Aggression

Hallucinations

Panic states

Hyperreflexia (overactive reflexes, which can include twitching or spasms)

Personality changes

Symptoms of depression

Seizures or abnormal EEGs

High blood pressure

Rapid heart beat

Swelling of hands/feet/ankles (for example, numbing of the fingertips)

Delusions

Sweating

Vomiting

Dehydration

Unexplained muscle pain

Lower abdominal pain

Rhabdomyolysis and kidney damage

Chronic abuse can manifest itself as psychosis, often indistinguishable from schizophrenia

Amphetamine-Induced Anxiety Disorder

The onset of amphetamine-induced anxiety disorder can occur during amphetamine use or withdrawal, according to best-selling psychiatry text, Kaplan and Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry citing American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

"Amphetamine, as with cocaine, can induce symptoms similar to those seen in obsessive disorder, panic disorder, and phobic disorders," states Synopsis of Psychiatry.

Amphetamine-Induced Psychosis

Induction of schizophrenic-like states in children on prescribed doses of stimulant medications, including amphetamines, have been observed, though not as well documented as with amphetamine abusers, according to The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine.

Amphetamine-Induced Sexual Dysfunction

Referring again to American Psychiatric Association's Manual of Mental Disorders, Synopsis of Psychiatry states: "High doses and long-term use of amphetamines are associated with erectile disorder and other sexual dysfunctions."

Dependence, Tolerance and Withdrawal

Methamphetamine has been extensively abused. Tolerance, extreme psychological dependence, and severe social disability have occurred. There are reports of patients who have increased the dosage to many times that recommended. Abrupt cessation following prolonged high dosage administration results in extreme fatigue and mental depression; changes are also noted on the sleep EEG. Manifestations of chronic intoxication with methamphetamine include severe dermatoses [skin disease], marked insomnia, irritability, hyperactivity, and personality changes. The most severe manifestation of chronic intoxication is psychosis often clinically indistinguishable from schizophrenia.

Tolerance means the person using the drug needs to take larger doses to achieve the same effect. Over time, the body might come to depend on amphetamines just to function normally. The person craves the drug and their psychological dependence makes them panic if access is denied, even temporarily.

Withdrawal symptoms can include tiredness, panic attacks, crankiness, extreme hunger, depression and nightmares. Some people experience a pattern of "binge crash" characterized by using continuously for several days without sleep, followed by a period of heavy sleeping.

If It Doesn't Work

The drug should be stopped gradually. Withdrawal symptoms are psychological and stopping suddenly can cause extreme fatigue and severe, even suicidal, depression in adult patients.

Abrupt cessation of amphetamines can cause extreme fatigue and severe, even suicidal, depression in adult patients.

ABOVE: The Essential Guide to Psychiatric Drugs—Rev. and updated (2007).

If It Does Work

“In the treatment of ADHD for children and young adults, [amphetamine] is now prescribed frequently, often as a first-line drug. This is, in my opinion, a very serious mistake,” states Jack M. Gorman, M.D., professor of psychiatry at Columbia University and deputy director of the New York State Psychiatric Institute. Amphetamine “is now abused throughout college campuses, where it is bought, sold, stolen, borrowed, snorted and injected. It is a very powerful drug that undoubtedly works for ADHD, but there are alternatives with less abuse potential that should be tried first.”