Amphetamines - Usage Trends

Usage Trends

Amphetamine abuse is very widespread and often unintended. Cynthia Kuhn and her coauthors summarized the dangers of amphetamines in their book Buzzed: The Straight Facts about the Most Used and Abused Drugs from Alcohol to Ecstasy. In a word, the buzz from

In the 1930s, Benzedrine inhalers were introduced to treat asthma. But some users reported that the amphetamine-based drug made sleeping difficult. Todays inhalers (shown above) no longer contain Benzedrine. Photograph by Leitha Etheridge-Sims.
In the 1930s, Benzedrine inhalers were introduced to treat asthma. But some users reported that the amphetamine-based drug made sleeping difficult. Today's inhalers (shown above) no longer contain Benzedrine. Photograph by Leitha Etheridge-Sims.

amphetamines is "pleasurable." Overuse typically stems from the drug's effects. Amphetamines make most users feel good, at least in the short term. Experimentation with amphetamines can get out of hand quite easily, though. Even legal users—those individuals taking the drug with a doctor's prescription—can get hooked.

Not Just a Nasal Spray

Generations ago, over-the-counter nasal inhalers contained amphetamines. The reasoning behind amphetamine treatment for nasal congestions was quite simple: stimulants are known to constrict blood vessels. Constricting the blood vessels in the nose and sinuses cuts down on congestion because it shrinks the nasal tissues, allowing air to flow more freely through the nose. This effect is only temporary, though, and when it wears off, a "rebound effect" occurs. The nasal passages actually end up more severely blocked than they were before the amphetamine was inhaled.

The first users of any new drug are a bit like human guinea pigs. "Because of the incredible complexity of the brain," explained Kuhn, "most drugs that affect it have actions in addition to those for which they were developed." Aside from the problems with the rebound effect, some users of early nasal inhalers "experienced general stimulation from them" as well, wrote Weil and Rosen. "Some got high, and some became dependent." Because of their side effects and the potential for abuse, amphetamines are no longer dispensed in over-the-counter decongestants.

Who's Using Amphetamines?

The results of the 2004 Monitoring the Future (MTF) study were released to the public on December 21, 2004. Conducted by the University of Michigan (U of M), it was sponsored by research grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Since 1991, U of M has tracked patterns of drug use and attitudes toward drugs among students in the eighth, tenth, and twelfth grades. (Prior to that, from 1975 to 1990, the MTF survey was limited to twelfth graders.)

The 2004 MTF survey results indicate that nonprescription amphetamine use among students in the eighth and tenth grades had fallen. Researchers noted "a steady decline among eighth graders since 1996; in fact, their annual… use has fallen by almost half since then," from 9.1 to 4.9 percent. Amphetamine use was also down among tenth graders, "but not among twelfth graders, who… remain near their recent peak levels of use." According to MTF charts for 2003 to 2004, about one in every ten high school seniors reported using amphetamines "in the last twelve months." The ease with which seniors said they would be able to get the drug held steady. More than half of the twelfth graders surveyed said it would be "fairly easy" or "very easy" to obtain amphetamines.

The MTF survey does not track drug use among people after their high school years. However, amphetamine use in the general population can be determined by other data. Experts in the field of drug research periodically gather together all of the information available on certain drugs to create a profile, or description, of a typical user. Based on these studies, the typical amphetamine user of the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and part of the 1990s was young, white, male, single, and often unemployed. More recent findings cited in the Journal of Psychology in 1998 indicate that the population of amphetamine users is becoming broader and now includes:

  • more women
  • more married, divorced, and widowed people
  • fewer whites
  • people of all age groups, from middle school students to retirees.

In mid-2003, Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly reported the results of the Quest Diagnostics 2002 Drug Testing Index, a measure of drug use among American workers. Based on 7 million urine tests performed by the lab throughout 2002, the overall use of drugs in the workplace apparently decreased. The incidence of amphetamine usage, however, went up significantly. According to Quest, positive test results among U.S. workers "increased 70 percent over the past five years" from 1998 through 2002.

The use and abuse of amphetamine-like stimulants is a growing global problem that poses "a serious threat to the health, social and economic fabric of families, communities and nations," according to the World Health Organization Web site. The United Nations estimated that in the year 2000, 29 million people around the world had abused various types of amphetamine stimulants in the previous decade.