Forums › Drugs › Amphetamines › What are Amphetamines?
Amphetamines
Amphetamines are powerful central nervous stimulants. Most ‘speed’ is a white crystalline powder containing amphetamine sulphate. Purity varies, and is often below 10%. Other amphetamines include dexamphetamine and methamphetamine. Both of these chemicals are less common and more powerful than amphetamine sulphate.
Another variation is ‘base’ speed. This paste is usually a late-stage product of amphetamine sulphate production.
I’m off me ‘ead, mate
Most people who take speed experience increased confidence, talkativeness and sociability, euphoria, increased energy, loss of appetite and insomnia.
If you’re sat in a room full of people who are using it you’ll be likely to notice that everybody is talking at great length about meaningless things in a way that suggests that they think they are being incredibly profound, and not listening to a word anyone else has to say. Unless you, too, are off your head. In which case you’ll be far too busy talking at great length about incredibly profound things to listen to other people.
These effects last for four to six hours. As the drug wears off, the ‘high’ experience is replaced by a ‘come-down’, including feelings of low (or no) energy, hunger and tiredness. If someone uses amphetamine regularly or takes a high dose they are likely to feel anxious, irritable and sometimes paranoid.
Large doses of amphetamine can cause amphetamine psychosis. This is clinically very similar to other psychoses – like paranoid schizophrenia. People suffering from amphetamine psychosis often feel that there’s a conspiracy, people are out to get them, they’ve done something wrong and that everyone else knows all about it.
This can be extremely frightening. The experience usually diminishes when the person comes down from the amphetamine high. Particularly vivid experiences will be likely to cause a sense of unease even after the drug experience has ended.
Amphetamines stimulate the central nervous system. Common physical reactions include dilated pupils, dry mouth, loss of appetite, an increase in body temperature and insomnia. Higher doses can cause stomach upset, sweating, jaw tension, a disturbed heart rhythm, flushing and cold hands and feet. Less common effects include increased blood pressure, palpitations and tremors.
…the risks, what-about-the-risks, tell-me-about-the-risks, what-about-the-risks-eh? safe, innit? innit? eh? what about it then, eh?
Regular use of amphetamines will interrupt sleep patterns and eating habits, and can lead to extreme paranoid delusions. Whilst it may be true that just because you’re feeling paranoid it doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you, it’s easier to live in ignorant bliss if you don’t do a lot of speed, and avoid doing it on a regular basis.
Someone who feels upset, anxious or irritable and uses speed will find that their feelings are intensified as they come down from the effects of the drug.
Someone who is speeding and drinking alcohol will not feel the full effects of the alcohol until the speed starts to wear off. They will still get drunk, but they’ll be wide awake and drunk. They’ll still find it more difficult to make rational decisions than normal. If you know someone who is angry, using speed and drinking then keep a wide berth. Potentially volatile would be one way to describe a short fuse that’s lit and burning. Steer clear.
Illegally produced amphetamines are ‘cut’ or adulterated with other substances. In the UK, ‘speed’ is regularly confiscated by the police with a purity as low as 4%. Most speed will be 5% to 10% pure.
Amphetamines increase metabolic rate, and will use up stores of nutrients in the body. Someone using speed will recover more quickly afterwards if they replace essential nutrients like Vitamin C and Calcium, and rest properly. It’s a good idea to take vitamin and mineral supplements several days before taking the drugs, to give your body time to absorb the nutrients.
Using speed causes an increase in heart rate and body temperature, and sometimes blood pressure. At high doses it is possible for your heart to go into arrhythmia – it starts jumping about all over the place. Body temperature can soar, causing overheating. Taking speed with other stimulants like E increases these risks.
Amphetamine use can affect sexual behavior. Your interest in sex may increase or decrease. Male orgasm and ejaculation are inhibited, meaning sex with a man can last for a long time. Make sure that you have plenty of condoms, just in case. Personal lubricants can help to reduce friction in intimate relationships. Remember that oil-based lubricants like vaseline or baby oil will destroy condoms. There are plenty of water-based and silicon lubricants out there.
Most people who suffer from amphetamine psychosis find that it wears off as the drug does. As they come down, they can distinguish between their delusions and what’s really happening. This kind of psychological crisis might trigger more serious and long-term mental health problems for someone whose mental health is generally poor. Regular use can cause long-term or even permanent psychological problems.
Amphetamines aren’t thought to cause physical dependence but there is a risk of psychological dependence. Chopping out a line on Monday to ‘sort your head out’ after a heavy weekend will only make Tuesday even more difficult to cope with. A ‘mid-week’ line or two will rapidly help a recreational user to develop a habitual drug problem.
The law
In the UK, amphetamines are controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act,1971 as a Class B, Schedule 2 drug.
The list of Class B drugs includes cannabis.
Any Class B drug that has been prepared for injection becomes a Class A drug in UK law, and as such the potential sentence for any offence increases.
speed freaks tend 2 be very clean people and the paraphanalia needed for safe clean injecting is free n easily available.
b4 the days of needle exchanges hygene and disposal were a problem, but that was ages ago now. the estates of my city r pretty much needle free n thats the way it should be
in SE England the NHS and even the coppers provide access to new needles, sharps bins and all sorts of stuff.
A few years ago a couple of young enthusiastic bobbies turned up at a squatted pub my friends had (this lot did take a fair bit of speed, but never used needles). The coppers asked them if they wanted any new needles/sharps etc – to which one of my mates replied “Good heavens officer! what do you think we are, some kind of filthy junkies?” in a accent like some toff out of a movie…
the cops actually apologised :laugh_at:
This dude would do fuckloads of speed and go on mad cleaning missions or fixing push bikes and berating any hippies he thought were too lazy (he got known as the Sarge for this practice :laugh_at:
his is how I got my first bike in 2001, he built it for me in return for wiring up a electric cooker that no one dared to wire in for fear of being electrocuted). One day there was another hippy in the squat what needed to be woken up at 07:00 for a giro interview and asked the “sarge” to do this.. I was staying up working on bikes (we had the pub cellar converted into a bike workshop) and hung around to see what would happen…
At 07:00 exactly the Sarge bangs on this hippys door with a broom handle, shouting “OPEN UP! POLICE! POLICE!” and kicks the door straight off its hinges :laugh_at:
HAHAHAHAAHAH! sounds quality :laugh_at: nutter!
😉
In the 90s used to do nuff base, it was a yellowly colour like paste and used to last for 9/12 hrs. I really enjoyed it, coming down trying to sleep wasnt nice though
Ritalin? I did used to be prescribed it but never got me high, when I was on them I didnt know you could get high off them
@bryonbond 379138 wrote:
In the 90s used to do nuff base, it was a yellowly colour like paste and used to last for 9/12 hrs. I really enjoyed it, coming down trying to sleep wasnt nice though
was v nice we used to call it Cats piss for obvious reasons :weee:
@JE:5 487 wrote:
The best fucking drug there is, and definately not cut where I come from!!
its cut everywhere mate, my pal got caught with some shit hot phett and when it came back from police labs it was 9%. it may not have been cut since manufacture (tho thats unlikely, some greedy cunt will have had hold of it at some point) but it still is only likely to be in single figures percentage wise. speed starts out as an oil in any case and needs some kind of adultarant to make it practical to handle
@p0ly 379144 wrote:
anyone tried perscription amphet?
I used to be prescribed dexamphetamine elixor. dexamphetamine is the active ingredient in speed but i was on daily supervised pick up which i thought a bad idea. stupid even coz even with pharm phett speed is not a drug you can take every day in the precise same dose. tollerance builds too quickly.I got 70mls(bout a quarter + of street speed) a day for a couple of years.most days it had little effect specially my gf would natter me for a sorter wich didnt help. bank holidays were different though. xmas , new year , odd other time I could end up with half a litre or more.Id neck the bulk of it with a couple of cups of hot tea to bring it on give the mrs 50ml and we’d fuck each other into oblivion for the next day n half. At the time we had a few certain select mates we could trust to join in too because I dunno bout you but we would get so horny on speed. When we had a pal we knew was game 3somes became our normal sex life.sometimes 3 or 4 nights out of 7. its just not the same without speed tho, Im sure we will both allways miss those mad nights. Half the reason we took it was for the dirty horny sex we had on it.
Does it do that to anyone else? It must do coz it wasnt just us 2 was it!
@chillidog 66247 wrote:
does anyone know the best way to store speed?people told me certain things but it doesnt seem to keep as fresh/potent for that long any ideas much appreciated cheers!
I asked the pharmacist should i keep my dex in the fridge and she told me no.It would be absorbed into the system more slowly when cold and wouldnt keep any better. Ive lost bags of speed around the house and found them again sometimes months later and noticed no deteriation. Some speed does seem to suffer as a result of being squashed and battered about so it doesnt hurt to blow some air into the bag before sealing the top and avoiding sitting on it or letting it sweat in your pocket. its easier to handle when its been in the fridge though
@diamondinthebuff 380426 wrote:
At the time we had a few certain select mates we could trust to join in too because I dunno bout you but we would get so horny on speed. When we had a pal we knew was game 3somes became our normal sex life.sometimes 3 or 4 nights out of 7. its just not the same without speed tho, Im sure we will both allways miss those mad nights. Half the reason we took it was for the dirty horny sex we had on it.
Does it do that to anyone else? It must do coz it wasnt just us 2 was it!
you make me sick. raaa
@j2tokes 378885 wrote:
speed freaks tend 2 be very clean people and the paraphanalia needed for safe clean injecting is free n easily available.
b4 the days of needle exchanges hygene and disposal were a problem, but that was ages ago now. the estates of my city r pretty much needle free n thats the way it should be
you may be surprised by this but speed users inject much more frequently than heroin users and also speed reduces inhabitions which are two of the reasons why sharing needles is more widespread among speed users than it is heroin users
Forums › Drugs › Amphetamines › What are Amphetamines?