Home --> Prevention Dictionary Stimulants

Prescription stimulants increase—or "stimulate"—activities and processes in the body. This increased activity can boost alertness, attention, and energy. It also can raise a person's blood pressure and make their heart beat faster.

Drugs That Fit Into This Category Include

Amphetamines: Dexedrine® and Adderall®

Methylphenidate: Ritalin® and Concerta®

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What Do They Look Like?

Dexedrine

Adderall

Ritalin

Concerta

Common Street Names

Bennies, Black Beauties, Crosses, Hearts, LA Turnaround, Speed, Truck Drivers, Uppers, JIF, MPH, R-ball, Skippy, The Smart Drug, Vitamin R

Common Forms

Pills

Capsule

Liquid

Common Ways Taken

Swallowed

Snorted

Smoked

Injected

Chewed

Possible Health Effects

Short Term:  Increased alertness, attention, energy; increased blood pressure and heart rate; narrowed blood vessels; increased blood sugar; opened-up breathing passages.

Long-term: Heart problems, psychosis, anger, paranoia.

Other Health-related Issues: Risk of HIV, hepatitis, and other infectious diseases from shared needles.

In Combination with Alcohol: Masks the depressant action of alcohol, increasing risk of alcohol overdose; may increase blood pressure and jitters.

Withdrawal Symptoms: Depression, tiredness, sleep problems.

Overdose Symptoms: Weakness, Shaking, Heart Rhythm Disturbances, Nausea, Vomiting, Aggression, Confusion, Seizures, Coma, Death

Treatment Options

Medications: There are no FDA-approved medications to treat stimulant addiction.

Behavioral Therapies: Behavioral therapies that have helped treat addiction to cocaine or methamphetamine may be useful in treating prescription stimulant addiction.

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