Amphetamines – Physical Effects on Organs?
Question by Jill: Amphetamines – physical effects on organs?
Are there any physical effects that amphetamine use would show on organs or tissues that would be visible during an autopsy?
Best answer:
Answer by Mathieu
If a person abused amphetamines (levoamphetamine (normally just called amphetamine), dextroamphetamine, or dextromethamphetamine (Meth)) long term then there certainly could be. Amphetamines can cause terrible heart damage such as dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition causing the heart to become enlarged and weakened. Myonecrosis, a necrosis (death) of muscles (including the heart). Risk of a myocardial infarction (MI), better known as a heart attack, might be higher in people using amphetamines. And people can have such damage and have a high fever, blood pressure, and heart rate that their heart can burst. Two major studies have been done and people on amphetamines do have an increased risk of MI but there is some controversy about the possible risk to people taking prescription amphetamines and do not abuse them. Also an MI can cause myonecrosis on the heart.
Amphetamines are neurotoxic and doses typically used by addicts 500-1,000 mg/day typically taken IV, smoked, or snorted can basically burn up brain cells and there can be massive tissue destruction. The damage only occurs in certain areas of the brain:
The limbic region of the brain which is important in drug craving, mood and emotion took more damage than anywhere else often with a lost of 11-14% of cells. As a result once an addict stops using they often experience debilitating depression, anxiety, hypersomnia, anhedonia (unable to feel pleasure), and have a very difficult time concentrating, and many other problems.
The hippocampus, primarily involved in memory lost 8-10 percent of its tissue. This resulted in brain deficits normally only found in earlier stages of Alzheimer’s.
The brain’s white matter, a set of nerve fibers that connect different areas of the brain, become severely inflamed. As a result on average addicts have a brain 10% larger than the average person. And the white matter is not damaged and, to some extent, the brain could heal somewhat but never fully.
There can also be vein damage from injecting the drugs.
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