Amphetamines
History Of Amphetamines
First synthesized in 1887 Germany, amphetamine was for a long time, a drug in search of a disease.
Nothing much was done with the drug, from its discovery (synthesis) until the late 1920's, when it was investigated as a cure or treatment against a variety of illnesses and maladies.
These included epilepsy, schizophrenia, alcoholism, opiate addiction, migraine, head injuries, and irradiation sickness, among many others.
In 1927 it was found to raise blood pressure, enlarge nasal and bronchial passages, and stimulate the central nervous system.
In 1932, amphetamine was marketed as Benzedrine in an over-the-counter inhaler to treat nasal congestion (for asthmatics, hay fever sufferers, and people with colds).
In 1935 physicians successfully used it to treat narcolepsy (a condition characterized by brief attacks of deep sleep that can occur at anytime of the day).
In 1937 amphetamine was found to have a positive effect on some children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). People with ADHD have difficulty concentrating.
When given amphetamine, some people with ADHD notably improve their concentration and performance. Instead of making ADHD sufferers more jumpy, as might be expected, amphetamine calms them down.
By 1937 amphetamine was available by prescription in tablet form.
In 1965 all amphetamines became illegal in the U.S. unless a person had a doctors prescription.
In 1970 The Controlled Substances Act severely restricted the legal production of injectable methamphetamine.
In 1971, there were 31 amphetamine preparations being distributed by 15 pharmaceutical companies. Legal production was over 12 billion pills a year.
Crystal Methamphetamine, more potent and easier to make than amphetamine, was first synthesized in Japan, in 1919. The crystalline powder was soluble in water, making it a perfect candidate for injection. It is still legally produced in the U.S., and sold under the trade name Desoxyn.
During World War II, amphetamines were widely used to keep the fighting men going. During the Viet Nam war, American soldiers used more amphetamines than the rest of the world did during WWII.
In Japan, intravenous methamphetamine abuse reached epidemic proportions immediately after World War II, when supplies stored for military use became available to the public.
In the United States in the 1950s, legally manufactured tablets of both dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine) and methamphetamine (Methedrine) became readily available and were used non medically by college students, truck drivers, and athletes.
As use of amphetamines spread, so did their abuse. Amphetamines became a cure-all for such things as weight control to treating mild depression.
Popular Personalities who consumed amphetamines include:
John F. Kennedy (injected amphetamine occasionally)
Adolph Hitler (took daily injections and tablets)
Ted Haggard (enjoyed meth and gay sex)
Charlie Parker (benzedrine in his coffee)
Lenny Bruce
Judy Garland
Johnny Cash
Elvis Presley
Medical Use Today
Today these drugs are generally used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). They are also useful in the treatment of narcolepsy.
In the past, doctors recommended amphetamines to control weight problems, because they decreased the appetite and increased a persons energy.
While this may work, it may also cause the user to become addicted to the drug. Because of this, amphetamine use for weight loss is strongly discouraged by doctors, in all but some very severe cases.
Amphetamines And Cocaine
In 1914 the U.S. federal government classified cocaine as a narcotic and outlawed it. The only way a person could get it after that was with a prescription, or illegally.
In the 1920s cocaine use declined, and that decline was to become more so in the 1930s, when amphetamine (speed) became popular among drug users.
Amphetamine was appealing to cocaine users because the high it produced was much like that of cocaine. It did not deliver quite the same peak, but its effects lasted longer.
More importantly, it was cheap, readily available and legal. The cost of the amphetamines was as low as 75 cents per thousand tablets at wholesale as recently as the 1960s.
With the appearance of legally obtainable amphetamine, cocaine use declined considerably. Cocaine use remained low until all amphetamines, including meth became illegal (without a prescription) in 1965 when amendments to the federal food and drug laws were passed.
These laws were passed to stop the trade in black market amphetamines, barbiturates and other psychoactive drugs. It became hard for users to get legally manufactured amphetamines.
Because amphetamines were made illegal people started, and continue, to manufacture amphetamines in home labs. It was also the beginning of a new wave of cocaine popularity that also continues to this day (the first wave of cocaine popularity began in the 1880s and pretty much died by the mid 1930s).
Related Books Amphetamine Syntheses: Industrial Edition
Looks at various areas related to producing amphetamines like the meth lab, the law, designer drugs, chemistry of the reactions, etc. The majority of the book, however, details syntheses of amphetamine and related chemicals such as mda, mdma (ecstasy), dob, tma, pma, mdea (eve), dom (stp), methylcathinone, phenetermine, aminorex, ephedrine.
Amphetamine Syntheses
The Speed Culture:
Amphetamine Use and Abuse in America
Not biased and factual book about the history of speed. Written in 1975, it doesn't cover recent history, but does give a good history up to the time of publication. Describes how amphetamines have been used both medically and recreationally in the United States.
Speed Culture