| Toxicity |
A
widely abused drug; a sympathomimetic and central stimulant
that has been used clinically as an anorectic agent. The use of
methamphetamine and related drugs in treating obesity is, however,
now generally discredited. It may cause elevation of
blood pressure, palpitation, and tachycardia, as well as various
CNS effects, including psychotic effects at higher doses.
Chronic use of methamphetamine and related compounds,
especially at high doses as often occurs with drug abuse, can
cause a condition often indistinguishable from schizophrenia.
Abrupt withdrawal may cause fatigue, depression, and sleep
changes. Methamphetamine is an indirect-acting adrenergic
and dopamine agonist that acts principally to release endogenous
catecholamines, thereby increasing their synaptic availability.
Many of its actions can be blocked by adrenergic and
dopamine antagonists. The i.p. LD50 in mice is 70 mg/kg.
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