The National Institute on Drug Abuse states that an average of five million Americans misuse prescription stimulants, and an average of one million Americans misuse stimulants like methamphetamine. Fortunately, stimulant addiction treatment can help.

Stimulant addiction can damage the brain’s decision-making abilities and can make it more difficult for people to quit. For people with stimulant addiction, turning to addiction treatment is important. At Harmony Healing Center, we offer many options for the treatment of substance abuse.

What Is a Stimulant?

Stimulants are a type of drug that increase various central nervous system activities. They speed up messages traveling from the brain to the body. Stimulants can come as powders, tablets, capsules, crystals, and crystal-like powders.

Doctors prescribe stimulants to help treat conditions like narcolepsy and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorders. Prescription stimulants include:

• Amphetamines (Adderall, Dexedrine)
• Methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta)

The most common illicit stimulants are cocaine and methamphetamine.

Stimulant Abuse

Stimulant abuse occurs when someone takes stimulants in an inappropriate manner. This can mean using the drug without a prescription or using an illicit substance. There are many reasons people may turn to stimulants.

Some of the most common reasons for stimulant abuse include stimulants’ ability to:

• Stimulate weight loss
• Cause alertness
• Trigger euphoria
• Increase focus
• Boost libido
• Boost energy
• Improve performance at school, work, and sports

Stimulant addiction is common because stimulants increase dopamine levels, which affect the reward areas of the brain, reinforcing stimulant abuse. When you abuse stimulants, your brain adapts to having that influx of dopamine. Without it, your brain cannot function in the way it did before drug use.

People who have a stimulant addiction use drugs in different ways. How you use a stimulant can affect how quickly you receive its effects and how potent they are. Smoking or injecting the drug are the preferred methods of misusing stimulants.

Injecting the drug can increase the chances of an overdose as well as of developing an abscess, infections, and more. Snorting the stimulant can damage nasal tissues, and smoking it can lead to breathing problems.

Signs of Stimulant Addiction

Someone with a stimulant addiction will display many signs and symptoms of drug abuse. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), physical symptoms can include:

• Dilated pupils
• Talking more or faster
• Weight loss
• Jittering and twitching
• Increased energy
• Rapid heartbeat
• Hair loss
• Excessive sweating
• Skin problems
• Elevated blood pressure

Stimulant addiction can also cause behavioral symptoms, including:

• Lying, stealing, deceptive behavior
• Doctor-shopping
• Mood swings
• Angry outbursts
• Risky behavior
• Impulsivity

There are also psycho-social and cognitive symptoms, including:

• Hyperfocus
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Increased confidence
• Racing thoughts
• Confusion
• Paranoia
• Hallucinations
• Poor decision-making
• Delusions
• Enhanced sensory awareness

Both cocaine and methamphetamine can lead to heart damage if used for a long time.

The severity of these symptoms will depend on the length of the stimulant addiction, the dosage, and more.

Stimulant Overdose Symptoms

Overdosing on stimulants is a common occurrence because of the tolerance the body builds to them. According to The National Institute on Drug Abuse, some of the most common signs of a stimulant overdose are:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Chest pain
• Sweating
• Racing heart
• Teeth grinding
• High blood pressure
• Irregular breathing
• Convulsions
• Jerking limbs
• Severe headache
• Heart failure
• Stroke
• Panic attack
• Extreme anxiety
• Hallucinations
• Extreme agitation
• Aggressiveness
• Weakness
• Stimulant psychosis

Cocaine and methamphetamine overdoses have numerous complications, leading many people to end up in the emergency room after consuming the drugs.

Stimulant Withdrawal Symptoms

After using stimulating drugs for a while, your body develops a dependency. If you stop using the drug abruptly, you can develop withdrawal symptoms that can be both mental and physical. These can be:

• Cravings for the drugs
• Fatigue, exhaustion
• Insomnia
• Paranoia
• Musculoskeletal pain
• Dehydration
• Irritability
• Chills
• Shakiness
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Difficulty concentrating
• Loss of cognitive function

The length and severity of stimulant use will affect the withdrawal symptoms you experience. To avoid the worst of them and to help with relapse prevention, it is important to turn to a stimulant addiction treatment center that offers medical detox.

Stimulant Addiction Treatment at Harmony Healing Center

Recovering from stimulant use requires treatment at an addiction facility. At Harmony Healing Center, we offer medical detox, outpatient treatment, partial hospitalization, and more.

Medical Detox

The first step to beginning the recovery process is detoxification. To help you avoid unpleasant withdrawal symptoms, we offer medical detox. Under medical supervision, you will be able to remove the stimulant from your body.

Trying to go through the detox process on your own can be dangerous and can increase the risk of relapsing. Turn to professionals to guide you through this crucial step.

Partial Hospitalization Program

Our partial hospitalization program (PHP) is the next step in stimulant addiction treatment after inpatient treatment. It offers 24/7 medical support and up to 50 hours a week of treatment.

We offer:

• Individual therapy
• Group therapy
• Support groups
• Relapse prevention services
• Medication management
• Family therapy

Our PHP takes into consideration your individual needs, allowing us to prepare the exact treatments you need.

Outpatient Treatment

Our general outpatient program only requires patients to go to the facility a few hours a day, just a few times a week. It focuses on improving the mental state of each individual through social support and using behavioral therapy to make sustainable changes.

Outpatient treatment includes:

• Treatment for mental disorders
• Management of triggers and cravings
• Substance abuse education
• 12-step program
• Transitional living facility referrals
• Relapse prevention services

The number of hours you have to attend at the facility will depend on your risk level of relapsing and other factors.

We also offer an intensive outpatient program that requires patients to attend three to five hours of treatment per day for many days a week. The program offers intensive rehab work while still offering flexibility and responsibility.

This program offers group therapy, case management, access to 24-hour crisis management, and much more.

Turn to Harmony Healing Center

If you or a loved one have an addiction to stimulants, turning to professionals for help is the first step. Learn more about the programs we offer at Harmony Healing Center by calling right now.