Commonly Abused Drugs

Review this page which describes the acute effects and the health risks of both legal and illegal drugs.

Medications that increase alertness, attention, energy, blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing rate.

Street Names	Commercial Names	Common Forms	Common Ways Taken	DEA Schedule
Bennies, Black Beauties, Crosses, Hearts, LA Turnaround, Speed, Truck Drivers, Uppers	Amphetamine (Adderall^®, Benzedrine^®)	Tablet, capsule	Swallowed, snorted, smoked, injected	II
JIF, MPH, R-ball, Skippy, The Smart Drug, Vitamin R	Methylphenidate (Concerta^®, Ritalin^®)	Liquid, tablet, chewable tablet, capsule	Swallowed, snorted, smoked, injected, chewed	II

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. High doses: dangerously high body temperature and irregular heartbeat; heart failure; seizures.
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.
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.