D.3 Amphetamines and Amphetamine-Like Drugs

This category of drugs principally includes amphetamine, methamphetamine and amphetamine-like drugs such as phenmetrazine and methyphenidate. Those who use these drugs non-medically tend to fall into three categories. First, those who use these drugs orally, on a rather regular basis, in small to moderate doses, without prescription or as a result of 'prescription shopping', and usually to elevate mood or relieve fatigue or depression. Second, those who use these drugs orally in moderate to relatively high doses, on an occasional to regular basis, typically for recreational purposes. The first category tends to be drawn from the adult middle classes and is not usually associated with illicit drug experiences—most often amphetamine use will have begun for a medically authorized purpose. The second category is largely composed of younger people, many of whom will have had experience with other illicit drugs. The third category contains a population who take amphetamine or methamphetamine (known in this context as 'speed') by intravenous injection, at high-dose levels and usually on a chronic basis (see Appendix C.2 Extent of Use, "Amphetamines and Amphetamine-Like Drugs"). It is this latter category which has received the greatest amount of attention in the psychiatric, psychological and sociological literature and in the popular press, although numerically it is by far the smallest of the three categories. To a considerable extent, the motivational patterns and factors associated with the use of amphetamines and amphetamine-like drugs (hereafter referred to as `amphetamines') are similar for members of all of these categories, although some important differences will be noted.