Doctors widely prescribe amphetamines to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in teens. The problem is that they are also highly addictive. It can be tough to recognize the signs of amphetamine abuse since your child is taking a prescribed drug, which is supposed to be helpful for other issues, like ADHD. It's crucial for you as a parent to identify changes in your child that are more than just regular teenage hormones, mood swings, or acting out.

As symptoms become persistent and start interfering with your son's well-being, you should seek professional help from a trusted healthcare provider to understand the dangers of amphetamine use. Early detection and intervention are essential to your son's health and well-being. Contact Stonewater today to learn more about an amphetamine addiction treatment program that works best for you or your loved one.

Dangers of Amphetamines

When amphetamine use becomes abuse, it can wreak havoc on the body. It can even cause issues that require immediate professional medical help, some life-threatening. The dangers of amphetamines can seem scary, mainly since a doctor has prescribed your son this drug and believes a greater benefit from them taking the medication versus its potential side effects. Alongside amphetamine use, your son may experience trouble sleeping, extreme weight loss, a loss of appetite, intestinal issues, nausea, vomiting, severe headaches, vertigo, or anxiety.

Symptoms of amphetamine addiction can include:

• Trouble with vision
• Chest pain
• Slurred speech
• Irregular heartbeat
• Dizziness
• Abnormally dry skin
• High fever
• Itchy rash
• Swollen facial features
• Severe exhaustion
• Trouble breathing or swallowing
• Seizures

An overdose of amphetamines can cause serious health concerns like high or low blood pressure, a heart attack, poisoning, convulsions, or a coma. It is critical to get treatment at an adolescent amphetamine use treatment program so that your teen can avoid the risk of overdosing.

Signs of Amphetamine Use

Because you know your teen and their passions, interests, and habits, you have a good understanding of when things are off in their life as a parent. Prescribed drug use like amphetamines can quickly become an addiction if you ignore the signs and parental intuition.

Some critical signs of amphetamine use include:

• Your teen has lost interest in an activity that has been a big part of their life
• You find your teen is no longer socializing with friends who have been part of their lives for many years
• Your teen starts to act out
• You find that your teen is getting way too much or too little sleep
• You notice extreme physical changes similar to those outlined in the severe side effects above

Contact Stonewater With Questions About Amphetamines

Stonewater Adolescent Recovery Center is a family-owned adolescent male treatment center focused on treating the whole person. We strive to treat each of the boys in our program in the most personalized manner possible, from the day they enter our treatment facility through their entire sobriety journey. The Stonewater treatment team crafts individualized recovery plans utilizing evidence-based programs and experiential therapies to treat substance use, mental health disorders, and co-occurring disorders.

Treatment options include:

• Detox services
• Family counseling and therapy programs
• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
• Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
• Music therapy
• Art and nature therapy
• Equine therapy

At Stonewater, we understand the dangers of amphetamine use, as we have seen its effect on many of our residents. Our highly trained team understands how to treat various substance use disorders. Our amphetamine use treatment program offers different therapy programs, so your teen has a treatment plan that works well for them.

Give the Stonewater team a call today at 662.373.2828 to learn more about treatment for an addiction to amphetamines.