Home > desoxyephedrine (Molecule of the Month for August 2010)
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Methamphetamine, methylamphetamine, N-methylamphetamine, desoxyephedrine, and colloquially as "meth" or "crystal meth", is a psychostimulant of the phenethylamine and amphetamine class of drugs. It increases alertness, concentration, energy, and in high doses, can induce euphoria, enhance self-esteem, and increase libido. Methamphetamine has high potential for abuse and addiction by activating the psychological reward system via triggering a cascading release of dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain. Methamphetamine is FDA approved for the treatment of ADHD and exogenous obesity, marketed in the USA under the trademark name Desoxyn
Methamphetamine was first synthesized from ephedrine in Japan in 1893 by chemist Nagai Nagayoshi. The term "methamphetamine" was derived from elements of the chemical structure of this new compound: methyl alpha-methylphenylethylamine. In 1919, crystallized methamphetamine was synthesized by Akira Ogata via reduction of ephedrine using red phosphorus and iodine. In 1943, Abbott Laboratories requested for its approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of narcolepsy, mild depression, postencephalitic parkinsonism, chronic alcoholism, cerebral arteriosclerosis, and hay fever. Methamphetamine was approved for all of these indications in December, 1944. One of the earliest uses of methamphetamine was during World War II, when it was used by Axis and Allied forces. The German military dispensed it under the trademark name Pervitin. It was widely distributed across rank and division, from elite forces to tank crews and aircraft personnel, with many millions of tablets being distributed throughout the war. The 1960s saw the start of significant use of clandestinely manufactured methamphetamine, as well as methamphetamine created in users' own homes for personal and recreational use which continues to this day. In 1983, laws were passed in the United States prohibiting possession of precursors and equipment for methamphetamine production. This was followed a month later by a bill passed in Canada enacting similar laws. In 1986, the U.S. government passed the Federal Controlled Substance Analogue Enforcement Act in an attempt to curb the growing use of designer drugs. Despite this, use of methamphetamine expanded throughout rural United States, especially through the Midwest and South.
A member of the family of phenethylamines, methamphetamine is chiral, with two isomers, levorotatory and dextrorotatory. The levorotatory form, called levomethamphetamine, is an over-the-counter drug used in inhalers for nasal decongestion. Levomethamphetamine does not possess any significant central nervous system activity or addictive properties. This article deals only with the dextrorotatory form, called dextromethamphetamine, and the racemic form. Methamphetamine is a potent central nervous system stimulant that affects neurochemical mechanisms responsible for regulating heart rate, body temperature, blood pressure, appetite, attention, mood and emotional responses associated with alertness or alarming conditions. The acute physical effects of the drug closely resemble the physiological and psychological effects of an epinephrine-provoked fight-or-flight response, including increased heart rate and blood pressure, vasoconstriction (constriction of the arterial walls), bronchodilation, and hyperglycemia (increased blood sugar). Users experience an increase in focus, increased mental alertness, and the elimination of fatigue, as well as a decrease in appetite. Methamphetamine-induced neurotoxicity to dopaminergic neurons, chronic abuse may also lead to symptoms which persist beyond the withdrawal period for months, and even up to a year.Research has found that 20% of methamphetamine addicts experience a psychosis resembling schizophrenia which persists for longer than six months post-methamphetamine use; this amphetamine psychosis can be resistant to traditional treatment. In addition to psychological harm, physical harm, primarily consisting of cardiovascular damage, may occur with chronic abuse or acute overdose.
Formal Chemical Name (IUPAC)
N-methyl-1-phenylpropan-2-amine
References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methamphetamine
Update by Karl Harrison
(Molecule of the Month for
August 2010
)