No evidence exists at present to support the use of amphetamine after stroke .
INTRODUCTION The use of drugs to enhance recovery ( " rehabilitation pharmacology " ) has been assessed .
Amphetamine can improve outcome in experimental models of stroke , and several small clinical trials have assessed its use in stroke .
Safety of Dexamphetamine in Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Controlled Dose-Escalation Trial
Background and Purpose — Amphetamine is reported to enhance recovery after experimental stroke , but results from the first few trials in humans are inconclusive . Limited information is available on treatment safety . This study intended to investigate the safety and tolerability of dexamphetamine in patients with acute cerebral ischemia . Methods — Forty-five patients with cerebral ischemia were enrolled within 72 hours after onset of symptoms . Patients were r and omized to 1 of 3 dose levels ( 2.5 , 5 , or 10 mg orally twice daily ) or placebo for 5 consecutive days . Adverse events , blood pressure , heart rate , body temperature , consciousness level , and functional outcome measures were followed up daily during treatment . Follow-ups were made at day 7 and 1 and 3 months after stroke . Results — Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures and heart rate increased 14 mm Hg , 8 mm Hg , and 9 bpm , respectively , with dexamphetamine treatment compared with placebo ( P ≤0.01 ) . There was no difference between dexamphetamine and placebo  regarding adverse events , body temperature , or consciousness level . During treatment , there was a benefit of dexamphetamine in neurological and functional outcome ( P < 0.05 ) , but differences were not maintained at follow-up . Conclusions — Overall , dexamphetamine was safe and well tolerated by patients with acute cerebral ischemia , but blood pressure and heart rate increased during treatment in comparison to placebo . These observations may be important in the future planning of amphetamine trials because changes in these variables have been observed to interfere with clinical outcome . The suggestions of improvement in outcome must be confirmed in further studies
No evidence exists at present to support the use of amphetamine after stroke .
INTRODUCTION The use of drugs to enhance recovery ( " rehabilitation pharmacology " ) has been assessed .
Amphetamine can improve outcome in experimental models of stroke , and several small clinical trials have assessed its use in stroke .