The National Institute on Drug Abuse classifies stimulants as a class of substances that increase alertness, attention, and energy, but also elevate blood pressure, heart rate, and respiration.There is a wide range of stimulants with different strengths, chemical structures, and half-lives.The commonality shared from all stimulants is how they enter the brain and alter levels of a neurotransmitter known as dopamine.
Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that helps to control the brain’s reward and pleasure centers. Dopamine additionally is responsible for regulating movement and emotional responses. Not only does it allow us to see rewards, but it’s the driving force behind proceeding forward toward them. Those who have low dopamine activity are actually more prone to becoming addicted to drugs.Under normal circumstances, the brain releases regulated doses of the chemical in response to external stimuli. When feelings that are produced because of dopamine are no longer required, it is then absorbed until its next use in a process known as reuptake. The process of reuptake measures accurately how much of a neurotransmitter remains in the brain and central nervous system at all times.To follow that, stimulants are classified as “reuptake inhibitors” meaning they operate by blocking the reuptake process. This allows for dopamine to remain in the system for an extended period and build up levels that aren’t naturally produced by the body. Over time, this causes damage to receptors in the brain that can take months, and in some cases years, to reverse.