Sudafed energy: Pseudoephedrine—Benefits and Risks – PMC

20.08.202319.07.2023 by alexxlab

Is Sudafed Addictive? | Clearbrook Massachusetts

Sudafed is the brand name for pseudoephedrine, which is a decongestant (sympathomimetic) used to treat stuffy noses and sinuses by narrowing the blood vessels to decrease swelling and congestion. Sudafed may also be used to treat other common cold or flu symptoms, as well as sinus pain, hay fever, allergies, and bronchitis. As an over-the-counter (OTC) medication, Sudafed can be purchased and used without a prescription. But while it may be an effective OTC medication for flu symptoms and allergies, is Sudafed addictive? Today, our Clearbrook rehab in Massachusetts is looking into this question and the possible signs of pseudoephedrine abuse.

Can You Get High On Sudafed?

Yes, Sudafed can produce a stimulating and energetic high. Oftentimes, it’s promoted as a stimulant, which is why it’s a common ingredient in methamphetamine and also why people may experiment with it.

Pseudoephedrine is also a common ingredient in methamphetamine, which is why people can only purchase a certain amount of it at a time. Specifically, according to the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005, one person can only purchase enough Sudafed (pseudoephedrine) for 30 days.

The conversion of pseudoephedrine into methamphetamine is the most common way for people to get high on Sudafed. Methamphetamine itself is a powerful and addictive stimulant that produces an immediate, euphoric high, marked by side effects like a sense of well-being, increased confidence, alertness, and energy.

Meth can be inhaled or smoked, swallowed in pill form, injected, or crushed into powder to be snorted. The last of these administrations often encourages the act of snorting Sudafed in people who use it to get high.

Is Pseudoephedrine Addictive?

While the purchase of pseudoephedrine was originally restricted because it was often used to make methamphetamine, it also has a potential for abuse and addiction on its own. Sudafed is addictive, and long-term pseudoephedrine misuse increases an individual’s risk of both physical and psychological dependence.

Some people use Sudafed to increase alertness and energy. It’s one of the many medications that are available over-the-counter, meaning it can be used to self-medicate, increasing the individual’s risk of dependence and addiction.

Because it’s a stimulant, many people also believe that pseudoephedrine is performance-enhancing. As a result, athletes and students may also abuse it to increase their performance in sports, school, or work.

On the other hand, some individuals may engage in Sudafed abuse simply because they want to get high. Many people experiment with over-the-counter drugs because they believe they’re harmless or that they aren’t addictive. While being addicted to pseudoephedrine isn’t as severe as being addicted to methamphetamine, it can occur, and it is dangerous.

Sudafed Abuse Side Effects and Symptoms

Side Effects of Sudafed

Although research on the details of a Sudafed high is limited, because it acts as a stimulant, it’s safe to say that Sudafed produces a high by affecting dopamine levels in the brain, producing euphoria. Stimulants are also known for elevating heart rate, blood pressure, and energy, which may contribute to a high.

Some common side effects of Sudafed (pseudoephedrine) include:

Increased energy
Euphoria
Red eyes
Nausea and/or vomiting
Paranoia and anxiety
Restlessness
Loss of appetite and weight loss
Confusion
Difficulty concentrating
Abnormal heartbeat
Muscle weakness
Trouble sleeping (insomnia)
Tightness in the chest

Usually, depending on the person’s age, the maximum dose of Sudafed a person can take is 240 milligrams (mg), meaning the pseudoephedrine recreational dose is anything above 240 mg. In addition to using higher doses, people may also abuse Sudafed by using it in ways it wasn’t meant to be used, such as crushing pills and snorting them.

Signs of Sudafed Abuse

Pseudoephedrine abuse is most common among teens, young adults, and college students because it’s a cheap and accessible OTC medication. These age groups may use Sudafed as a performance-enhancing drug or simply to get high.

However, since access to pseudoephedrine is restricted, teens and young adults are now more likely to turn to other more easily accessible drugs of abuse, such as herbal drugs, OTC medications like DXM (dextromethorphan), or prescription drugs.

Someone who is misusing pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) may exhibit these signs:

Irritability
Frequent mood swings
Red eyes
Dilated pupils
Decreased appetite
Weight loss
Isolating from friends and family
Poor performance at school or work
Sudden changes in appearance, hygiene, or social circles
Loss of interest in hobbies and activities
Mood swings

People who have developed pseudoephedrine dependence or addiction may also exhibit certain physical and behavioral changes when use is reduced or stopped, otherwise referred to as withdrawals. Sudafed withdrawal can be an uncomfortable experience that may encourage the person to continue using this drug to avoid them.

If you’ve become addicted to Sudafed and want to quit using it, our Massachusetts treatment center recommends a medically monitored detox. During a medically supervised detox at our facility, patients are under the 24-hour care of our team, during which they may be given medication to alleviate withdrawal symptoms (as needed). This is a much safer and more pleasant alternative to attempting to quit pseudoephedrine addiction cold-turkey.

Get Help for Sudafed Abuse

Just because it’s an over-the-counter medication, doesn’t make pseudoephedrine abuse safe. Long-term misuse of any medication or drug can have long-term repercussions on an individual’s physical and mental health, as well as their relationships, career, and finances.

What’s more, because pseudoephedrine is a common ingredient in methamphetamine, abusing it long-term also increases your chances of experimenting with meth for a more powerful high. The longer you use drugs, the more of them you’ll need to feel just as good as that first time.

If you want freedom from drug addiction, you don’t have to do it on your own. Our inpatient drug rehab in Massachusetts offers treatment for all kinds of drugs, including medical detox and therapy, to help our patients overcome every hurdle that drug abuse throws their way.

To learn more about the Massachusetts drug rehab programs offered at Clearbrook Treatment Centers, call us today at 570-536-9621.

Side Effects, Safety & Uses of Sudafed

What is Pseudoephedrine?

Pseudoephedrine is a drug that has been most commonly used as an ingredient in the previously over-the-counter medication, Sudafed, which is used as a nasal decongestant. Pseudoephedrine is present in some medications without a prescription, and it is available in drugstores behind the pharmacy counter. The US Food and Drug Administration sets limits on how much pseudoephedrine consumers can purchase in a month-long period.

Pseudoephedrine was previously sold on the shelves at most drugstores. Consumers can still buy products with pseudoephedrine in them without a prescription; however, due to the increased use of the medication as an illicit ingredient for the manufacture of methamphetamines, pseudoephedrine is now kept behind pharmacy counters, and consumers must show photo identification and sign a log in order to purchase the medication. This procedure varies state by state, but it was put into place after federal regulations were established to combat the misuse of the medication in illegal drug manufacturing.

How Is Pseudoephedrine Used?

When used as intended, pseudoephedrine is considered safe and effective for combating nasal congestion, and it can relieve symptoms associated with swollen nasal passages and mucus buildup, such as pain and difficulty breathing. The medication works by shrinking the swollen tissue of the nasal passageway and allowing mucus buildup to drain out.

What Are the Side Effects of Pseudoephedrine Use?

Side effects from typical pseudoephedrine use can include:

Urinary retention
Insomnia
Nervousness or anxiety
Dizziness
Excitability

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Signs of Overdose & Severe Side Effects

People who intentionally ingest more that the recommended amount of pseudoephedrine may be at risk for overdose. Read the instructions on the box and take the recommended dosage only or consult your doctor to determine a safe dose.

Severe adverse reactions and/or overdose include:

Dilated pupils
Hallucinations
Hypertension
Heart arrhythmias
Seizures
Skin reactions

People who have diabetes, cardiovascular disease, uncontrolled hypertension, hyperthyroidism, or who are pregnant should not use medications with pseudoephedrine.

How Is Pseudoephedrine Misused?

Pseudoephedrine can be misused as an ingredient for the illicit manufacture of methamphetamines.

In 2005, the FDA created the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act, which banned over-the-counter sales of cold medicines that included the ingredient pseudoephedrine, requiring them to be sold behind the counter. The act also required consumers to present a photo identification and for stores to keep records of purchasers for at least two years. The law limits the amount an individual can purchase in a 30-day period. These changes were made after a surge of reported methamphetamine abuse revealed that people were using easily accessible over-the-counter medications that contained pseudoephedrine in order to manufacture methamphetamines in labs at home.

Pseudoephedrine does carry some risks of abuse on its own. Some people use the drug to promote alertness and as a stimulant. A study from Integrated Pharmacy Research and Practice notes that pseudoephedrine is among other medications available without a prescription that can be used to self-medicate, leading to a risk of abuse or addiction. Another study from BMJ Open Sport and Exercise Medicine notes that some athletes have abused pseudoephedrine as a performance-enhancing drug.

Pseudoephedrine is most dangerous when it is used in the manufacture of methamphetamines. The conversion of pseudoephedrine into methamphetamine is the most common way for people to get high using pseudoephedrine.

Methamphetamine is a powerful stimulant that can be highly addictive and easily abused. People who abuse methamphetamines take the drug by inhaling or smoking it, swallowing it in pill form, snorting crushed or powder forms of the drug, or injecting powder that has been dissolved in water.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse notes that methamphetamine causes a quick high that fades soon after. Due to the relatively short duration of the high associated with the drug, many users take multiple doses over a long period of time, sometimes even using for days at as time. Methamphetamine increases the levels of the feel-good chemical dopamine into the brain, causing a stimulation of the reward centers in the brain. This release of dopamine reinforces the drug-taking behavior, which can result in addiction and dependency.

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Are Regulations Helping to Curb Abuse?

According to a study sponsored by the National institute of Justice, nationwide meth-lab incidents decreased overall as a result of government attempts to restrict sales of precursor ingredients to methamphetamines. The study also found that regulations had some short-term effects on reducing demand for methamphetamines.

However, controlling the supply of ingredients can only have limited effects in the overall demand for illicit substances. People with serious addiction problems may turn to other substances or other sources in order to obtain drugs if they lose access to their drug of choice.

Due to the risks associated with pseudoephedrine abuse, pharmaceutical companies have attempted to create alternatives for people with legitimate medical needs that were previously treated frequently with pseudoephedrine. There are other nasal decongestants available on the shelves of drugstores that do not contain pseudoephedrine and thus are not subject to the same restrictions as other medications with pseudoephedrine.

Sudafed PE is still available on shelves, and some drug manufacturers have voluntarily reformatted their medications to exclude the use of pseudoephedrine. Other medications are also available over the counter that do not contain stimulants such as pseudoephedrine.

This study notes that since the implementation of laws restricting access to pseudoephedrine, new technology has produced forms of pseudoephedrine that limit the ability to convert pseudoephedrine to methamphetamine. The Nexafed tablets produced for the study were equally therapeutic to pseudoephedrine, thus highlighting a promising new tool to combat the illicit manufacture of methamphetamines.

While pseudoephedrine is still available for purchase as a nonprescription medication, some people may choose to use alternatives. Particularly if a person has a history of substance abuse, or has abused methamphetamine in the past, they may want to consider using alternatives to pseudoephedrine when they need relief from nasal congestion.

Privacy Issues

Privacy concerns are also an issue for some people. Individuals may not want to provide the information required by the DEA in order to purchase products with pseudoephedrine. For those who do not want to have their information and purchase history collected or stored by their pharmacy, choosing a product without pseudoephedrine may be a viable alternative.

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Last Updated on Jul 10, 2023

90,000 NHL players swallowed 20 cold pills at a time. Why else is this?

BUSINESS Online Sports Edition presents a translation of Sports Illustrated’s 1998 material, which tells how American hockey players use drugs for colds that are banned in the rest of the world.

Andy Moog. Photo: Rick Stewart / gettyimages.com

20% LEAGUE

At 6:30 pm in Montreal, fans are buzzing in the Molson Center, commentators are preparing for reporting, hot dogs are cooling in the press box. Canediens Goalie Andy Moog operates according to the usual schedule. He takes two Sudafed tablets and takes them down with a glass of water. Moog does not want to improve his health – it’s just a matter of habit. He was first introduced to the remedy six or seven years ago when he caught a serious cold. Since then, he has used it regularly, as have four other Montreal players. Sometimes the medicine is called “Sadeys”. These little red pills, hockey players say, help “start” the engine and better prepare for the match.

The exact number of hockey players who use Sudafed, an over-the-counter drug containing pseudoephedrine, is not known. Two NHL coaches said that 20% of the players use it – not to prevent coughing, as the manufacturers would like, but to get them a little pinched. The NHL, however, claims that there are far fewer Sudafed fans and they all adhere exclusively to medical purposes.

Pseudoephedrine is found in many cold medicines. But almost all players choose Sudafed to cheer up. This is such a dirty NHL secret that can cause a lot of problems at the Olympics. The drug is legal, but at the same time contains a substance that is prohibited at the Games.

Dependence on Sudafed in the league reaches ridiculous levels. There is talk that one of the players swallowed 20 tablets at once before the matches – the only way he could get the desired sensations. “There are a lot of overdose stories,” says Detroit fitness coach John Wharton , who has been with the club since 1991. – Sometimes people can’t finish the first period because of anxiety, paranoia, dizziness. Some, of course, have learned to cope with large doses. The largest I’ve seen is eight pills at a time. This will be enough for an ordinary person to thunder into the hospital. Wharton says he’s dealt with four to five players on the drug in the past seven years.

According to Colorado veteran Jari Kurri , rough play in the current NHL is caused not only by the thirst for competition. Finn sees a parallel between the increased amount of pseudoephedrine and the uneasy relationship between NHL players. Kurri, playing for Anaheim last season, hosted Sudafed himself. “You are terribly excited,” he describes his feelings. “I don’t know if the pills lead to a dangerous game, but I’m sure the league should look into the drug more.”

Montreal Forward Mark Recchi doesn’t share Kurri’s opinion, but doesn’t deny being uplifted by Sudafed. At one time, he used pills every 10 to 15 games. Now he has completely abandoned it. “You feel energized,” says Rekki. “When you are overwhelmed with energy, it’s easy to break loose and burn out.”

Montreal’s other forward Brian Savage takes two pills before every game around the same time as goaltender Moog. This tradition began with Savage three years ago, during the second season in the league. “I’m not sure what still gets me in,” he admits. “But if I’m a little out of shape, the pills work.” But there are problems. After games that end around 10:15 pm, Savage can’t sleep until 2 am. “Usually I eat and drink a glass of wine,” says the hockey player. “And only then can I sleep.”

Brendan Shanahan. Photo: Tom Pidgeon / gettyimages.com

Rattle

The NHL should think about such drugs before the Nagano Olympics. League players will play in the best teams of the tournament, and the doping scandal that Sudafed could lead to will turn out to be completely inopportune. The NHL and the players’ union tested players who could play at the Games during pre-season training and continued to do so during the championship. The cost of a mistake is high. If a player passes a positive doping test in Nagano, he will be suspended from participation in the Olympics, and the team will be credited with a technical defeat. If the test passes after the decisive match, the team may be deprived of medals.

An IOC doping control official said that pseudoephedrine, obtained from two Sudafed tablets, would remain in the body for a month. However, as he suggests, in a week the substance will not be enough for a positive result. And yet, NHL players and coaches don’t want to get caught on Sudafede. Montreal changed the way they receive cold medicines – now they can only be obtained from the club’s doctors. True, no one prevents the players from buying the Sudafed remedy for the common cold for seven dollars, a whole collection of which has already been collected by one of the players. But several Olympians, including the New Jersey goalie0003 Martin Brodeur and Colorado forward Adam Deadmarsh didn’t touch Sudafed even when they had a cold. Coach Wharton from Detroit confirms this: “In recent months, we have been extremely careful with Yzerman and Shanahan.”

With Brendan Shanahan , apparently, not everything is so simple. In an interview with the Canadian television channel TSN, the player said that at the All-Star Game he was able to “see with his own eyes whether Sudafed is dissolved in drinks in the United States.” Most likely he was joking; there’s just nothing funny about it. Team Canada Doctor Eric Babins says that pseudoephedrine leads to the release of adrenaline or norepinephrine, increases the pulse and blood pressure, increases the capacity of the lungs due to the expansion of the nostrils and bronchi. It also stimulates those parts of the nervous system that control muscle function and are responsible for the fight-or-flight response when the body is mobilized under threat. Players say that if they take Sudafed an hour before the match, they feel the effect of the drug after 34-40 minutes, that is, during the warm-up. An hour later, according to doctors, the medicine comes into full force. And after 8 – 16 hours – depending on the composition, dosage of the drug and the characteristics of the body – the substance stops working. Feeling anxious is not the most serious side effect. The pills themselves are not addictive, but the sensations that players get after using them are very even.

Sudafed is believed to have first appeared in the NHL in the mid-80s. It is surprising how little attention the clubs then paid to medicine. Wharton says that in the Detroit locker room at first, Sudafed pills were laid out like fruit—three-quarters of the players consumed them. “In Edmonton, someone was walking through the locker room shaking a bottle of pills,” recalls goaltender Moog, who played with the Oilers in the 1982-83 and 1986-87 seasons. – Sounds like a rattle. So we came up with the name and we were like, “Hey, does anyone want some rattles?”

The peak of Sudafed use was three or four years ago – things began to decline after the NHL held a meeting where they discussed the list of acceptable drugs. After that, a note appeared in the Calgary locker room that coaches had no right to give players cold remedies. Terry Groves , who has been with the Flames since 1980, is certain no one on the team has taken Sudafed. And the coach of Montreal Gaetan Lefebvre always keeps a small piece of paper with him, on which is written a list of substances allowed by the IOC. “We try to follow the rules,” he says. – All these drugs are used for medical purposes. If you want an extra effect, go and work in training.” Criticism of “Sudafed” did not stop all the players. Some simply found drugs with the same effect from other manufacturers. The new pills typically contain Chinese ma-huang containing ephedrine and are available from health food stores. Ephedrine is similar to pseudoephedrine in many ways and can also lead to a positive result in a doping test during the Olympics.

Even if the Games are not scandalous, it’s foolish to deny that the little red pills have become part of the NHL – even if not among smart players. “If everything is in order with your head, you don’t need these drugs,” says Igor Larionov from Detroit. But what if they are allowed? DOPING On Thursday, December 17, the UEFA Control and Disciplinary Committee will decide the fate of CSKA defenders Sergei Ignashevich and Alexei Berezutsky. Before the Champions League match Besiktas – CSKA they were suspended from the game due to the fact that UEFA suspected them of doping.

“SSF” tried to figure out what was going on and answer the burning questions.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Before the match between CSKA and Besiktas, the UEFA official website posted information that Ignashevich and Berezutsky were “preliminarily (before the analysis at the UEFA FTC on December 17. – Note ed. ) suspended for all matches of the national championship and European competitions, as well as friendly meetings.” The fact is that a doping test after the Champions League match with Manchester United on November 3 revealed that the players had a certain “drug included in the List of Prohibited Substances of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) sample 2009year under the category “S6: Stimulants”. The official website of CSKA immediately explained that “this situation arose in connection with the treatment of our players from a severe cold they received while still in the national team.” They were treated with Sudafed, but “made a technical error” – they did not indicate this in a special form.

WHAT IS SUDAFED?

This drug (tablets or in the form of syrup) is used for diseases of the upper respiratory tract, bronchitis, influenza… the already banned stimulant kathine (a product of the metabolism of pseudoephedrine, the main ingredient in Sudafed). Therefore, the dosage of the drug is very important. Perhaps, in order not to play with fire, since January 1, 2010, sudafed again decided to be included in the list of “prohibited substances”.

WHERE IS IT USED?

Team doctor Andrei Grishanov, who avoids commenting on “this situation” in the press, at an unscheduled meeting of the RFU medical committee said that before the match with the Azerbaijani team on October 14, Ignashevich and Berezutsky were absolutely healthy. The CSKA doctor Oleg Ipatenko, who was invited to this very meeting, did not appear there. However, no one needed his recognition – it was clear: CSKA was stuffed with football players with a court of law. Although, if you like, here is Ipatenko’s indirect confession. According to Igor Medvedev, a member of the RFU executive committee, to Sovetsky Sport, an army doctor told him “that the players had a sore throat, they prescribed a drug, they bought it at the airport.”

But maybe CSKA players take sudafed regardless of their state of health – for preventive purposes, so to speak? No, “we are not talking about the systematic malicious use of any illegal drugs by the players of the national team,” RFU General Director Alexei Sorokin told Sovetsky Sport. Before the match in Baku, as well as before all the others, the players passed a doping test, which did not reveal any katin or sudafed in anyone …

UEFA does not give official comments until December 17th. But the UEFA Anti-Doping Regulations, in article 18.01, say that “the period of ineligibility for the presence of a prohibited substance in a doping sample … is two years if this is the first such violation for a player.” However, the period can be reduced if the player cooperates with the authorities and manages to prove that the substance was not taken in order to improve their athletic performance. Then there may be a reprimand without disqualification, and a reduced period.

There have been reports in the foreign media that the army team could be banned from participating in the Champions League. However, the head of the UEFA public relations committee, Rob Faulkner, said that this would not happen. Although everything will be finally decided on December 17th. Moreover, the German “Wolfsburg” is going to file a protest against the result of his away match with the army team. (November 25 in Moscow, CSKA won 2: 1. – Note ed. .).

WHO IS DOPING IN FOOTBALL

The great and controversial Argentinean Diego Maradona was banned from football in 1991 for cocaine use while playing for Italy’s Napoli. This ended his career in the Apennines. At the 1994 World Cup in the United States, Marodona had a doping test after the match with Greece showed the presence of ephedrine. For Maradona, that game with the Greeks was the last in the national team. n The Dutchman Jan Stump, while playing for the Italian Lazio at the end of 2001, was suspended for five months from football for taking the banned anabolic nandrolone (then he was “knocked off” for one month).

Australian footballer Mark Bosnich, recognized as Oceania’s best goalkeeper of the 20th century, was suspended for cocaine use in 2003 while playing for London’s Chelsea.

Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand missed a mandatory doping test in 2003, saying he “forgot about it”. This forgetfulness cost Ferdinand an eight-month ban and a £50,000 fine.

At the end of 2006, Alexander Tikhonovetsky, a Lucha-Energy football player from Vladivostok, became the first football player in Russia to be disqualified for smoking marijuana for a period of six months.

COMMENTARY OF THE SPECIALIST

Vyacheslav KOLOSKOV, honorary member of FIFA and UEFA:

What should the army team do?

– Under no circumstances should one sit idly by and hope for objective decisions of FTC members. We must actively defend ourselves. And in two directions. The first is to invite a lawyer experienced in doping control matters. There are many such specialists in Russia. In any case, Mikhail Prokhorov proved this in biathlon. These specialists must correctly explain the entire procedure for the treatment of Ignashevich and Berezutsky, and convince the FTC members that it was not doping. Secondly, CSKA leaders should immediately fly to Switzerland or France, be sure to meet with Platini and, at the highest level, before the decision of the FTC, deliver a preemptive strike, explain to the UEFA president or his deputies that it was an accidental mistake of the team doctor who did not file after the treatment of Ignashevich and Berezutsky to the relevant authorities of the report on the use of anti-cold drugs. This will help to achieve the minimum punishment.

– What sanctions is the FTC entitled to impose?

– Very different. From the disqualification of Ignashevich and Berezutsky for one already missed match with Besiktas. Or they can disqualify Ignashevich and Berezutsky for two years. As for the exclusion of CSKA from the Champions League, I think this is an unfounded fear. For this, the FTC has no good reason. At least in the 15 years that I was a member of the UEFA Executive Committee, there were no cases of such harsh punishments. But, I repeat, all the same, the passive position of CSKA before and during the meeting of the FTC will be a big mistake.