Health - Hypoglycaemia through amphetamine?

[Moonage Daydream]

SWIM has got a question. Does anyone know if one can get low blood sugar symptoms through staying up for a few days on speed?
In the old days (though maybe depressingly this is also cos swim is now fast approaching mid thirties) she used to be able to stay up for days and be relatively ok. Now she has to force herself to eat whether she likes it or not (and after 3g or so even lovely food tastes like polyfilla, cardboard and cement) every few hours (we are talking tiny amounts compared to normal like 1/2 a banana) or swim feels incredibly tense and really has to concentrate on not fainting, as well as feeling paradoxically slow(tho sometimes can feel slow but actually babbling according to others).
Swims friend does not suffer from any of this, could this be because she has only been doing it a year as cf. to swim's 4? Despite the fact that said friend does four times the amount (though swim does the same large amount on binges, swim means to say day to day habit)
swim does understand that logically comedowns will get worse and worse incrementally as she carries on, but is aggrieved because the crash comes in much earlier and lasts a hell of a lot longer. Is there a capacity for staying up that swim has somehow exhausted?
thanks a lot , any answers/ideas appreciated ...

Reputation Comments on this post:

Good question and follow your own advice, must eat to survive the crash

[riaahacker]

Amphetamine causes a release and inhibits the reuptake of norepinephrine which the sympathetic nervous system uses as a signal to release glucose into the blood for an emergency situation (fight or flight). So binging on amphetamines without replenishing resources might cause very low sugar levels.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Great answer and appreciate the info

[Boca Bitch]

Originally Posted by riaahacker

Amphetamine causes a release and inhibits the reuptake of norepinephrine which the sympathetic nervous system uses as a signal to release glucose into the blood for an emergency situation (fight or flight). So binging on amphetamines without replenishing resources might cause very low sugar levels.

Very clearly stated.

I'd like to add that this could spell potential health risks for those predisposed to diabetes. Amphetamines, although beneficial as medication (and recreational use for those more out there), put one's body through pure hell on almost incomparable levels to any other substance. The problem lies in amp's potency and the length of its duration; stimulants cause a sharp rise in blood sugar levels (for the reason listed above), followed by a sudden drop. This potential health risks associated are especially true for amphetamines because they cause such an extended period of drug-induced hyperglycemia (followed by hypoglycemia during withdrawal).
This is really all common knowledge, when put into perspective:
The body's regulation of blood sugar levels is an extremely delicate procedure, which can be seen by today's obesity crisis... resulting directly to the sharp rise in diabetes rates. Knowing that irregularities can result in the development of a potentially life-threatening condition, it's safe to say that amphetamines can cause even far worse damage than the biggest, baddest value meal.

This isn't to say that one's occasional/moderate use of amp will CAUSE full-blown diabetes. However it should raise a flag in your mind that heavy use may greatly increase one's risk if they are predisposed. So if one should happen to have close relatives with the condition, potential long-term risks should be taken into consideration.
That doesn't mean that occasional, light use (including recreational) means one will become diabetic, even if it is present within family history. However, it is certain that heavy speed binges spanning days, will GREATLY increase risk.

Personally, do I outright discourage recreational amphetamine use despite the clear dangers both long and short-term? Absolutely not... even though I would not partake myself. But I do hope those that do use amp recreationally keep their family history and current physical health in mind.. and make adjustments to the length of their binges if necessary.

Having fun is one thing... but let's not have anyone die for an otherwise preventable cause.

[Moonage Daydream]

that's logical. Thank you! For a clever girl swim can sometimes be a little silly! And evidently swim just differently wired (sorry that was accidental pun groan) to her associate...

[gmeziscool2354]

swim and swimfriends (one of whom is a fellow DF'er) have experienced similar symptoms from amphetamines especailly combined with alcohol due to going for hours (we don't do the days thing since we are all employed full time of students with part time jobs) with out food or enough water. Swim has found that forcing a bannana or apple down can really make a big difference for him. it will virtually eliminate hypoglycemic feeling on the come down for him

gmeziscool2354 added 0 Minutes and 40 Seconds later...

also, marijunana can be used to help induce appetite towards the end of a speed session and i hear it is highly reccomended by some friends

[Moonage Daydream]

swim works four days a week but has 6 days off each month, which is when said binges happen (she works unsociable days) Also she does not really enjoy drinking or smoking sorry to be difficult. sorry if this comes over as defensive! What she may do is make herself eat a small amount every 5 hours, maybe fruit or ice cream (which along with chocs she could eat at any time, frankly!!)
When she is off work she does much smaller amounts of speed each day and so eats three meals a day.
Anyway its time to shut up and sleep, thanks ever so much for the advice everyone!

Moonage Daydream added 1 Minutes and 38 Seconds later...

btw this does not imply that swim does speed in work, she means days off in normal week. Just needed to get that paranoid disclaimer out of the way

[Richard_smoker]

here's the deal with amphetamines and blood sugar levels, although i'm not sure it will answer any of your questions.

When someone NATURALLY experiences a drop in blood sugar (i.e. from diabetic taking too much insulin), the body's reaction is similar to the effect of amphetamines (fight or flight, sympathetic nervous system is revved up, heart rate increases, blood pressure goes up, etc.) This signals a very dangerous condition as the body is 'scrounging' for energy just before blood sugar levels drop so low that hypoglycemic crisis/seizure/coma occurs.

I think what you're describing is just getting burnt-out on the amphetamine's effects. Less drug is required & it happens in shorter time-periods than when you were younger, right?

i think this kinda thing is common with maturity---not necessarily because you're getting OLDER, but more because you are probably wiser, more mature, and thus the appeal of self-destruction might be losing its luster. One characteristic of maturity is to be able to view something as more of a whole rather than just a small part of the experience. For example, you can see the amphetamines as being "fun" (at first), but at the same time, you can see that the drug ALSO will make you feel more like "hell" at the tail-end of the experience.

regarding nutrition and sugar-levels, one should really be concerned about their nutrient intake on average... if you're eating fine during the week, i doubt there's anything too serious going on over the weekend to cause a major depletion in anything. Also, you should see your doctor and have a yearly physical to make sure you don't have something serious and potentially life-threatening like diabetes. If you do have diabetes, then proper diet and medication can literally add many years to your life.

be safe. -DICK

[Moonage Daydream]

thanks for all your thoughts
did actually have a test for diabetes because I was experiencing these things naturally, and don't have it.Though have long had tendency to push myself further than perhaps I should. there is this thing called tiredness!

[SmokingBowls420]

Hypoglycaemia is a DEFINITE possibility.....Swim doesn't know how much sugar amphetamines fries per hour, then again it depends on how much/how long swiy binges....Every tweaker swim has seen going a week or so without meth begin to CRAVE sugar. When swim quit he ALWAYS had 2 pockets full of candy every day for about 2 weeks.

[Moonage Daydream]

thanks for that swim's question is now answered really. Yes swim is aware of dangers, but unfortunately is quite dependent, though still is better at regulating the amount and situations she does it in than in the old days. Last week when she stayed up for the better part of three (including a 200 mile coach journey and a day at work!) she forced herself to eat and that made all the difference.
That is say real meals but just 1/5 of what she normally eats..swim has a rather big appetite considering, perhaps alarmingly greater than her non speed using friends!