A recent study conducted by the UT Southwestern Medical Center provides researchers with further evidence of a correlation between frequent amphetamine and cocaine usage among young adults and the occurrence of strokes.
"We looked at patients from ages 18 to 44, and we determined who had strokes and what their risk factors were," said Dr. Arthur Westover, instructor of psychiatry at the center. "Our study doesn't show the mechanism, but we found an association between amphetamine usage and stroke."
Amphetamines and cocaine go straight into a person's blood stream, increasing their blood pressure and heart rate, Westover said. "There were animal studies done awhile ago where these drugs were taken intravenously, and the result was inflammation of blood vessels in their brains," he said. "Hemorrhagic strokes result from the bleeding of tissue into the brain when a blood vessel bursts."
Jane Maxwell, a research scientist at the UT School of Social Work, has been researching similar topics for the past 30 years and said these findings were similar to her own.
"I look at the death certificates of everybody in the state of Texas where cocaine is mentioned, and most of their deaths have to do with strokes and heart attacks," she said.
The average age of victims in cases where cocaine is found in the body is 40, and the average age of victims in whose bodies amphetamines are found is 38, Maxwell said.
"Looking at drug use among college students, about 9 percent of college students have ever used cocaine. Four percent have used in the past year and 1 percent in the last month. The number of cocaine users in Texas is pretty comparable to the national average," Maxwell said.
According to surveys conducted by University Health Services in the spring, the level of cocaine and amphetamine use at the University is about equal to the national rate, said Chuck Roper, UHS health education coordinator.
"Those particular drugs, methamphetamine and cocaine, the percentage that UT students report is very low," Roper said. "We did a survey last spring. One percent of men and 2 percent of women reported cocaine use in the last 30 days. Amphetamines include speed, Adderall and Ritalin. Adderall and Ritalin are the only drugs we see an increase in use of. About 4 percent of students said they used them unprescribed."
A lot more women than men acknowledge using those drugs, Roper said.
"They tend to use them as diet pills. People might also use the diet supplements to stay awake, to party longer or study longer," he said.
The numbers in amphetamine and cocaine use don't change much from year to year, but if there is an increase, it will be with the study drugs like Adderall and Ritalin, Roper said.
UT Southwestern Medical Center's study also showed that amphetamine abuse included both methamphetamines and the frequent abuse of prescription stimulants, Westover said.
"For students using even these prescription drugs, I would advise that there is a definite potential risk," he said.
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