What is Overamping on Stimulants?

The Definition of Overamping and How to Get Effective

Imagine the feeling of your blood pressure rises, causing chest pain and a sudden severe headache; at the same time, your mind descends into chaotic psychological symptoms. That is how many describe overamping, a condition similar to a stimulant overdose.

But what is overamping specifically, and what more is there to know?

Unlike an opioid overdose, which comes from taking a life-threatening dose, sometimes, overamping means taking stimulants more frequently or mixing doses with other drugs.

Catalina Behavioral Health recognizes overamping as a medical emergency. While it falls short of an overdose, the irregular breathing, high blood pressure, and related symptoms of stimulant overamping can turn deadly.

Whether the person is abusing prescription drugs or other stimulants, overamping can lead to severe physical and psychological symptoms.

We invite you to learn more about how this stimulant abuse does more than cause a weird or uncomfortable environment for all involved; it can eventually lead to the need for medical help.

The National Harm Reduction Coalition Defines What Overamping Means

The National Harm Reduction Coalition (NHRC) disputes using the word overdose when describing a stimulant overdose. They point out that most people associate an overdose with the heavy nod or turning blue most often associated with heroin or prescription opioids.

They envision the news reports and images of people slumped over in San Francisco or other big cities without having complete information about how fentanyl or opioid overdoses differ from too much meth or stimulant use.

NHRC suggests communities roll out harm reduction strategies to combat both sides of the coin: overamping and opioid overdose. One recommendation includes using non-stigmatizing language, including the best word, overamping, when referring to too much stimulant use.

Specifically to overamping, they suggest public health providers offer blood pressure and heart disease checks to prevent heart attacks or similar medical conditions.

How Overamping Happens

When someone says they feel overamped, they mean they’ve used too much meth, cocaine, or other stimulants.

Different reasons can cause the body to have this dangerous drug reaction:

Excessive Dosage of Stimulant Drugs

Using more stimulants (cocaine, crack, meth) than the body can handle is one cause of overamping. With the most powerful drugs, especially cocaine, even a slightly higher dose than normal cal cause drug users to feel weird or overamped.

Combining one stimulant with other drugs can also lead to the symptoms of overamping.

Substance Use Over an Extended Time

Using stimulants for several days without breaks can lead to the body being unable to metabolize properly. For instance, the body might properly process a specific dose of crystal meth well on the first day of drug use. But the same dose might lead to increased risk by the third day.

Consequences of Sleep Deprivation

Taking stimulant drugs over several days often means little to no sleep. The sleep deprivation accumulates in the body, causing the central nervous system to become highly susceptible. The National Institutes for Health warns that a sleep deficiency can take a toll on the body.

Physically, other factors can also worsen this, including not eating or drinking enough water or a prior history of heart attacks or strokes.

Physical and Psychological Symptoms of Overamping

If you find someone who has experienced overamping, call 911. An emergency room can provide interventions and medications to help reverse this dangerous situation.

Physical Signs of Overamping

A person physically showing signs of overamping:

• Rapid heartbeat
• Chest pain
• Hypertension (these 1st three symptoms can be a precursor to a heart attack)
• High body temperature
• Dry skin
• Muscle tremors; spasms
• Trouble speaking
• Teeth grinding
• Sudden numbness
• Seizures (life-threatening if the seizure lasts more than a few minutes)
• Sleep loss

Over several days of these symptoms, the person may have rapidly devolving health. The body especially reaches its limits by the third day of a run.

Psychological Symptoms of Overamping

These signs may show that someone is in a bad place and needs medical help:

• Extreme agitation
• Panic or anxiety attacks
• Hallucinations
• Restlessness
• Paranoia
• Hyperawareness, a state of being constantly super-aware
• Thoughts of self-harm or suicide

Experiencing this ongoing state of anxiety, hallucinations, and paranoia can lead to severe psychological distress. If the person expresses thoughts of self-harm or mentions suicide, call 911 for immediate help.

First Aid for Overamping or Stimulant Overdosing

Here are the steps you should follow to stop the person from continuing to decline after they have experienced overamping:

• Call 911: Call for emergency help. Describe the person’s symptoms and what drug you suspect they’ve taken. Calling 911 is the key to surviving any overdose, whether a stimulant like cocaine or an opioid drug like heroin. Stay on the phone with the dispatcher who will give you life-saving instructions.
• Fresh air: If the person can do so safely, open a window or turn on a fan to get some some fresh air. It may help them breathe more easily. Never attempt to move them, especially if they are having a seizure, heart attack, or more dangerous physical symptoms.
• Stop the agitation: Encourage and support the person to stop any agitated outbursts. Staying calm is necessary, especially if you suspect a heart attack.
• Stay with the person: It’s vital that you stay with the person during an overdose or overamping experience. You are the caregiver until EMS arrives. Share their medical conditions if known, such as history of heart attacks, high blood pressure, past overdoses, etc.
• Describe the overdose signs to first responders: When help arrives, explain the signs and symptoms. Your input helps them decide whether to treat them for an overdose or overamping.

Getting help quickly after overdoses or overamping can mean the difference between life and death.

JP Survived a Medical Emergency and Recovered at Catalina

‘JP’ is a young adult who had lived on the streets since a falling out with their parents. Over years of living in a tent near downtown Tucson, JP had turned to stimulant abuse. Staying awake at night by taking stimulants meant keeping safe from theft and assault.

Local harm reduction strategies supplied them with enough water, food, and health checks, but nobody else seemed to care whether they survived or not.

One day, a Harm Reduction Coalition volunteer found JP overamping on the street. JP expressed severe chest pain and felt they were having a heart attack. The volunteer called 911, likely saving their life.

The emergency physician explained that heart attacks are relatively common with stimulant use, even for younger people. JP did not have a heart attack, but the chest discomfort had been a warning sign. The doctor stabilized JP and instructed the hospital social worker to get JP signed up for AHCCCS (Arizona Medicaid) coverage.

JP was discharged from the emergency room and received approval for an emergency admission at Catalina. Because JP’s unsheltered situation made them so vulnerable, AHCCCS approved JP for inpatient treatment.

Setting the Stage for Recovery from Stimulants

After a safe medical detox to rid the body of stimulants, JP completed several weeks of therapy. In individual therapy sessions, they learned to process and cope with the trauma of their parental abandonment. Their parents remained stoic in rejecting JP and even refused an invitation to family counseling.

Despite that, JP made great strides in therapy and even completed his GED prep course online during his free time. His physical health quickly bounced back once stimulant-free.

While planning for aftercare, JP applied for housing at a low-cost sober living program. The home accepted JP as a resident contingent on finding stable employment and attending weekly NA meetings.

During their time at Catalina, JP learned more about stimulant overamping and understood that their body could not take much more drug abuse. Today, they’ve officially earned their GED and have a steady job.

They saved enough money to move into an apartment with a roommate from the sober living home. JP plans to do volunteer work to help others with drug addictions and move from a bad place to sobriety – they know they’re living proof.

Catalina Offers Effective Recovery from Stimulant Addiction

Taking stimulants can have long-term health implications, including an increase in heart disease. We take a holistic approach that provides medical help for the body while decreasing your reliance on methamphetamines, crack cocaine, or other stimulants.

Getting help is easy and starts with contacting us for free, confidential insurance verification. The cost of rehab can be low-cost, often with zero out-of-pocket costs. We accept group health plans and AHCCCS to ensure affordable treatment.

You deserve to live a drug-free, sober life; call us for help today.