Fever from amphetamine

[SelfExper1menter]

I have some racemic amphetamine sulfate. It's supposed to be pure and does seem reasonably pure: almost white (a slight tinge of redness), odorless. An aqueous solution is bitter and a little sour, but otherwise has no specific taste.

When I take 30 mg orally, it works but causes fever (about 37.2-37.5 degrees Celsius).

Does that mean it has some toxic contaminant and I should throw it away, or is it possible that the fever is caused by amphetamine itself? Has anyone else had a fever from amphetamine, especially from such small doses? Unfortunately I can't obtain amphetamine from another source any time soon, so I can't check whether it would cause fever too.

 

[Paracelsus]

The dosage of 30 mg refers to a strong, not a small one. Also, pyrexia or fever is one of the classic physical effects of stimulants. If the temperature does not exceed 38-39 degrees Celsius, decreases after the action of the substance and does not tend to increase, you should not worry in vain. Unfortunately, it is impossible to assess the presence / absence of impurities according to the description of the action in this case. I can recommend reducing the dosage and taking it in a well-ventilated room, and drinking water in small portions throughout the session.

 

[SelfExper1menter]

"Strong" doesn't mean much to me (like, strong compared to what?). Could you give me some approximate reference points, for example:
1) what dosage is needed to stay awake and not sleepy through the night?
2) what dosage is supposed to be strongly pleasurable and reinforcing, as opposed to just stimulating? For example, the 30 mg that you call strong is pretty stimulating for me (at least in the absence of tolerance), but not pleasurable at all, just neutral; if I were a lab rat, I wouldn't be driven to press a lever to get such an effect. That's only valid assuming my amphetamine is pure enough, of course.
(all of that for racemic amphetamine sulfate taken orally)

By the way, although I didn't try to take several temperature measures over time, the fever does seem to start decreasing around the same time the stimulation wanes. So does mouth dryness (but that I know is normal).

What bugs me is that, according to the package insert for Dexedrine, a single dose of dextroamphetamine sulfate can be up to 30 mg (which translates to 60 mg racemic), but fever is not listed as an adverse effect (at all!). Which doesn't make sense, unless levoamphetamine is much better at inducing pyrexia than the same amount of dextro. Is it?

 

[Paracelsus]

As you correctly noticed, all dosages are averaged. It is always necessary to remember about individual tolerance, the quality of the substance and so on. The average dosage for amphetamine ranges from 10 - 20 mg. As for "pleasure", here I see a problem in the fact that classical stimulants by themselves do not contribute to some vivid and pronounced experiences of pleasure. It can be created by the atmosphere, activity, company.

Reducing the dosage of the stimulant and planning a session can also create conditions for the manifestation of not only stimulating effects. Here it is also worth mentioning about the quality of the substance and stereoisomerism.

But if you are looking for really pleasant sensations, you should turn to the side of euphoretics, for example MDMA.

Fever is one of the most common side effects of Dexedrine. An increase in temperature is a natural consequence of stimulation. This is how pharmacology and biophysics work. Double-check your sources or find others.

 

[41Dxflatline]

Depending on where you're measuring and what with that might be a normal body temperature. Amphetamines cause thermogenesis via norepinephrine release. Less of a problem with dextro

 

[SelfExper1menter]

No, it's definitely not normal. The baseline measured right before the dose is always 36.5-36.8

 

[41Dxflatline]

Well then, it's still normal for speed and not a fever

 

[SelfExper1menter]

OK, this is very confusing. On one hand, you Paracelsus and 41Dxflatline both say that fever from 30 mg racemic amph is normal. On the other, prescribing info for neither Dexedrine nor Adderall (here, for example) mentions fever as a side effect, and 30 mg dose is inside the therapeutic range for these drugs. How so?! At the same time, they do mention dry mouth and even minor stuff, like small increase in blood pressure. And Adderall is 25% the pesky levo isomer, so if levoamphetamine was solely responsible for the fever, Adderall would cause fever too.

 

[41Dxflatline]

It's not a fever and increased body temperature is in the PILs side effects sections:

https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/files/pil.7404.pdf