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Stimulants are some of the more controversial drugs in psychiatric treatment today. Not only are they very highly prone to recreational use and abuse, it's also because they include the drug RITALIN (methyl-phenidate), a medication used for many years (and is still in use!) to treat AD/HD (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) in children.
Most stimulants, work by blocking the pumps that suck excess dopamine and norepinephrine in the synapses, therefore causing a flood of these two neurotransmitters. Some also act as "releasing agents", assisting in shoving neurotransmitters out of neurons and across the synapse.
Other stimulants besides RITALIN approved by the US FDA for AD/HD are DEXEDRINE (D-amphetamine), CONCERTA (methylphenidate extended-release), and FOCALIN (dexmethylphenidate extended release).
Some stimulants (e.g., DEXEDRINE/D-amphetamine), due to their anorectic (anti-hunger/craving) effects are also approved by the US FDA for treatment of obesity.
The above "phenidate" and "amphetamine" stimulants do have their side effects, and mainly due to the fact that they, well, stimulate you. Anxiety, agitation, and loss of appetite (duh) are common. Very unlucky individuals, due to stimulants' actions on the heart, may get heart arrythmias, which can be deadly. A main cause of arrythmia with stimulant treatment is, of course, overdose. Whether intentional or otherwise, overdose with stimulants does occur, and this phenomenon warrants a lot of attention.
The phenidate and amphetamine stimulants are very prone to abuse due to their activating and often euphoric effects. In fact, you've probably already heard the term "amphetamine", specifically as part of the word "methamphetamine" (aka "crystal meth" or just "meth"), a popular drug of abuse. Areas of the United States with high "meth" abuse rates (such as the Pacific Northwest and parts of the Midwest) are very well aware of how abuse of stimulant drugs, specifically methamphetamine, can ruin communities! (Sidenote -- methamphetamine is actually sold legally by prescription as treatment for obesity and AD/HD, under the brand name DESOXYN. Something tells me, though, that the drug would be hard to get... and even then, don't even try to get it unless your doc deems it necessary!)
A unique stimulant, PROVIGIL (modafinil), is used primarily in the treatment of narcolepsy and other disorders that have a disturbance in sleep patterns. Many physicians will freely admit that they themselves use this drug in order to stay up at appropriate times during odd shifts. (Then again, that's an approved use...). Some doctors also swear by it as an addition to SSRI/SSNRI treatment as a regimen for depressed patients. Modafinil tends to have insignificant heart side effects compared to the phenidates (e.g., RITALIN) and amphetamines (e.g., DEXEDRINE).
On the flip side, there is one AD/HD medication (STRATTERA/atomoxetine) that functions more closely to the manner of SSNRI antidepressants, and is (officially) not a stimulant.
The above was just a summary. For all intents and purposes, I pulled the above information out of my arse without really looking at authoritative sources. I'll be looking more seriously into these topics with the use of published sources (and of course, citations here) when I get the opportunity to write up the full version of this topic.