Pet Safety / Compounds / Amphetamine

Is Amphetamine safe for dogs and cats?

High risk for pets

Dogs frequently ingest amphetamines from dropped or accessible ADHD prescription medications. Even a single Adderall 10 mg or 20 mg tablet can produce significant toxicosis in a small-to-medium sized dog: signs include hyperthermia, tremors, agitation, tachycardia, hypertension, and seizures. Amphetamine toxicosis is one of the most common medication-related ASPCA APCC calls. Treatment with acepromazine has historically been used for sedation in amphetamine-toxic dogs (but is controversial given alpha-blocking hypotension risk); benzodiazepines (diazepam) are preferred for agitation and seizure control. Cyproheptadine is used for hyperthermia management via 5-HT antagonism. The risk level reflects the combination of high prevalence (ADHD medications are extremely common in US households with children) and significant toxicity at relatively low doses for small dogs.

What is amphetamine?

The IUPAC name is 1-phenylpropan-2-amine.

Also known as: 1-phenylpropan-2-amine, Amfetamine, dl-Amphetamine, 1-Phenyl-2-aminopropane.

IUPAC name
1-phenylpropan-2-amine
CAS number
300-62-9
Molecular formula
C9H13N
Molecular weight
135.21 g/mol
SMILES
CC(CC1=CC=CC=C1)N
PubChem CID
3007

Risk for dogs

High risk

Dogs frequently ingest amphetamines from dropped or accessible ADHD prescription medications. Even a single Adderall 10 mg or 20 mg tablet can produce significant toxicosis in a small-to-medium sized dog: signs include hyperthermia, tremors, agitation, tachycardia, hypertension, and seizures. Amphetamine toxicosis is one of the most common medication-related ASPCA APCC calls. Treatment with acepromazine has historically been used for sedation in amphetamine-toxic dogs (but is controversial given alpha-blocking hypotension risk); benzodiazepines (diazepam) are preferred for agitation and seizure control. Cyproheptadine is used for hyperthermia management via 5-HT antagonism. The risk level reflects the combination of high prevalence (ADHD medications are extremely common in US households with children) and significant toxicity at relatively low doses for small dogs.

Regulatory consensus

3 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified Amphetamine. The classifications differ — that's the data.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
EPA CTX / Genetox—Genotoxicity: positive (Ames: equivocal, 2 positive / 1 negative reports)
EPA CTX / Genetox—Genotoxicity: positive (Ames: equivocal, 2 positive / 1 negative reports)
EPA CTX / Skin-Eye—Skin Irritation: SkinIrr2 (score: high)

Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.

Where pets encounter amphetamine

  • Industrial Facilities — Manufacturing plants, Chemical storage areas, Waste treatment sites
  • Occupational Environments — Factories, Warehouses, Transportation vehicles

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Amphetamine:

  • Therapeutic alternatives (consult prescriber)
    Trade-offs: Drug-specific. Cannot substitute without medical guidance.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×

Frequently asked questions

Is amphetamine safe for pets?

Dogs frequently ingest amphetamines from dropped or accessible ADHD prescription medications. Even a single Adderall 10 mg or 20 mg tablet can produce significant toxicosis in a small-to-medium sized dog: signs include hyperthermia, tremors, agitation, tachycardia, hypertension, and seizures. Amphetamine toxicosis is one of the most common medication-related ASPCA APCC calls. Treatment with acepromazine has historically been used for sedation in amphetamine-toxic dogs (but is controversial given alpha-blocking hypotension risk); benzodiazepines (diazepam) are preferred for agitation and seizure control. Cyproheptadine is used for hyperthermia management via 5-HT antagonism. The risk level reflects the combination of high prevalence (ADHD medications are extremely common in US households with children) and significant toxicity at relatively low doses for small dogs.

What products contain amphetamine?

Amphetamine appears in: Manufacturing plants (Industrial facilities); Chemical storage areas (Industrial facilities); Factories (Occupational environments); Warehouses (Occupational environments).

Why do regulators disagree about amphetamine?

Amphetamine has been classified by 3 agencies including EPA CTX / Genetox, EPA CTX / Genetox, EPA CTX / Skin-Eye, with differing conclusions. Regulators apply different standards of evidence (animal data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds), which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. See the regulatory consensus table on this page for the full picture.

See Amphetamine in the pets app

Look up products containing amphetamine, compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

Open in pets View raw API data

Sources (3)
  1. US DEA: Amphetamine — Schedule II Classification, ADHD/Narcolepsy FDA Approvals, Mixed Amphetamine Salts (Adderall), Lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse) Prodrug, Diversion and Misuse, and College Campus Nonmedical Use Prevalence (2022) (2022) — regulatory
  2. US FDA: Mixed Amphetamine Salts (Adderall/Adderall XR) — Prescribing Information, Pediatric Growth Effects, Cardiovascular Screening, Overdose Toxidrome Management, and ADHD Efficacy Data (2022) (2022) — regulatory
  3. ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center: Amphetamines (ADHD Medications) in Dogs — Adderall/Vyvanse Ingestion, Hyperthermia, Tremors, Benzodiazepine Management, and APCC Case Series (2022) (2022) — regulatory

Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for veterinary, medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →