Methamphetamine Wikipedia

However, it can also be made in small home laboratories using inexpensive over-the-counter ingredients, such as pseudoephedrine. According to NIDA, in 2020, around 2.6 million people aged 12 years and older had used methamphetamine in the past 12 months. A 2015 CDC report recorded injuries from 1,325 meth-related chemical incidents in five U.S. states from 2001–2012. The report revealed that 162 people were injured, including at least 26 children. Anyone in the area of a methamphetamine laboratory is also at risk of exposure to chemicals. However, scientists think these high dopamine levels help make the drug more toxic to nerve terminals in the brain.

What are the Signs of Meth Addiction?

Long-term methamphetamine abuse has many negative consequences, including addiction. Addiction is a chronic, relapsing disease, characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use and accompanied by functional and molecular changes in the brain. Methamphetamine can cause long-term damage to the brain, which can require specialized treatment and continuous care over a sustained period of time to promote abstinence. With proper treatment, individuals can learn to manage the possible side effects of repeated use and disruption to the brain, and minimize instances of relapse for a healthy recovery.

How to reduce your risk of relapse

People using meth may combine it with Xanax to prevent uncomfortable side effects of meth like tremors, restlessness and panic. This drug combination is more addictive than either drug alone. Methamphetamines are often cut with other powerful substances, and some people deliberately mix in additional drugs in order to elicit a particular physiological reaction. Methamphetamine interactions can be incredibly dangerous and even fatal. Many drug dealers “cut” methamphetamine with other substances to sell less of the actual drug for the same price and fetch a greater profit margin. These cutting substances may be common household powders such as salt, sugar and talcum powder.

Meth Addiction: Signs, Effects, and Treatment

But over the past decade, rates have gone up among Black people and younger folks aged 18-23. That said, you always have the option to reach out and find support, and it’s never too late — or too early — to ask for help. Meth produces more reward chemicals than your brain can fully handle.

Suffering from a drug hangover and looking more like a zombie than a great warrior, he had to recover from the side effects. We do not receive any commission or fee that is dependent upon meth addiction which treatment provider a caller chooses. Crystal meth affects the psychological system as well as the physical components of the body and can lead to a range of adverse reactions.

“He said, ‘if I can’t see my mom, I can’t do treatment,’” Dubois recalled. The older son, Clifton, had been struggling with addiction since he was 14, she said. Clifton also had been diagnosed with ADHD and a mood disorder.

Dangers and Effects of Meth Use

• A person wanting to stop methamphetamine use should speak with a healthcare professional, who can provide support and referrals to treatment centers.
• People often mix meth and opioids for a dangerous polydrug combination.
• It had been several hours since his last hit, and the chatty, middle-aged man’s hands moved quickly.
• If a person tries to break the cycle, they will experience withdrawal symptoms.

For instance, your heart rate may speed up, slow down, and then speed up again, because your body metabolizes each drug at different rates. These rapid changes can put a lot of strain on your body, to the point where you need emergency medical attention. In everyday language, that means most of the meth will leave your system before the day is done. Some folks may do a “run,” which involves taking meth continuously for several hours or days, often without sleeping or eating. That said, meth can have a range of effects beyond euphoria.

Stimulant users caught up in fatal ‘fourth wave’ of opioid epidemic

• According to older research from 2013, primate models demonstrate that meth alters brain structures involved in inhibitory control.
• The powerful rush you get from using meth makes it easy to get hooked right from the start.
• Illegal drug manufacturers are called “cooks.” They are at risk of numerous injuries related to the production of methamphetamine.
• According to evidence from early clinical trials, anti-methamphetamine monoclonal antibodies may reduce and slow the effects of meth in the brain.
• It may also affect a person’s relationships, finances, and future.

Methamphetamine Is a Major Drug Threat in the U.S.