Determining if someone’s abusing methamphetamine can be difficult if you don’t know what to look for. Signs of methamphetamine abuse may include behavioral, paraphernalia, physical, financial, and social changes.

What Is Methamphetamine?

Methamphetamine (meth) is a highly addictive, man-made stimulant that commonly appears as a white powder, pill, or glass-like substance referred to as crystal meth. Meth has several street names including chalk, speed, tina, crank, fire, glass, go fast, and ice. Though it’s chemically similar to amphetamine, greater amounts of meth get into the brain, making it a more potent stimulant, as reported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

Some of the most popular ways to abuse meth are to swallow, snort, inject, and smoke it. Long-term meth abuse can cause irreversible physical and emotional damage, and overdose can result in death. If you find out your loved one is abusing methamphetamine, it’s important to seek help. The following are five signs of methamphetamine abuse.

1. Behavioral Signs Of Methamphetamine Abuse

Methamphetamine can cause unusual behaviors like hyperactivity, euphoria, decreased appetite, paranoia, delusion, and increased energy or alertness. It’s also extremely difficult to sleep while on methamphetamine, and a meth binge can keep someone up for days.

The withdrawal symptoms when a person stops using the drug can cause insomnia, irritability, depression, anxiety, shaking, or fatigue.

Methamphetamine is also chemically similar to dopamine, and can make a person feel pleasure from the drug that can last all day. When the meth wears off, a person usually experiences a crash. According to NIDA for Teachers, “even small amounts of methamphetamine can cause a person to be more awake and active, lose their appetite, and become irritable and aggressive.”

Methamphetamine can also cause an overdose, which can lead to seizures, coma, and death. There are two types of meth overdose—acute and chronic, which are defined by the National Library of Medicine:

“An acute methamphetamine overdose occurs when someone takes this drug by accident or on purpose and has side effects. These side effects can be life-threatening. A chronic methamphetamine overdose refers to the health effects in someone who uses the drug on a regular basis.”

2. Paraphernalia Signs Of Methamphetamine Abuse

Methamphetamine abuse requires the use of paraphernalia, and other objects needed for abuse of the drug. To someone less familiar with the drug, these may seem strange or foreign.

Types of drug paraphernalia can include:

• Needles or syringes
• Aluminum foil
• Sandwich baggies with drug remnants
• Burnt metal spoons
• Light bulb used for smoking drug
• Straws
• Rolled-up dollar bills
• Tubes
• Smoking pipes
• Unexplained chemicals

Methamphetamine can be created in home labs using hazardous materials, as well as chemicals, that typically create an excessive amount of waste and byproduct. Methamphetamine ingredients may include alcohol, benzene, ether, red phosphorous, iodine, acetone, paint thinner, camp stove fuel, heet, ammonia, lye, drano, hydrochloric acid, propane cylinders, ephedrine, bronchodilators, and battery acid.

If you believe someone is conducting a meth lab, do not try to take the situation into your own hands, and don’t touch anything. To avoid serious injury and violence, it’s absolutely vital to contact authorities.

3. Physical Signs Of Methamphetamine Abuse

If your loved one has been abusing methamphetamine, they may start to show adverse physical changes. The physical signs of methamphetamine abuse can be pretty obvious, and may start with dilated pupils, droopy or twitching eyes, and excessive weight loss.

As a person continues abusing meth, they may experience further problems, including:

• Tooth decay (meth mouth)
• Frequent nose bleeds
• Chest pain
• Track marks
• Offensive body odors
• Skin lesions—open sores from picking and scratching
• Boils
• Abscesses
• Infections
• Premature aging

Some long-term health consequences of meth abuse may include

• Hypertension
• Destruction of muscles
• Kidney or liver failure
• Tachycardia
• Major mood swings
• Extreme paranoia
• Heart attack
• Hyperthermia
• Bronchitis
• Seizures

4. Financial Signs Of Methamphetamine Abuse

Abusing methamphetamine can cost a person more than their good health; it can cost them a small fortune. By comparison, meth is considered one of the cheaper drugs on the street, but still a person might spend all of their money to continue using the drug.

Someone with a meth problem may constantly need to borrow money to fund their habit, even if they have a job. Friends and family members will do what they can to help their loved one, but sometimes without realizing they may be enabling them. Teenagers and students get a lot of their spending cash from parents, so as parents, it can be important to have an idea where that money’s going.

Someone who’s suffering from an addiction to meth might not be able to pay back loans, pay medical bills, pay their rent and utilities, or pay for the general cost of living. Unfortunately, a person with a meth addiction may even resort to theft to pay for the drug.

5. Social Signs Of Methamphetamine Abuse

Methamphetamine abuse can also make a person extremely antisocial. Even when including themselves in social functions, a person suffering from methamphetamine abuse may not seem like themselves. It’s pretty common for someone with a meth addiction to push away old friends, and start hanging around those who are willing to accept their decision to use drugs.

If your friend or family member is struggling with an addiction to meth, please don’t give up on them. They need your love and support. But remember that you can be a friend to someone without giving them money, enabling, or accepting their drug addiction.

Sometimes the best thing you can do is turn the problem over to someone who better understands it—like the professionals at an addiction rehab center.

Find Treatment To Overcome Methamphetamine Abuse

If someone you love is battling an addiction to methamphetamine, contact us at DrugRehab.org. We can help you find the treatment you need to overcome methamphetamine. Your call will be completely confidential.

For More Information Related to “5 Signs Of Methamphetamine Abuse” Be Sure To Check Out These Additional Resources From DrugRehab.org:

• How Long Does Methamphetamine Stay In Your System
• Understanding The Combat Methamphetamine Act
• The Link Between Methamphetamine Addiction And Parkinson’s
• A New Weapon in The Meth Crisis
• Sepsis From Intravenous (IV) Drug Use

Sources

National Institute on Drug Abuse—What is Methamphetamine?
National Library of Medicine —Methamphetamine Overdose
NIDA for Teachers—Mind Over Matter: Methamphetamine (Meth)
NIDA for Teens—Methamphetamine (Meth)

Ice is a purified crystalline form of methamphetamine that is also known as crystal meth. It can be manufactured using cold medicine and chemicals like battery acid, antifreeze, or drain cleaner. Ice is a central nervous system stimulant that can rapidly lead to dependence and addiction. Among the most common signs that someone is using ice are irritability, problems sleeping, tooth decay, and weight loss. A few of the symptoms of ice abuse are kidney damage, heart attacks, depression, anxiety, and intense cravings.

It can be difficult to determine if someone is using ice if you don’t know what to look for. Commonly referred to as crystal, crank, shards, glass, Tina, or crystal meth, ice has become a serious problem across the globe. Ice abuse can lead to psychological issues, co-occurring disorders, and other problems in a person’s life.

A lot of people using ice don’t know who to turn to when they want to stop, or where to go for help for that matter. If you suspect someone is using crystal meth or ice, or if you yourself are using crystal meth—don’t give up hope. There are a lot of people who want to help.

What Is Ice?

Ice first showed up in the 1980s and has since become popular in the United States, Europe, Mexico, and other countries throughout the world. Ice is a central nervous system stimulant that can be smoked, diluted and intravenously injected, or ground into a powder and snorted. Ice is a purified crystalline form of methamphetamine and looks like a fragment of glass. The color of the drug can be clear, gray, brown, yellow, orange, or pink; depending on the ingredients.

How Is Ice Made?

Crystal meth is characteristic of large cities, but drug trafficking brings it to rural areas as well. Make no mistake, ice isn’t only manufactured in cities or other heavily populated regions; it can be produced in what are known as meth labs. These labs can be anything from a shed, van, or even a tent in the woods. To make ice, a person cooks up ingredients like pseudoephedrine (cold medicine), battery acid, antifreeze, or drain cleaner.

Unfortunately, those preparing the drugs are often using them as well, so this can rapidly become a dangerous situation. Not only to society but also to the environment. Meth labs create a lot of toxic waste which isn’t likely disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner. Not only that, the accidental explosions meth labs can cause are often detrimental to anyone nearby.

Understanding Ice Abuse

Methamphetamine is similar to amphetamine, which is used in medicine to and treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder by stimulating the part of the brain and nerves that control impulsive behaviors. The Drug Enforcement Administration has categorized methamphetamine as a Schedule II drug because of its high potential for abuse. Ice is among the most potent and addictive drugs on in the world. Abusing it can lead to serious psychological addiction and fast; it can have a person hooked after just one use.

It’s true, crystal meth is a dangerous, addictive, and often deadly. Those who become addicted to meth might not be able to control the amount of the drug they’re using, because so frequently an addiction starts with an obsession and leads to compulsive use of a drug. So why do people use the drug? “Methamphetamine increases the amount of dopamine in the brain, which is involved in body movement, motivation, pleasure, and reward” (National Institute on Drug Abuse).

No matter how you look at it, it’s important to remember that the people suffering from addiction weren’t always that way—they’re still our neighbors, brothers, mothers, teachers, friends, and citizens who happen to suffer from a chronic disease. They’re people who need as much love and support as they can get.

Signs Someone Is Using Ice

Some people abusing ice may wind up in a binge and have hallucinations, become extremely antisocial, or even seem like there’s no hope for a cure. Even though addiction is a defined as a chronic disease, there’s always hope for recovery. If you aren’t sure if someone is abusing ice, here are some of the signs to look for:

• Weight loss as a result of decreased appetite
• Decaying teeth or Meth Mouth
• Irritability and violent behavior
• Problems sleeping
• Trouble remembering
• Serious emotional issues
• Hyperactivity
• Psychotic episodes
• Paranoia
• Confusion
• Hallucinations
• Meth Mites or belief that there are microscopic parasites under the skin

Long-Term Effects And Symptoms Of Ice Abuse

If use of crystal meth persists, the drug can cause symptoms beyond the signs and short-term effects; some of which aren’t treatable. Ice abuse can lead to:

• Intense Cravings
• Fatigue
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Stroke
• Kidney Damage
• Psychotic Behavior
• Psychosis
• Faster Breathing
• Increased Blood Pressure
• Irregular Heart Rate
• Heart Attack
• Withdrawal Symptoms
• Overdose
• Death

When a person becomes physically dependent on crystal meth, they’re likely to experience withdrawals when they stop using, or run out of the drug. These symptoms are both mentally and physically draining and can be quite painful. Some of the withdrawals embody the long-term effects of crystal meth, and “can include anxiety, fatigue, severe depression, psychosis, and intense drug cravings” (NIDA).

Is There Treatment For Ice Addiction And Dependence?

There a lot people who are addicted to crystal meth, and some of them never make it to treatment. That doesn’t mean they wouldn’t try if given the chance. It’s possible that some of them (or a lot of them) never ask for help due to fear of rejection, or because of the guilt and shame they feel. And there’s a huge scope of crystal meth abuse in the United States.

According to NIDA, in 2012 “approximately 1.2 million people reported using methamphetamine in the past year.” Not all of these people ever overdosed or developed an addiction, for that matter. Some of them didn’t need rehab to quit, but a lot of them did—sometimes it’s just a safer route to go.

With the right inpatient treatment there’s hope for a full recovery and drug-free life. Choosing to go to rehab can save your life, or the life of a person you care about; and there’s a treatment program that suits nearly everybody.

Behavioral Therapies For Substance Use Disorders

Behavioral therapies are some of the most effective methods for treating an addiction to ice. Furthermore, people come from all kinds of different backgrounds, so an individualized treatment tends to be the most effective—and there really isn’t a one size fits all method for treating addiction. The most commonly employed methods for treating a crystal meth addiction are cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, and contingency management.

Cognitive behavioral therapy can prevent relapse by helping a patient to recognize unhealthy behavior patterns, and situations that would normally evoke a desire to use drugs. Dialectical behavior therapy helps a patient learn to change behaviors by teaching acceptance skills through mindfulness and distress management, and change skills through emotion regulation and interpersonal effectiveness. Contingency-management uses a system of rewards and motivational incentives to teach a person healthy behaviors for a substance free life.

Is There A Rehab Center That’s Right For Me?

If you would like to learn more about an ice addiction, Contact DrugRehab.org at 1-833-473-4227 to confidentially speak to someone who understands crystal meth addiction, and can help find a treatment that meets your needs.

For More Information Related to “Signs and Symptoms of ICE Use and Abuse” Be Sure To Check Out These Additional Resources From DrugRehab.org:

• How Long Does Methamphetamine Stay In Your System
• Understanding The Combat Methamphetamine Act
• Common Street Names For Illegal Drugs
• Methamphetamine Overdose Treatment
• Common Street Names For Illegal Drugs

Sources

National Institute on Drug Abuse –  What is the scope of Methamphetamine abuse in the United States?

With so many drugs of abuse available today, it’s easy to get them confused. Amphetamines are a group of central nervous system (CNS) stimulant drugs with psychoactive properties, meaning they affect the mind. The group of amphetamines is comprised by any drugs classified as amphetamine, dextroamphetamine, and methamphetamine, according to the Center for Substance Abuse Research (CESAR).

With that stated, methamphetamine is often abused in an illicit form, known as crystal meth. The names of these two drugs are very similar, but abuse of them is quite different and results in differing consequences.

Amphetamine: Definition, Use, And Abuse

As previously mentioned, amphetamine is a stimulant which means it has a stimulating effect on your body. When you take amphetamine, it helps improve your mood and increases alertness. Historically, amphetamines were not prescribed for stimulant effects, but today they help people with a number of medical conditions.

People may take amphetamine for obesity, narcolepsy, and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Common brands of amphetamine include Adderall, Desoxyn, Dexedrine, and DextroStat.

Amphetamine is prescribed in pill form, and intended for oral use with a fairly slow release. People who abuse it may crush and snort the powder, combine it with water into a solution and inject it, or smoke it by inhaling vapors.

Abuse of amphetamine can cause a number of side effects, as abuse enhances side effects of the drugs:

• Increased body temperature
• Hostility
• Paranoia
• Increased blood pressure and/or heart rate
• Alertness, talkativeness
• Euphoria
• Dry mouth
• Lack of appetite
• Pupil dilation
• Heavy breathing
• Headache or nausea
• Heart palpitations
• Tremors
• Muscle spasms
• Change in sexual behavior

With prolonged abuse, the severity of these effects worsens and can result in psychosis, psychological issues, behavioral changes, convulsions, coma, or even death.

Methamphetamine: Definition, Use, And Abuse

Methamphetamine is a stimulant within the amphetamine class used to treat obesity and ADHD. While it can be a helpful medication for these conditions when taken as directed, methamphetamine has become a popular drug of abuse. This is especially true of the illicit form, crystal meth.

As with amphetamine, methamphetamine is available under prescription in pill form. When people abuse it, they also crush and snort it, or mix it with water to make a solution to inject. But methamphetamine (commonly called meth) may also be formed into a solid, crystal-like form and smoked.

Meth poses great health and behavioral risks for those who abuse it, similar to amphetamines. Why? The U.S. National Library of Medicine explains, “meth at first causes a rush of good feelings, but then users feel edgy, overly excited, angry or afraid.” The drug is also highly addictive, which means you can develop addiction after abusing it for only a short time.

Some of the most severe problems associated with abuse of methamphetamine include:

• Increasing body temperature until you faint
• Severe itching, which can lead to scratching to the point of lesions and, later, infections
• A condition known as meth mouth, terrible dental and mouth problems including cracked teeth
• Changes to thought processes
• Changes to behavior and mood

The Dangers Of Abusing Crystal Meth

If the risk of side effects weren’t alarming enough, abusing the illicit crystal meth can have some consequences that would be hard to undo. One of the greatest of these is the greatly increased risk of overdose when abusing crystal meth.

Meth is a highly addictive drug, but when you smoke a substance instead of taking it a different way (orally, for example) that substance produces quicker results. It’s this rush feeling, the quick feeling of euphoria and other side effects, that really drive development of addiction.

Meth is so potent, the risk of overdose is high even after just a few times taking it. And overdose doesn’t always mean people can simply be treated at a hospital and return to daily life. Overdose of meth can cause heart attack, stroke, or permanent damage to organs—all conditions which can ultimately be fatal.

Addiction to meth is so powerful, it affects not just your health but your life. When you’re living for addiction, your priorities are aligned with seeking use of the drug, and little else. Before meth takes over your life, or worse, we can help you find a treatment plan that will address all your needs. DrugRehab.org can connect you with private, inpatient rehab centers headed by staff with experience who offer caring support.

The Dangers Of Abusing Prescription Drugs

So what do amphetamine and methamphetamine have in common? They are both prescription drugs, or at least they started out that way. This means you have to have a prescription to get the licit forms of the drugs, and abuse should be easily avoided.

Unfortunately, we tend to trust our prescriptions to be safe and free from risk of addiction. But many medications are habit-forming, can foster abuse, and later lead to addiction. This isn’t to say all prescription drugs are bad, but that you have to be very careful when dealing with highly addictive medication.

Thousands of people in the nation are addicted to prescription drugs every year, but only a small portion of these people receive care for this issue. Perhaps it seems that abusing prescription drugs isn’t all bad because the prescription will eventually end, but this is rarely the end. Once you become addicted, addiction doesn’t go away because your prescription has ended.

If you can’t refill your script, and begin experiencing uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms like headache, nausea, or vomiting, you may reach a desperate point. In that time, you likely will not be opposed to trying an alternate drug, even an illicit one. This is how subsequent drug abuse and addiction begins.

Abusing prescription drugs isn’t dangerous just for the length of the prescription, but for the health consequences and repercussions that can follow.

Solutions In Treatment

So what can be done to help those who’ve fallen victim to amphetamine or methamphetamine abuse? Treatment. In fact, treatment is the best solution we have to help people overcome substance abuse and addiction, and it’s proven effective in the lives of thousands every year.

At our rehab centers, you’ll be taken away from the messy environment of addiction and will heal in a welcoming, substance-free environment. In treatment you’ll be surrounded by experts in the field, trained and licensed clinical and medical staff, and peers who are traveling the same healing journey.

Our facilities also provide some of the best evidence-based treatment modalities available. We recognize that each person requires different aspects of treatment. Our programs are as unique as our patients—each treatment plan will be tailored to your individual needs. Some of the methods we integrate into treatment plans include:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
• Counseling: group, family, and individual
• Gender-specific treatment
• Alternative therapy: Adventure and Wilderness therapy
• Dual diagnosis treatment
• Mental health services and treatment
• Aftercare support

Find Your Treatment Solution Today

Methamphetamine and amphetamine drugs are not drugs you want to experience, but if you are struggling with abuse of them, we can help. It’s not easy to reach out for help, but we’re here to make the process of getting the healing you need as smooth as possible.

Contact us today at DrugRehab.org to learn more about substance abuse, treatment options, and to speak to one of our specialists about getting into a treatment program.

For More Information Related to “What Is The Difference Between Amphetamine And Methamphetamine?” Be Sure To Check Out These Additional Resources From DrugRehab.org:

• How Long Does Methamphetamine Stay In Your System
• Understanding The Combat Methamphetamine Act
• Sepsis From Intravenous (IV) Drug Use
• Amphetamine Abuse on College Campuses

Sources

National Institute On Drug Abuse—DrugFacts: Methamphetamine
U.S. National Library Of Medicine—Substance Use: Amphetamines

What is the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act (CMEA) of 2005? In short, it’s an act that was implemented by our nation’s government to do just what the name implies: combat abuse of methamphetamine and meth derivatives.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) explains that the Act was intended to regulate “retail, over-the-counter sales of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, phenylpropanolamine products.” These three drugs, among others, are ones that have either methamphetamine chemical structures, or structures similar to it.

Each is used to treat conditions like asthma, congestion, narcolepsy, and cold symptoms. In higher doses, these medications can be used as stimulants for increased alertness. Because of this, these types of medication are often targets for abuse.

In response to high numbers of abuse, the CMEA is supposed to impose limitations to daily sales, monthly purchases, limits to customer access, and more strict enforcement of customer ID practices, sales logs, staff training, and regular certification for sellers.

Why Is The CMEA Important?

According to the DEA, ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, and phenylpropanolamine are all “precursor” products used in the illicit manufacture and sale of methamphetamine. In other words, theses drugs are bought, processed to extract methamphetamine, and abused.

Methamphetamine is a highly addictive drug that comes with a whole range of side effects and can lead to a number of consequences, including high risk of overdose. People abuse meth by smoking it (crystal meth) or by crushing and snorting the tablet forms, or by dissolving it with liquid and taking the oral solution.

Meth affects the body by releasing extremely high levels of dopamine, a chemical that naturally occurs in the brain. When meth releases larger doses of dopamine than the brain is used to, you feel a rush of pleasure—the brain’s response to this feeling of reward. However, the brain also changes its chemistry to this new experience; it makes you crave this feeling again and again.

Because of this, people fall easily into abuse of meth, and shortly into addiction. Side effects of meth abuse can cause a number of health issues and personal consequences, some of the most dangerous of which can be fatal overdose or coma.

The U.S. government implemented the CMEA to help regulate sales of products containing meth in hopes of decreasing numbers of abuse in the nation. While meth abuse may not be gone, regulating sales and use of prescription drugs is always an effective way to fight addiction.

For those who are already struggling with methamphetamine abuse or addiction, treatment can help them before it’s too late. At DrugRehab.org, our experts can help you find a rehab center that best suits your needs, and design a treatment plan that addresses all aspects of your health.

How Does The CMEA Work?

As previously mentioned, the CMEA regulates sale and purchase limitations for drugs that contain methamphetamine chemical properties. How does it do this?

As the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) explains, sellers of these medications must:

• Limit the amount of these medications sold daily and monthly to any one person
• Require to see photo ID for each medication purchased
• Keep personal information records for people who buy these products for minimum two years after purchase
• Make sure customers don’t have direct access to these medications (i.e. keep them behind the counter and only sell after first going through all proper ID, personal information, and sales logs procedures)
• Keep a detailed sales log for these products, including: product name, amount sold, name and address of person who bought it, date and time of sale

Essentially, the CMEA made the medications containing ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, and phenylpropanolamine “behind-the-counter” products. This means the medications are kept out of direct customer access, whether behind a pharmacy or sale counter, or in another part of the building.

Those who sell these products must also submit proof of certification to the Attorney General to sell these products. The Act does not change the requirements for these medications; you still don’t need a prescription to buy them, but sale and use of them are regulated.

Who Is Affected By Methamphetamine Abuse?

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) states that approximately 1.2 million people in 2012 reported use of methamphetamine in the past year. Of that number, 440,000 had used it in the past month, and 133,000 of those who reported abuse were aged 12 and above.

Meth abuse is increasing among youth and young adults, ages 12 to 20, and is seen most among white (non-hispanic) males. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, meth abuse has decreased since first being added to the survey in 2004. This means meth abuse has decreased since the CMEA was enacted.

But the NIDA also explains that while the number of emergency room visits associated with meth have gone down, meth is still quite popular as a drug of abuse, and abuse rates are still high. This is especially true in western and Midwestern parts of the nation, and increasingly in rural areas.

Effects Of Meth Abuse

What happens when you abuse meth? The immediate effects produce the rush that many people seek when they abuse it, but some of the side effects, even after a short time, can range from uncomfortable to extreme or even dangerous.

Though some of the short-term effects may seem harmless, when you begin taking meth frequently and taking larger doses due to tolerance, you enhance the short-term effects which can contribute to risk of overdose.

The following are possible short-term effects of meth abuse:

• Decrease in appetite
• High blood pressure and body temperature
• Increase in alertness and activity
• Rapid breathing
• Rapid or irregular heartbeat

In addition to increased risk of overdose which can be fatal, prolonged methamphetamine abuse can lead to a number of damaging effects to your health. These are just some of the possible effects meth can have on your health, mood, and behavior:

• Anxiety
• Confusion
• Dental problems: “meth mouth” or severe mouth sores and tooth decay
• Extreme itching problems, leading to severe scratching, sores, lesions, and infections
• Paranoia, or extreme issues with trust of others and fear of certain situations
• Hallucinations, or hearing or seeing things that aren’t happening

Consequences Of Meth Abuse

Aside from all the possible health effects, meth abuse can and does infect many aspects of your life. When you become addicted, no part of your life goes untouched. To start, abuse of meth not only hurts your health, it can also cause alterations to your brain that are permanent.

The NIDA explains, “continued methamphetamine use causes changes in the brain’s dopamine system that are associated with reduced coordination and impaired verbal learning.” It can also alter the parts of the brain responsible for emotion and memory.

Some changes to the brain may be reversed after quitting use of meth, with treatment, but others may be permanent. Prolonged meth abuse may also contribute to development of Parkinson’s disease.

Addiction to meth brings consequences of its own. Having an addiction can take a toll on finances. Even if making meth is cheap in the beginning, abusing it can alter the way your brain works, make your life change to seek meth, which could result in troubles at work or loss of job.

When you start abusing meth, your family and others close to you may not understand. This can strain your personal relationships, or cause you to lose touch with those you love. Addiction can make you do things you normally wouldn’t, like risking your reputation or doing something illegal to get the drug.

There are so many adverse consequences possible when you abuse meth, and it really isn’t worth the risk of trying the drug. But if you’re suffering with meth addiction, then you know how hard it can be to stop. We can help you put meth abuse behind you, and move forward to a new phase of life with substance abuse treatment.

How To Treat Methamphetamine Abuse

How do you treat abuse of a drug that is so potent? You treat it with a multidisciplinary method, integrating several types of treatment modalities to ensure holistic healing.

Our rehab centers offer healing in a supportive, welcoming environment far from the triggers of abuse. We also provide licensed and trained professional staff, who have experience treating abuse of substances, including meth. For those coming to us with more than one substance abuse problem, or who also struggle with mental health issues, we’ve got you covered with excellent dual diagnosis care.

Meth addiction can result in some severe withdrawal symptoms, but medication assisted treatment (MAT) can ease these symptoms. With MAT, you receive medication to help you manage withdrawal symptoms, taper off use of drugs, and are monitored closely to ensure safe levels of withdrawal.

Addiction also affects mood and behavior, which is why behavioral therapy and counseling are important components to any addiction treatment program. We offer both at our rehab centers, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, and counseling at the family, group, and individual level.

These are just some of the research-supported methods we utilize at our rehab centers. We also work closely with you to design a treatment plan that addresses all your needs and aspects of your health. Comprehensive healing is necessary with meth abuse and addiction—they affect much more than just your physical being, and we work to ensure overall wellness.

Combat Methamphetamine Abuse: Find Treatment Today

Our government has implemented measures to combat meth abuse and addiction. While this helps the fight, it isn’t enough to stop meth abuse. The only real way to stop meth abuse and addiction is to treat the cause of addiction, and help you find a way to deal with triggers as they come.

We’d like to help you get out of meth addiction, and heal today. Contact us today at DrugRehab.org to speak with a specialist and learn more about treatment, our rehab centers, and more.

For More Information Related to “Understanding The Combat Methamphetamine Act” Be Sure To Check Out These Additional Resources From DrugRehab.org:

• Methamphetamine Withdrawal Symptoms
• How Long Does Methamphetamine Stay In Your System
• Drug-Induced Hypertension
• Environmental Risk Factors for Developing an Addiction
• Treating Addiction With Contingency Management
• How Do I Get My Loved One Into Rehab?

Sources

National Institute On Drug Abuse—DrugFacts: Methamphetamine
U.S. National Library Of Medicine—Methamphetamine

Illegal drugs sold on the street are often marketed or discussed under different names. These code names were devised to dissuade authorities (such as parents, police officers, or others) from evidence of drug abuse. Knowing the common street names for illegal drugs can be useful to those who suspect someone they know is abusing drugs. Treatment for illegal drug abuse or addiction requires comprehensive healing plans and professional support.

Have you ever heard a drug called by a name that’s unrelated to the drug itself? Or, maybe you suspect someone you know is abusing drugs, but aren’t sure and would like to find out.

Knowing the common street names for illegal drugs can help you learn how drugs are regarded on the street—sometimes the street name hints at the drug’s intended effects. An overview of street names for drugs can also help you identify them in conversation if someone close to you is at risk of abusing them.

The best recourse for abuse of drugs, and addiction to them, is treatment. DrugRehab.org can connect you with the resources necessary to find treatment that works for you or your loved one.

Why Street Names?

In simple terms, street names were developed for common use in conversation about illegal drugs. What do you do if you don’t want authorities, parents, teachers or others to know about drug abuse? You speak in a sort of code.

Some street names may have entered mainstream vernacular (everyday language). Others are used mostly by those abusing or trafficking drugs. Either way, if you suspect someone you know is abusing illegal drugs, it can be useful to know the everyday names for them.

Common Street Names

Cocaine:

• Aunt Nora
• Bernice
• Binge
• Blow
• Bump
• C
• Candy
• Charlie
• Coke
• Dust
• Flake
• Mojo
• Nose Candy
• Paradise
• Rock
• Sneeze
• Sniff
• Snow
• Toot
• White

Crack cocaine:

• 24-7
• Apple jacks
• Badrock
• Ball
• Base
• Beat
• Candy
• Chemical
• Cloud
• Cookies
• Crack
• Crumbs
• Crunch and munch
• Devil drug
• Dice
• Electric kool-aid
• Fat bags
• French fries
• Glo
• Gravel
• Grit
• Hail
• Hard ball
• Hard rock
• Hotcakes
• Ice cube
• Jelly beans
• Kryptonite
• Nuggets
• Paste
• Piece
• Prime time
• Product
• Raw
• Rock(s)
• Rockstar
• Roxanne
• Scrabble
• Sleet
• Snow coke
• Sugar block
• Topo (Spanish word)
• Tornado
• Troop

Depressants (prescription sedatives)

Barbiturates:

• Barbs
• Phennies
• Red birds
• Reds
• Tooies
• Yellow jackets
• Yellows

Benzodiazepines:

• Rohypnol (AKA Flunitrazepam):
  • Circles
  • Date rape drug
  • Forget pill
  • Forget-me pill
  • La Rocha
  • Lunch money
  • Mexican Valium
  • Mind eraser
  • Pingus
  • R2
  • Reynolds
  • Rib
  • Roach
  • Roach 2
  • Roaches
  • Roachies
  • Roapies
  • Rochas Dos
  • Roofies
  • Rope
  • Rophies
  • Row-shay
  • Ruffies
  • Trip-and-fall
  • Wolfies

• Other names for Benzodiazepines:
  • Benzos
  • Candy
  • Downers
  • Sleeping pills
  • Tranks

Sleep medications:

• Forget-me pills
• Mexican valium
• R2
• Roche
• Roofies
• Roofinol
• Rope
• Rophies

Hallucinogens

Ketamine:

• Cat Valium
• Green
• K
• Jet
• Special K
• Super acid
• Super C
• Vitamin K

LSD:

• Acid
• Battery acid
• Blotter
• Bloomers
• Blue heaven
• California Sunshine
• Cid
• Cubes
• Doses
• Dots
• Golden dragon
• Heavenly blue
• Hippie
• Loony toons
• Lucy in the sky with diamonds
• Microdot
• Pane
• Purple Heart
• Superman
• Tab
• Window pane
• Yellow sunshine
• Zen

Mescaline (AKA Peyote):

• Buttons
• Cactus
• Mesc

PCP:

• Angel dust
• Boat
• Hog
• Love boat
• Peace pill

Psilocybin:

• Little smoke
• Magic mushrooms
• Purple passion
• Shrooms

Ecstasy (aka MDMA):

• Adam
• Beans
• Cadillac
• California sunrise
• Clarity
• E
• Essence
• Elephants
• Eve
• Hug
• Hug drug
• Love drug
• Love pill
• Lover’s speed
• Molly
• Peace
• Roll
• Scooby snacks
• Snowball
• Uppers
• X
• XE
• XTC

Heroin

• Brown sugar
• China White
• Dope
• H
• Hell dust
• Horse
• Junk
• Nose drops
• Skag
• Skunk
• Smack
• Thunder
• White horse
• Cheese

Inhalants

• Air blast
• Ames
• Amys
• Aroma of men
• Bolt
• Boppers
• Bullet
• Bullet bolt
• Buzz bomb
• Discorama
• Hardware
• Heart-on
• Hiagra-in-a-bottle
• Highball
• Hippie crack
• Huff
• Laughing gas
• Locker room
• Medusa
• Moon gas
• Oz
• Pearls
• Poor man’s pot
• Poppers
• Quicksilver
• Rush snappers
• Satan’s secret
• Shoot the breeze
• Snappers
• Snotballs
• Spray
• Texas shoe shine
• Thrust
• Toilet water
• Toncho
• Whippets
• Whiteouts

Khat:

• Abyssinian tea
• African salad
• Catha
• Chat
• Kat
• Oat

Kratom:

• Biak-biak
• Herbal speedball
• Ketum
• Kahuam
• Ithang
• Thom

Marijuana:

• Astro Yurf
• Bhang
• Blunt
• Bud(s)
• Blaze
• Dagga
• Dope
• Dry high
• Ganja
• Grass
• Green
• Hemp
• Herb
• Home grown
• J
• Joint
• Mary Jane
• Pot
• Puff
• Reefer
• Roach
• Sinsemilla
• Skunk
• Smoke
• Texas tea
• Trees
• Weed
• White widow

Hashish:

• Boom, Chocolate, Gangster, Hash, Hemp

Methamphetamine

• Beanies
• Brown
• Crank
• Chalk
• Chicken feed
• Cinnamon
• Crink
• Crypto
• Crystal
• Fire
• Get go
• Glass
• Go fast
• Ice
• Meth
• Methlies quick
• Mexican crack
• Redneck cocaine
• Speed
• Tick tick
• Tweak
• Wash
• Yellow powder

Crystal meth:

• Batu, blade, cristy, crystal, crystal glass, glass, hot ice, ice, quartz, shabu, shards, stove top, Tina, ventana

Over-the-counter drugs

• CCC
• DXM
• Poor man’s PCP
• Robo
• Robotripping
• Skittles
• Triple C

Prescription opioids (AKA Painkillers)

Codeine:

• Captain Cody
• Cody
• Doors and fours
• Lean
• Loads
• Pancakes and syrup
• Purple drank
• Schoolboy
• Sizzurp

Fentanyl:

• Apache
• China girl
• China white
• Dance fever
• Friend
• Goodfella
• Jackpot
• Murder 8
• Tango and Cash
• TNT
• Hydrocodone or Dihydrocodeinone:
• Vike
• Watson 387

Hydromorphone:

• D
• Dillies
• Footballs
• Juice
• Smack

Meperidine:

• Demmies
• Pain Killer

Methadone:

• Amidone
• Fizzies
• (Mixed with MDMA) Chocolate chip cookies

Morphine:

• M
• Miss Emma
• Monkey
• White stuff

Oxycodone:

• O.C.
• Oxy 80
• Oxycat
• Oxycet
• Oxycotton
• Oxy
• Hillbilly heroin
• Percs
• Perks

Oxymorphone:

• Biscuits
• Blue heaven
• Blues
• Heavenly blues
• Mrs. O
• O bombs
• Octagons
• Stop signs

Prescription Stimulants

Amphetamine (Adderall, Benzedrine):

• Bennies
• Black beauties
• Crosses
• Hearts
• LA Turnaround
• Speed
• Truck drivers
• Uppers

Methylphenidate (Concerta, Ritalin):

• Diet coke
• JIF
• Kiddie cocaine
• Kiddie coke
• MPH
• Poor man’s cocaine
• R-ball
• Skippy
• Skittles
• Smarties
• The Smart Drug
• Vitamin R

Synthetic Drugs

Synthetic Marijuana:

• K2
• Spice

Synthetic stimulants (AKA Bath Salts):

• Arctic blasts
• Aura
• Avalance or Avalanche
• Bliss
• Blizzard
• Bloom
• Blue silk
• Bolivian bath
• Cloud nine
• Cotton cloud
• Drone
• Dynamite or Dynamite plus
• Euphoria
• Glow stick
• Hurricane Charlie
• Ivory snow
• Ivory wave or Ivory wave ultra
• Lunar wave
• Mexxy
• Mind change or Mino Charge
• Monkey dust
• Mystic
• Natural energy powder
• Ocean snow
• Purple wave
• Quicksilver
• Recharge
• Red dawn
• Red dove
• Rock on
• Rocky Mountain High
• Route 69
• Sandman Party Powder
• Scarface
• Sextasy
• Shock wave
• Snow day
• Snow leopard
• Speed freak miracle
• Stardust
• Super coke
• Tranquility
• UP energizing or UP Supercharged
• Vanilla Sky
• White burn
• White China
• White dove
• White lightning
• White rush
• White Sands
• Wicked X or XX
• Zoom

Treatment For Addiction To Drugs

Reading this list, you may feel a bit overwhelmed at the possibility of addiction in our nation and elsewhere. The important thing to remember is that treatment for illegal drug abuse and addiction is ever-growing.

In fact, treatment for addiction in recent decades has improved. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) states, “most people who get into and remain in treatment stop using drugs, decrease their criminal activity, and improve their occupational, social, and psychological functioning.”

Treatment works, and getting to treatment could make a vast difference in your life. Methods of treatment are changing, focusing on healing a person as a whole—mind, body, and spirit—rather than just targeting symptoms of addiction.

How To Get Help With Addiction

If you or someone you know is addicted to illegal drugs, you may be uncertain about the next step. You can find help and the treatment you need with our help. Contact us today at DrugRehab.org, and we will help you find a rehab center that fits your needs with a treatment plan that suits your specific goals.

For More Information Related to “Common Street Names For Illegal Drugs” Be Sure To Check Out These Additional Resources From DrugRehab.org:

• What is “Freebase Cocaine”?
• Methamphetamine Withdrawal Symptoms
• How Long Does Methamphetamine Stay In Your System?
• Tranquilizer Abuse and Addiction
• The Psychological Effects Of Methadone

Sources

Drug Free World—The Drug Facts
National Institute On Drug Abuse—Commonly Abused Drug Charts
National Institute On Drug Abuse—DrugFacts: Heroin

Methamphetamine, or meth, is known for its quick rush and long-lasting highs. People who seek use of the drug may binge on it for several days, streaming a continuous high. But what happens when they develop tolerance and can’t feel the effects? What happens if they no longer have access to methamphetamine?

Withdrawal happens. Withdrawal, or the comedown, from any substance can be intense, but with meth can cause some adverse symptoms. Methamphetamine withdrawal symptoms can include:

• Appetite increase
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Extreme drowsiness
• Fatigue
• Inability to concentrate
• Insomnia
• Irritability
• Paranoia
• Psychosis
• Seizures
• Slowed reaction time
• Strong cravings/urges for the drug

What Is Withdrawal Like?

If abusing meth is a definite high, coming off it (withdrawal) is an extreme low. In fact, the high is often what gets people addicted to meth; the low may be what keeps them from quitting. What makes withdrawal so intense?

The American Academy of Family Physicians explains, “Methamphetamine withdrawal is associated with more severe and prolonged depression than is cocaine withdrawal.” The depression can lead to suicidal thoughts and actions, so withdrawal should be monitored closely.

If that weren’t enough, withdrawal can also cause cravings for meth so intense that a person begins to become irritable to the point of violence. This may be uncharacteristic behavior for those abusing meth.

When people become addicted to meth, they may be able to go without sleep or food for an extended period of time. This can lead to paranoia and psychosis—contributing to the violent or erratic behavior.

Though it’s true that meth withdrawal may not be as dangerous as that of other illegal drugs, it is still damaging to health. Symptoms of withdrawal can make people do things they may not otherwise do. If someone you know is undergoing meth withdrawal, be cautious in approaching them and seek help.

Why Do People Abuse Meth?

If withdrawal is intense, even detrimental to health, why do people still abuse meth? The answer lies with addiction.

Addiction is a tricky disease. From the first use of meth, when people experience the intense surge of euphoria, followed by a long-lasting high characterized by excitement and energy, people are hooked. This is more than just people enjoying the feeling in their body when they abuse meth—the brain enjoys it as well.

The brain enjoys it so much, in fact, that it changes the way it responds to pleasure. Once a person’s brain experiences the effects of meth, it convinces people they want to experience this feeling again and again. Chronic abuse may unfortunately lead to tolerance, further agitating the symptoms of withdrawal.

What Is Tolerance?

Tolerance is what people experience when they no longer feel the effects of a drug. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) explains, “as is the case with many drugs, tolerance to methamphetamine’s pleasurable effects develops when it is taken repeatedly.” Because meth is so addictive, and can quickly lead to binges, tolerance may develop quickly.

As addicted individuals realize they have developed tolerance, the need to achieve the meth high may become urgent. To that end, people abusing meth may take more frequent or higher doses. They may also try a different route of administration. Smoking or injecting meth results in a quicker high than taking it orally.

What Are The Long-Term Effects Of Methamphetamine Abuse?

After a time, even with increased use, those abusing meth may not feel the effects of it at all. That is when withdrawal can become overwhelming, and lead to psychosis. The body is so overcome with the need for meth that it becomes convinced it has other issues.

Examples of this common to meth abuse is the feeling of bugs crawling under the skin, or seeing or hearing things that aren’t there (hallucinations and delusions). Even after a person has quit meth abuse, and has overcome the worst of withdrawal symptoms, psychotic symptoms can persist. That’s why it’s best to seek treatment for meth abuse right away.

Other long-term effects can be damaging to a person’s health, and may include:

• Addiction
• Aggression
• Being easily distracted
• Brain changes: function, structure
• Impairment to motor skills
• Loss of memory
• “Meth mouth” (severe tooth decay and other mouth issues)
• Mood changes
• Thinking gaps
• Violent behavior
• Weight loss

Do You Know Someone Addicted To Meth?

When people begin using meth regularly, they may be able to function normally: eating regularly, sleeping, even showing up for work on time. Meth is a stimulant, which means it stimulates certain chemicals in the brain. Some may even find that the increased energy and hyperactivity can work for them—for a time.

It is when use stops or addiction starts that meth abuse can become dangerous. Once a person becomes addicted, he or she will change in pursuit of the drug. Withdrawal can reduce a person to the, at times, crippling symptoms of depression, anxiety, paranoia, and psychosis.

Here are some signs to look for if you suspect someone you know is addicted to meth:

• Tolerance:
  • Does the person have to take more or higher doses to achieve the same high?
• Withdrawal:
  • Does the person experience intense withdrawal symptoms, like depression or irritability, when not taking meth?
• Avoidance:
  • Does the person continue using meth to avoid the withdrawal process?
• Inability to stop:
  • Can the person not stop use, or stop seeking meth, even if he or she wants to?
• Life changes:
  • Once addicted, a person often rearranges life to align with drug use, such as shirking responsibilities, missing school or work, seeking the drug at any cost, etc.
• Behavior changes:
  • You know this person wouldn’t normally commit a crime to obtain meth (or in general), or engage in violent behavior, but lately the person’s behavior is out of control

If someone close to you is exhibiting these symptoms, he or she may be addicted to meth. With the severity of withdrawal and the adverse long-term effects, treatment is the best solution to meth addiction.

Who Is Affected By Meth Abuse?

Meth abuse is a problem, yes, but perhaps you’re wondering just how far this problem reaches. The NIDA reports that in 2012 1.2 million people reported use of meth in the past year, with 440,000 having reported use in the past month.

Though these numbers are down from the 2006 survey, they are not low enough. The average age of those abusing meth was 19.7 years. The report included meth use among eighth, tenth and twelfth grade students as well. Typically, meth has been a substance of issue in rural areas, but is gaining popularity in urban areas.

How To Find Treatment Today

A supervised medical detoxification may be required if methamphetamine is abused along with alcohol, benzodiazepines, or opiates. The licensed medical staff at our inpatient rehab centers provides necessary support and care to help with this process.

Inpatient treatment allows addicted individuals to heal while receiving quality care, mental and emotional support of peers, and evidenced-based approaches to treatment. Many of our rehab centers also offer gender-based treatment, dual diagnosis to target any and all disorders, and an individualized treatment plan.

If someone you know is struggling with meth abuse, we can help. Contact us today at DrugRehab.org to learn more about methamphetamine withdrawal, our rehab centers, and treatment options.

For More Information Related to “Methamphetamine Withdrawal Symptoms” Be Sure To Check Out These Additional Resources From DrugRehab.org:

• How Long Does Methamphetamine Stay In Your System?
• Environmental Risk Factors for Developing an Addiction
• Signs Of Methamphetamine Psychosis
• Meth Drug Rehab – Treatment For Methamphetamine Addiction
• Addiction to Methamphetamine: Signs of Abuse, Health Risks

Sources

American Academy Of Family Physicians—Methamphetamine Abuse
Center For Abuse Substance Research—Methamphetamine
National Institute On Drug Abuse—What Are The Long-Term Effects Of Methamphetamine Abuse?

Methamphetamine abuse can lead to binges which last several days. Abuse of meth, especially prolonged abuse, can be damaging to a person’s health. Binges can result in irritability, paranoia, and even psychosis. Knowing how long methamphetamine stays in your system can be useful when meth abuse is suspected. Methamphetamine abuse and addiction are best treated under careful monitoring in an inpatient environment.

Methamphetamine, commonly called meth, produces an instant, though short-lived, rush feeling for those who take it. It’s the reason many seek the drug. But because the rush wears off quickly, many people seek meth again and again.

Drugs which produce an initial rush followed by a high (feeling of intense euphoria and increased activity) tend to be highly addictive. Meth is no exception. Yet the stages of meth abuse can be dangerous, especially for those who continually abuse the drug.

It may be helpful to know how long methamphetamine stays in your system if you believe someone you know is abusing the drug. Meth abuse leads to a number of risks, including dissociation of the mind and high risk of self-harm or harm to others (at worst). Treatment is the safest way to ensure those abusing meth find help to quit use of it.

Duration Of Meth In Your System

Research conducted on how long meth stays in the body often involves the blood-to-plasma ratio. This measures the amount of meth in the whole blood. Other measurements may examine only how much meth is in plasma, which can be misleading if concentrations of the drug differ between red blood cells and plasma.

Measures of meth in your system works like this, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA):

• Peak blood methamphetamine concentrations:
  • A few minutes after smoking or injecting
  • Around 3 hours after taking orally
• Peak amphetamine concentrations (after broken down from methamphetamine):
  • 12 hours
• Elimination half-life (time to meth concentration cut in half):
  • Mean measure is 10.1 hours
  • Range of 6.4 to 15 hours

For each dose of meth, it takes anywhere from two to 10 days to leave the body. This number can change though, depending on usage; the more meth abused, the longer it takes to leave the body.

The short-term side effects experienced can last up to 24 hours, but with binges, this can change. Detection of meth in drug tests is confirmed usually within one to four days after use, but can be confirmed up to a week after heavy use, according to the NHTSA.

The Stages Of The Meth High

• Initial rush:
  • When a person abuses meth, he or she first experiences the rush, or the initial surge of euphoria. This feeling lasts from a few minutes up to 30 minutes.
  • During that time, the person’s heart rate increases and other systems in the body escalate, including blood pressure, pulse, and metabolism.
• High:
  • After the rush comes the high. According to DrugFreeWorld.org, “during the high the abuser often feels aggressively smarter and becomes argumentative, often interrupting other people and finishing their sentences.” This stage is often characterized by delusions.
  • Delusions lead the person to focus solely on one small thing; the person may place high importance on small tasks, like repetitive motions (stroking something or wiping a surface). The high can last from four to 16 hours.
• Binge:
  • People affected by meth abuse may take several doses in a row to ensure a string of continuous highs. This process, known as a binge, results in hyperactivity. When a person abusing meth goes on a binge, he or she can go for days without sleep or food.
  • Binges can last three to up to 15 days, according to the Center for Abuse Substance Research (CESAR). The purpose of the binge is to continue the high and re-experience the rush. But each time a person injects or smokes meth, the rush is less potent, the high less effective, until neither is experienced at all.
• Tweaking:
  • It is during the binge that a person abusing meth experiences the most dangerous stage of meth abuse: tweaking. After lack of sleep and food for days, and with a constant stream of meth in the system, a person becomes paranoid and irritable.
  • Though this stage is plagued by intense craving for the rush and high, the person likely can’t get the desired effects because he or she has developed tolerance.
  • Tweaking presents danger because it may result in violence which can lead to domestic disputes or criminal acts, or even car accidents.
  • Tweaking is characterized by: eyes moving extremely fast, quivering voice, jerky movements.

Factors For Duration

Because many people who abuse meth engage in a binge, it is important to know how long meth stays in your system. A few things affect the duration of meth in the body, and include:

• Method of administration: smoked, injected, or swallowed. Smoking or injecting results in quick onset; taking orally results in slower onset.
• How many doses have been taken
• How long it has been since last dose
• How well it is metabolized: the state of your liver and kidneys

How Is Meth Metabolized?

The body immediately begins to metabolize meth, first breaking it down partly to amphetamine. Within a few hours, the body continues to break down the methamphetamine and amphetamine left in the bloodstream.

The liver and kidneys do their work filtering out the chemicals of meth, as does urination. In fact, as much as 30 to 54 percent of meth can leave the body through urine as “unchanged methamphetamine” and 10 to 23 percent as “unchanged amphetamine,” according to the NHTSA. The majority of meth leaves the body without metabolizing at all.

How Does Meth Affect Your Health?

In addition to being highly addictive, meth can cause damaging effects to your health. Psychological dependence can result because the rush effects are desirable: excitement, high energy, talkativeness. People who abuse meth may associate this time with increased abilities to perform or achieve tasks (part of the delusions they experience).

But taking high doses or prolonged abuse can lead to less desirable effects to your health. For example, chronic use can lead to: irritability, nervousness, paranoia, violent behavior and extreme depression. All of these symptoms can contribute to increased likelihood of self-harm or harm of others. Left untreated, prolonged meth abuse can trigger psychosis similar to schizophrenia.

Adverse health effects associated with long-term abuse may include:

• Meth mouth: tooth decay, cracked teeth, and gum disease
• Brain damage
• Breakdown of immune system
• Skin lesions (sores)
• High blood pressure
• Extreme weight loss
• Malnutrition
• Stroke
• Heart problems
• Lung disease
• Kidney or liver damage
• Overdose and death

How Do You Treat Methamphetamine Abuse?

Treatment for meth first involves detoxification (detox). This first necessary step allows chemicals acquired during abuse to leave the body. This process can be dangerous when performed alone. Inpatient rehab centers can provide the medical and professional support necessary to get through it.

After being assessed, you’ll get treatment for meth abuse and any co-occurring substance abuse disorders or mental health disorders. Meth abuse may be coupled with alcohol abuse or abuse of other depressants, and can be characterized by anxiety, depression, or psychosis. It is important to recognize and treat all co-occurring disorders to ensure the best chance at recovery.

Inpatient rehab centers can provide the mental and emotional support you’ll lack in outpatient treatment. Evidence-based treatment options and licensed medical staff make treatment in a rehab center the quality experience it should be—a chance to rebuild a life without meth.

Get Information About Treatment

When people we know are in the grips of addiction, it can be frightening. Methamphetamine binges can last for days, and if someone you know is experiencing this, you may not know what to do next. We can help get your loved one into treatment, and find a recovery plan that works. Contact us today at DrugRehab.org to learn more about treating meth addiction and the rehab center difference.

For More Information Related to “How Long Does Methamphetamine Stay In Your System?” Be Sure To Check Out These Additional Resources From DrugRehab.org:

• Meth Drug Rehab
• Signs Of Methamphetamine Psychosis
• How Do I Get My Loved One Into Rehab?
• A New Weapon in The Meth Crisis
• The Effects of Drugs and Alcohol on the Kidneys

Sources

Center For Abuse Substance Research—Methamphetamine
Drug Free World—The Stages Of The Meth Experience
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration—Methamphetamine (And Amphetamine)
National Institute On Drug Abuse—DrugFacts: Methamphetamine
National Institute On Drug Abuse—What Are The Long-Term Effects Of Methamphetamine Abuse?

Injecting drugs can lead to HIV, Hepatitis C, addiction, ligament amputation, substance abuse disorders, withdrawal, and death. These consequences are painful for loved ones, and the person using the drug. Though some drugs can be used by smoking and snorting, injection is the fastest way to get the effects of the drug is into the bloodstream. 12 million people inject drugs worldwide, some continue living with addiction and can die, but some choose the easier route, and seek treatment.

What Is Injecting Drugs?

Injecting drugs is the act of putting a drug, in liquid form, right into the bloodstream to achieve the effects of the drug–this is done using a hypodermic needle and syringe or another source of injection. The most common street drug used for injection, or “shooting up”, is heroin, which is an opioid drug derived from the Asian opium plant and converted to morphine once in the body. There are a variety of different drugs that can be injected to the bloodstream–some of these drugs used may not be commonly associated with addiction and injection.

What Drugs Can Be Injected?

A person using drugs can inject the following substances intravenously:

• Heroin
• Cocaine
• Ketamine
• PCP
• Anabolic Steroids
• Ecstasy
• Suboxone
• Amphetamines
• Methamphetamines
• MDMA
• Cocaine and Heroin Mixture (Speedball)

Injecting drugs has a number of consequences and can cause death, HIV, Hepatitis C (HCV), amputation, drug withdrawal, and high blood pressure. Without proper treatment, a person addicted to a drug can be in serious danger. Sometimes there is nothing but intervention and professional medical treatment to keep a drug user safe.

Consequences Of Injecting Heroin

Injecting heroin can lead to a number of unwanted effects which are usually unavoidable by a person who chronically uses the drug. A chronic heroin user will become dependent on the drug, and their body and mind grow accustomed to its presence and the high associated with it.. Without the drug, a person will experience a withdrawal. Drug withdrawal can sometimes be the biggest fear of a person suffering from heroin addiction. Injecting heroin can lead to itching, collapsed veins, pneumonia, nausea, constipation, and infection. The initial high from heroin is what brings people back, but if a person becomes addicted, they don’t know how to stop even when they want to. Injecting heroin often leads to overdose, coma, and death.

Consequences Of Injecting Cocaine

The fastest way to get the effects of drug into the blood is to inject it into the bloodstream, and though cocaine is most commonly associated with snorting or smoking, there are some users who prefer to shoot it up. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a person who regularly uses cocaine can experience “infection and death of bowel tissue from decreased blood flow; poor nutrition and weight loss from decreased appetite.” Cocaine is more likely to lead to death from overdose when paired with alcohol. Some of the withdrawal symptoms may include, but are not limited to, depression, slowed thinking, faster heart rate, and insomnia.

Consequences Of Injecting Ketamine

Ketamine is a drug used for veterinarian practice, but for humans it can lead to hallucinations and a dreamlike state. Though it can be used to get high, Ketamine or “Special K” can also be used as a “date rape” drug. As described by the NIDA, Ketamine can lead to health problems like loss of memory, problems moving, unconsciousness, ulcers, kidney problems, stomach pain, and slow breathing which can lead to death.

Consequences Of Injecting Anabolic Steroids

Along with the various consequences of injecting drugs (see: Health Related Issues Of Injecting Drugs), Anabolic Steroids, which are typically used for medicine, come with a large list of health consequences. Steroids can be used in medicine to cure disease or inflammation, but a person can also abuse them for speeding up the process of building muscle tissue. When used improperly, anabolic steroids can lead to delusion, stunted growth, heart attack, muscle development problems, or liver cancer. Steroids can also make a person overly aggressive. Along with these various health consequences, injecting steroids can cause unwanted side effects in both men and women:

Anabolic Steroids And Men

• Infertility
• Breast Development
• Shrinking of Testicals
• Male Pattern Baldness

Anabolic Steroids And Women

• Enlargement of Clitoris
• Excessive Growth of Body Hair
• Male Pattern Baldness

Other Health Related Issues Of Injecting Drugs

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, habitual users of injecting drugs may experience other consequences of using the drug:

• Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome NAS – when a baby is born with a drug addiction, he or she is forced to be hospitalized. If a mother uses heroin or other drugs during pregnancy, there is nothing keeping the baby safe from addiction to the drug.
• Human Immunodeficiency Virus HIV – an incurable disease which can inhibit a body’s ability to fight infections. One of the most common causes of HIV is unprotected sex, but because HIV is transmitted through contact of blood and bodily fluids, it is often associated with sharing needles.
• Hepatitis C HVC – is a virus associated with liver disease, which can lead to cirrhosis. HVC can be contracted in the same way as HIV, and therefore shared needles are a common cause.

More About Withdrawals From Injected Drugs

Usually, a person who suffers from addiction to the drug will be so afraid of the withdrawal symptoms (shakes, pain, restlessness, cold sweats, night terrors, anger.. etc.) from lack of the drug, that they will not seek help–the withdrawals from heroin can happen after a mere few hours without the drug. The severity of drug withdrawal can be so bad that it will bring people back to using–even if they say they are “going to stop.”

Amputations And Blood Infection From Injecting Drugs

A person who injects a drug is vulnerable to various other health consequences. Blood infections and bacterial infections can occur in the user from using dirty needles or from repeated injection of a drug. Sometimes when an inject-able drug is abused, it can block off the blood from the arm or leg and amputation is necessary.

In one study, by the National Institutes of Health, a drug user had been injecting a mixture of drugs into their artery near the foot, and within 24 hours, the blood had stopped flowing to the leg, and the only way to save the patient was to remove the leg. According to the same source, “the outcome after inadvertent injection depends on certain drug properties and the delay between injection and the beginning of therapy.”

How To Tell If A Person Is Injecting Drugs

A person who injects drugs is typically protective of their arms and legs. They almost always wear long sleeve shirts to cover up needle scars or “tracks”, but people can also shoot drugs into their feet, so this might not always be the case. A person who injects heroin might “nod out” frequently, or be in and out of consciousness. A person who abuses cocaine might seem completely delirious and overly hyper. A drug user might do things that seem strange, like always taking their jacket into the bathroom or not showering with the rest of the team.

A person suffering from drug addiction might be dangerously defensive when confronted about their problem, so it might be wise not to go it alone if you’re looking to confront them about their problem. If you’re thinking about doing an intervention for a loved one and have questions, contact us at Drugrehab.org .

Treatment For Drug Addiction

There are an estimated 12 million people worldwide who inject drugs and 1.6 million of those people are living with HIV. If you’re worried that you or a friend is untreatable and too far gone, you are mistaken. The kind professionals at Drugrehab.org can help you if you’re suffering from drug addiction, and though millions of people die or continue living with an addiction, there is treatment. To find out more about the Consequences From Injecting Drugs, contact us today!

Sources

National Institute on Drug Abuse – https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/commonly-abused-drugs-charts
National Institute on Drug Abuse – https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/heroin
National Institute on Drug Abuse – https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/anabolic-steroid-abuse/what-are-health-consequences-steroid-abuse
Gov.UK – https://www.gov.uk/guidance/people-who-inject-drugs-infection-risks-guidance-and-data
Averting HIV and Aids – https://www.avert.org/professionals/hiv-social-issues/key-affected-populations/people-inject-drugs

Methamphetamine, commonly referred to as meth, among other street names, has become increasingly widespread, as its prevalence has extended across the United States within the past several decades. With this diaspora, a continued pattern of abuse, addiction, and destruction has followed.

Meth is a highly addictive stimulant drug. Using this drug, either for the first time, or habitually, as is characteristic of an addiction, can bring great harm to a person, including a high risk of overdose.

Meth’s Background

You may be surprised to know that meth owes its roots to the medical field. Like many illicit drugs, meth was developed for medical purposes, and is yet used, albeit rarely for medical applications. After its creation in the early part of the 20th century, methamphetamine was used in nasal decongestants and bronchial inhalers, as explained by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Currently, in the now infrequent times it is used within the medical field, NIDA tells us that it is administered for ADHD or weight-loss treatments.

In order to better understand its potency and addictive potential, it is useful to consider the fact that it is very closely related to another powerful, and also commonly abused stimulant—amphetamine. In fact, according to the Center for Substance Abuse Research, meth, like amphetamine are both within the amphetamines class of drugs. Due to its strong risk for abuse and dependence, it is classified by the DEA as a Schedule II drug.

How Meth Affects Your Body

People may choose to administer meth several ways, each of which alter the effects and risks a meth abuser incurs. Meth, like various other illicit stimulant drugs, may be smoked, snorted, injected, or more rarely, taken orally. Each of these ways exposes a person towards to the potential of overdose, which in some cases, may be fatal.

Before we speak of this risk, and the subsequent treatment, we will speak in brief of the drug’s effects on a user. Being able to understand the signs and symptoms of meth abuse and addiction may give you a greater awareness that could be helpful towards initiating the help that may avert an overdose in someone you love. Prevention is key in protecting someone from use that accelerates from abuse to addiction, and subsequently the attributed risks. When someone uses meth, they may, in the short term:

• Become excessively talkative
• Exhibit a more focused state of attention
• Experience decreased fatigue
• Have a diminished appetite
• Exhibit signs of increased respiration (taking breaths in a greater frequency or speed)
• Complain that their heart rate is rapid
• Become too hot (hyperthermia)

As with any drug of abuse, as use progresses, a person is apt to exhibit more serious effects, with meth, these long-term signs of abuse may be:

• Tolerance (a person needs more to achieve the same effect)
• Anxiety
• A confused state
• Mood changes, including violent behavior
• Psychotic tendencies (paranoia, and seeing or hearing things that aren’t there)
• Believing that bugs are crawling on, or beneath the skin
• Intense itching or damage to the skin from the above notion
• Significant weight loss
• “Meth mouth,” a variety of dental issues due to the drug’s damaging effects
• Marks from needle use
• Infections at injection sites
• Wearing long sleeves to cover up the latter two signs

In addition to these symptoms of use, meth can also damage a person’s physical and mental health, including an increased risk of various transmissible diseases, including HIV and hepatitis C and B; cognitive decline, complications during pregnancy, and damage to the heart, to name some. Two of the greatest risks are addiction and overdose.

Signs Of An Overdose

If the above signs become apparent in someone close to you, and you believe there may be concern of meth abuse, or addiction, seek treatment immediately—it may mean the difference between an overdose occurring down the road, and even life and death. Being preemptive may help a person to avoid such dire circumstances if their drug use continues unchecked.

Unfortunately, people’s drug habits are not always caught in time, and an overdose may still occur. There are even more imminent signs that may further point to more serious straits, such as those which precede an overdose. As extracted from MedlinePlus, if a person has consumed large amounts of meth, such as that which may cause overdose, they may exhibit or experience the following:

• Agitation
• Chest pain
• Coma or unresponsiveness (in extreme cases)
• Heart attack
• Irregular or stopped heartbeat
• Difficulty breathing
• Very high body temperature
• Kidney damage and possibly kidney failure
• Paranoia
• Seizures
• Severe stomach pain
• Stroke

Please, we urge you, if you witness any of these conditions call emergency medical assistance immediately, your call has the potential to save a person’s life. Should you even begin to think that a meth overdose may be occurring, or that a person even be at risk of experiencing one, seek medical attention immediately. In these critical conditions, every minute manners, and the sooner you get your loved one, or yourself help, the sooner a medical intervention can work towards improving the odds that it does not result in a fatality.

As these individuals may become violent or aggressive please proceed with caution around them. If a person is seizing, do not attempt to hold down their limbs, or attempt in any other way to stop the movement. Instead, if they are experiencing a seizure, the only thing you should do is to lightly cradle their head, to help protect it from harm. If you are able, roll them off their back and onto their side, preferably the left, so that they don’t aspirate their vomit should they get sick.

Lastly, MedlinePlus urges that if you witness an overdose, to prepare crucial information for the medical support team, as much as you may know, including:

• How much they weigh and also their age.
• What amount of drug did they take, and in what frequency?
• How did they administer the drug? Did they inject it, take it orally, etc?
• When did they take the drug?

Also, if the person took any other drug(s), either prescribed or illicit, including alcohol, please make certain to tell the responders this, as this may change the course of treatment. This can be a very overwhelming and frightening situation, but remember, try to keep your head clear and stay calm so that you may assist them in getting the help they need.

Should An Overdose Occur

Again, we must remind you that a person may conceivably overdose on meth the first time they try it, or at any point along the spectrum between abuse and addiction. When this overdose happens suddenly, it is called an acute methamphetamine intoxication. In an instance that an overdose does occur, what follows are measures of treatment that will be initiated in an attempt to moderate the severity of various facets of the overdose in attempt to save the person’s life.

Foremost, when a person is overdosing on meth, due to the at times extreme impact that it can have on a person’s psyche, the medical staff will ascertain a person’s psychological standing. Within this period of time, they will also be establishing a person’s vitals. In most severe cases, a person’s mental state may be evident as extreme psychosis manifests by delusions, hallucinations, and paranoia. This is often accompanied by aggressive or violent behavior.

For the safety of both the individual and hospital staff, in these cases, the person will likely be restrained and sedated intravenously. This not only protects all parties involved, but allows for the emergency department (ED) team better, unobstructed access to be able to administer critical, and what could be lifesaving, measures. A Medscape article specifies on medicines that may be used, nothing that “Benzodiazepines diminish methamphetamine-induced behavioral and psychiatric intoxication. This class of drug is also used to terminate methamphetamine-induced seizures.”

Another medication-based approach that may be used is also outlined by Medscape, “Treat hyperactive or agitated patients with droperidol or haloperidol, which are butyrophenones that antagonize CNS dopamine receptors and mitigate the excess dopamine produced from methamphetamine toxicity.” However, they do note that despite the clinical success of these drugs in studies, some places will not use them because of a Black Box warning due to the cardiac risks of “QT prolongation and the potential for torsades de pointes.”

Within this process, as soon as they’re able, the medical staff will do a toxicology screening to confirm the presence of any other drugs that were reported and to identify any that were not. A person may also be intubated so that they can receive oxygen and breathing support through the aid of a machine.

Currently, meth, like many other stimulants has no FDA-approved treatment for addiction. Similarly, because of its stimulant nature, medical means to treat meth overdose varies from other approaches that use overdose-reversal drugs. For this reason, when a person encounters a meth overdose, the emergency department instead focuses their predominant attention on treating the physical and psychological symptoms of the meth overdose instead of an actual reversal of the drug itself.

At this point, once the situation is under control, the ED staff will begin assessing a person’s vitals more completely to determine the next measures of medical attention. As we noted above, meth may cause a person’s temperature to rise to sometimes drastic heights, a condition that is called hyperthermia. Combined with other risks—high blood pressure, increased or irregular heart rate, increased respiration, and convulsions, a person is at risk of losing their life.

To counter these risks, as explained by The Endowment for Human Development, a person may receive anticonvulsant drugs or be put into an ice bath to cool down their internal temperature. Hyperthermia may impact not only a person’s body, but also their brain, causing their brain’s temperature to rise to the point great damage may occur.

A U.S. National Library of Medicine published study on meth overdose chronicles the danger that this may have, citing that “we demonstrate that acute METH intoxication induces robust, widespread but structure-specific leakage of the BBB, acute glial activation, and increased water content (edema).” The piece continues to say that they are uncertain if these conditions may be reversed, however, that they do know that they contribute to “multiple functional and structural perturbations in the brain, determining its acute toxicity and possibly contributing to neurotoxicity.” Essentially, this means that a meth overdose may lead to brain damage. Hence, it is critical that a person receive care, so that their body and brain can begin cooling as soon as possible to advert as many aspects of damage as possible.

If a person has taken meth orally, MedlinePlus tells us they may receive a laxative and activated charcoal. These help to pass the toxins and cleanse them from a person’s system in a quicker manner than their body would on its own, in order to avoid the drug continuing to wreak havoc.

Once a person is more stabilized and the most imminent risks addressed, other medical tests and procedures may occur to determine the full extent of the damage, so that they may continue to administer even more focused medical care on other serious risks. These may include, as cited from MedlinePlus:

• Chest x-ray
• CT (computerized tomography) scan (a type of advanced imaging) of the head, if head injury is suspected
• EKG (electrocardiogram, or heart tracing)
• Other medicines or treatments for heart, brain, muscle and kidney complications

In addition to these measures, a person may receive various other drugs or treatments. As we’ve noted, meth abuse—especially in the larger amounts that would precipitate an overdose—can cause anxiety, agitation, nausea, high blood pressure, and even pain. Once a person’s state is evaluated for these concerns, they may receive a variety of medicines via an IV to address these conditions.

After a person recuperates from this event, they should seek treatment for meth abuse or addiction, in order to further protect themselves against greater risk. In serious cases, inpatient drug rehab may be best, especially programs that employ cognitive behavioral therapy, a method that has shown great success with these concerns.

Prevent The Damage

If you or someone you love uses meth, than you are at risk of overdosing. Please, contact us at DrugRehab.org, so that we may help you to find treatment options that can put you on a path towards sobriety and better health.

Sources
Center for Substance Abuse Research — Amphetamines
MedlinePlus — Methamphetamine overdose
Medscape — Methamphetamine Toxicity Treatment & Management
THE ENDOWMENT FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT — Chapter 9: What treatments are effective for methamphetamine abusers?
U.S. National Library of Medicine — Acute methamphetamine intoxication: brain hyperthermia, blood-brain barrier, brain edema, and morphological cell abnormalities.

Spending time in a bar, club, or party environment can be fun, as long as proper precautions are taken, such as finding a designated driver. Unfortunately, a variety of substances known as “club drugs” have infiltrated these areas and made them more dangerous. Whether a person is using these club drugs or lacing another person’s drink, they are dangerous and need to be understood if you spend any time in the bar or in clubs.

What Drugs Are Considered Club Drugs?

Club drugs are those that are used in a party setting to enhance the experience, or in some instances, to influence other people’s behaviors. They go by a variety of slang names, and to improve your knowledge on them, we are going to list each type here, their effects, and their street names, so that you know whether someone you love is abusing these substances or plans on introducing them to you:

• Rohypnol – Commonly called “roofies,” these substances are a benzodiazepine that takes effect very quickly. They cause a variety of sedative effects, including dizziness, confusion, loss of control, anxiety, numbness, and even seizures. They are perhaps the most heavily used subset of club drugs known as “rape” drugs, as they are often used to either cause a person to be susceptible to suggestion or to put them in a state of unconsciousness.

• MDMA – Often known as Ecstasy, XTC, X, Adam, Clarity, and Lover’s Speed, MDMA drugs are very similar to amphetamines and cause a variety of effects, including intense stimulation and even hallucinations. Effects last as long as six hours, with negative side effects including confusion, paranoia, hypertension, dehydration, and even anxiety. Typically taken in pill form.

• GHB – Known as Grievous Bodily Harm, G, Liquid Ecstasy, or Georgia Home Boy, GHB is typically taken in liquid, powder, or tablet forms. Users often combine it with alcohol to increase its effects. It is a depressant that sedates the body and decreases self control. In this way, it is often used as a “rape” drug or even as a way to poison somebody.

• Ketamine – An injection, liquid, or powder drug that causes effects similar to PCP. This includes extreme energy, hallucinations, and a disconnection with reality. It can often produce psychotic breaks that may last for extended periods. It can also cause amnesia, high blood pressure, poor motor function, and even respiratory problems. Commonly referred to as Special K, K, Vitamin K, and Cat Valiums.

• Methamphetamine – Unlike its sister drug amphetamine, methamphetamine has no medical use. Instead, it is used to increase a person’s energy to high levels by speeding up the processes of the body. This can cause a variety of dangerous symptoms, including heavy sweating, memory loss, aggression, mental damage, and even heart attacks. Commonly called Speed, Ice, Chalk, Meth, Crystal, Crank, Fire, and Glass.

• LSD – Often called Acid, Boomers, and Yellow Sunshines, LSD causes severe hallucinations when ingested orally. It can cause a person to lose connection with reality in a dangerous way and may lead to temporary psychosis. Increased heart rate and blood pressure, as well as sleeplessness, are also common. “Flashbacks” to a hallucinatory state can occur years after the last use of LSD.

Now that you better understand the nature of these drugs and their effects, we’re going to look at a specific circumstance when one-time use of a club drug caused serious damage to a young girl’s mind. Although club drugs might seem fun or even “safe” to many who use them, their potential danger level is high, and the risk of developing serious side effects, or even addiction, is very high.

The Dangers Caused By These Drugs

In one unfortunate instance of club drug use, a teenager purchased and took a single pill of MDMA. The effects it produced on her were instantaneous: she started to hear noises that weren’t there, had trouble speaking, and behaved in erratic ways. The girl was rushed to the emergency room for evaluation. While awake and alert, she could not communicate successfully with others. She had no past history of mental concerns and her family had a similarly clean history.

Her behavior grew increasingly erratic, and included severe crying episodes, sexually inappropriate behavior, nonsensical speech, strange claims that weren’t true, episodes of paranoia and severe social anxiety, and other problems. Even after two weeks of treatment, her behavior remained difficult to predict and she was sent home from school almost immediately. At home, she would grow agitated and leave the house at unpredictable times.

After heavy doses of a medicine used to treat dementia (olanzapine), she gradually begin behaving more normally. Eventually, she broke free and became closer to who she was before. It is important to understand that the drug wasn’t literally in her system this entire time, but that it caused a series of chemical imbalances in her mind that caused her to behavioral concerns.

In other cases, people who take club drugs may grow aggressive towards other and get into dangerous physical altercations. They have also behave in irrational and risky ways, including driving too fast or jumping off of high areas and injuring themselves. Club drugs often remove a person’s sense of self-control and put them in danger of behaving poorly. However, even people who have no intention of taking club drugs may be a risk of drinking laced liquor.

The “Rape” Drug Epidemic

As mentioned previously, many club drugs (such as Rohypnol) are used for criminal sexual purposes. These “rape” drugs sedate a person in a way similar to, but more potent than, alcohol and, at the very least, make them susceptible to influence. In this way, a person may be able to convince them to perform sexual acts that they wouldn’t have otherwise performed.

In the worst case scenario, “rape” drugs are used to make a person unconscious and unable to resist sexual advances. Cases of women waking up in a stranger’s bed with no memory of the night before are common. Even scarier, women may come to in an alley or behind a building, having been left behind by their rapist. These instances are psychologically damaging to the women who experience them.

However, women aren’t the only people who many fall a victim to these drugs. Men may also receive them and end up being violated. That’s why it’s important for everyone who plans on attending bars, clubs, or parties to understand the ways in which to avoid club drugs.

Tips On Avoiding Club Drugs

One of the best ways you can avoid club drugs is to understand them. For example, if someone at a bar offers you “vitamin K,” you now know that it is ketamine, what kinds of effects it causes, and the dangers of using it. Simply say “no” to any substance that a person offers you in a party setting, no matter what promises they make about its effects.

What about protecting yourself from getting a laced drink? The best ways to avoid this include bringing your own drinks, never taking a drink from a stranger, keeping your drink within sight, and drinking out of a sealed container which you keep on your person at all times. It’s also important to avoid getting severely drunk, as this often makes people more open to doing things they wouldn’t do otherwise.

You should also surround yourself with people whom you have known for a long time, those you trust. Everyone should make a concentrated effort to watch their friends’ drinks and make sure nobody slips anything in them. Creating a support group like this is crucial to any party situation, as it will keep everyone safe from the dangers of club drugs.

Learning More About Club Drugs

If you or someone you love uses club drugs, is addicted to club drugs, or has been affected by them in other negative ways, please contact us at DrugRehab.org today. Our specialists can help you understand the effects of these substances and give you the guidance you need to regain a positive life.

Sources
American Family Physician – Club Drugs: MDMA, Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate (GHB), Rohypnol, and Ketamine
The Primary Care Companion For CNS Disorders – Persistent Psychosis After a Single Ingestion of “Ecstasy” (MDMA)
Palo Alto Medical Foundation – Rohypnol
Office On Women’s Health – Date rape drugs fact sheet

When methamphetamine-associated psychosis (MAP) occurs in a loved one, it can be a frightening thing to behold. It will change their behavior in negative ways and can make them unpredictable. Understanding the signs of methamphetamine psychosis can help you to know what to look for in your loved one and to get them immediate treatment.

Effects Of Methamphetamine On The Body And Mind

Methamphetamine causes a variety of severe and negative short and long-term effects on the mind and body, some of which may contribute to methamphetamine psychosis onset. Meth can also cause a variety of mental health problems including irritation, nervousness, tremors, anxiety, paranoia, aggressiveness, and confusion.

Even in the short-term, meth suppresses systems that are crucial for health and survival. According to Arizona State University, “Meth also effectively shuts down your brain’s sleep, hunger, and thirst centers.” With continued use, these short-term effects can worsen and can grow into more damaging long-term effects.

Long-term effects include severe heart problems (irregular heart beat, damage to blood vessels, stroke, etc.), abscesses in the skin, osteoporosis, problems with libido, the sensation of insects under the skin, the need for an increasing dosage as tolerance increases in order to simulate the original high, and neurological damage that can cause mood disturbances, delusions, and paranoid thoughts.

Unfortunately, it is possible for these neurological symptoms to coalesce into methamphetamine psychosis. Understanding the symptoms specific to this disorder is crucial to helping your loved one beat this condition.

The Signs And Symptoms Of Methamphetamine Psychosis

Methamphetamine psychosis is a non-schizophrenic mental disturbance that creates a series of dangerous false perceptions. The most common of these are hallucinations, including:

• Auditory (hearing noises that aren’t made, such as voices giving commands)
• Visual (seeing things that aren’t there, such as a person staring from across the room)
• Olfactory (odors that don’t exist, such as the smell of rotting flesh)
• Tactile (feeling something on the skin that isn’t there, like bugs or insects)
• Gustatory (tasting something false, such as a poison in all food)

Delusions are another common symptom of methamphetamine psychosis. Delusions are false beliefs that don’t coincide with reality. Common delusions include persecution (being pursued by higher authorities), grandeur (feeling important or powerful), references (connecting random events to their lives), control (people are manipulating behaviors),
and somatic (parts of the body are changing).

These delusions can fuel paranoia about the world, such as the belief that a random surveillance camera was installed to monitor a person’s behavior. This can also lead to various obsessions, including compulsive actions, manifestations, and beliefs, such as regularly showering, hoarding strange items, and following a strict path from work to home to evade dangerous people or events.

Symptoms like these can be difficult to manage and are prominent with methamphetamine use. One estimate claims that nearly 25 percent of those who use methamphetamine in a year will suffer from symptoms of psychosis. The study pointed out that dependence of methamphetamine was key to this increased risk.

Another possible connection in the development of this problem was a history of schizophrenia, while methamphetamine psychosis can manifest itself in a person without schizophrenia, it may adversely affect a person that has it. A study published by the Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology, noted this connection, stating “While amphetamines such as METH can precipitate and exacerbate psychotic symptoms in persons with schizophrenia, it has long been recognized that such drug use can produce psychotic symptoms even in persons with no history of a primary psychotic disorder.”

The Connection With Schizophrenia

If methamphetamine psychosis is not the same as schizophrenia, what is the connection between these two problems? The connection may lie in the way both influence dopamine release. A study published by The American Journal Of Psychiatry stated in its conclusion:

“…longer use of methamphetamine may cause more severe psychiatric symptoms and greater reduction of dopamine transporter density in the brain. They also show that the dopamine transporter reduction may be long-lasting, even if methamphetamine use ceases. Further, persistent psychiatric symptoms in methamphetamine users, including psychotic symptoms, may be attributable to the reduction of dopamine transporter density.”

Beyond dopamine release was the connection noted in the study “Determining Vulnerability To Schizophrenia In Methamphetamine Psychosis Using Exploratory Eye Movements,” which stated: “This finding suggests that there is a possibility that the patients of MAP psychosis include a few who have a vulnerability to schizophrenia.” This report seems to indicate that methamphetamine psychosis is a potent risk for those who suffer from schizophrenia.

Another study indicated that heavy methamphetamine psychosis may, in some cases, merely mimic its symptoms, while in others, the pre-morbid condition may put a person at greater risk. The study, “Pre-Morbid Characteristics And Co-Morbidity Of Methamphetamine Users With And Without Psychosis,” published by the Cambridge University Press, concluded that “The MAMP users with psychosis presented a clinical picture which mimicked the positive symptoms of schizophrenia: 85% had auditory hallucinations; 71% persecutory delusions; 63% delusions of reference.” They acknowleged other research findings, citing that “Our data are also compatible with the view that pre-morbid schizoid/schizotypal personality predisposes MAMP users to develop psychosis, and that the greater the personality vulnerability, the longer the psychosis will persist.”

Within the last study, psychosis of this type was more noticeable in those who had used methamphetamine from a younger age and at larger doses. That’s why it is so important to treat methamphetamine psychosis as soon as symptoms appear. The treatment methods for this problem vary on a case-by-case basis, but follow similar protocols.

Treating Methamphetamine Psychosis

When methamphetamine psychosis occurs, it is important to manage its symptoms immediately to decrease their severity. The American College of Emergency Physicians created a series of important suggestions for the instances of an “acutely agitated patient in the ED,” which have guided the treatment of methamphetamine psychosis and helped decrease its severity. These recommendations include:

• Using a conventional anti-psychotic, specifically, droperidol and haloperidol, with the former being used in cases of quick sedation (which may be necessary if behavior puts their life or the lives of others at risk)
• Managing agitation with typical or atypical anti-psychotics if any known psychiatric illness is present
• Implementing oral benzodiazepine and risperidone for those who are agitated, but willing to cooperate
• Combining parenteral benzodiazepine and haloperidol for very quick sedation in those who are very agitated and uncontrollable

The idea of these guidelines is to help health care specialists understand proper behavior and treatment methods in what can be a scary situation. These medicines are designed to calm the symptoms of psychosis and create a more focused and clear-headed state. In some instances, clozapine may be used for those who don’t react to these medicines.

Once the person who suffered from methamphetamine psychosis is calm and has recovered sufficiently, it is important to get them rehabilitation treatment. This can help them beat addiction to methamphetamine and regain a sober life.

Managing Methamphetamine Addiction

After methamphetamine psychosis has been successfully treated, the symptoms of addiction must be managed. Withdrawal from methamphetamine can be physically dangerous and severe, which is why a variety of medicines are being tested as a method for treating withdrawal. Some of these medicines include:

• Buproprion
• Naltrexone
• Modafinil
• Mirtazapine
• Rivastigmine
• Topiramate
• Dextroamphetamine
• Nicotine

These medicines may help reduce cravings and methamphetamine use. Most of them are still being tested for efficiency, but it is possible to receive them at some rehab centers. In this way, detoxification is easier to handle and the body is cleaned of all addictive substances to improve physical and mental health.

After detoxification is finished, psychotherapy techniques are utilized. These methods (such as individual therapy, group meetings, and intensive family sessions) identify underlying issues that contribute to addiction and find a treatment method to help decrease their severity. By breaking up co-occurring disorders, it is possible to get a new start on the road to recovery.

Though psychotherapy takes up a large part of treatment, behavior-modification techniques will also be implemented. These will not only help correct negative behavior patterns that contribute to methamphetamine use, but also manage negative side effects, such as itching skin. It can also help manage any relapse cravings and help to alleviate early psychosis warning signs.

Treatment like this is designed to help not only beat methamphetamine addiction, but to decrease the recurrence of psychosis. It can be obtained in various rehab centers around the nation, including ones that may be close to your home town.

Find The Help You Need

If you are looking for help for someone with a methamphetamine addiction, our experts at DrugRehab.org can point you in the right direction. They have years of experience helping people find powerful recovery resources and want to help you in the fight against addiction. Please contact us today.

Sources
Arizona State University – What Does Methamphetamine Do To Your Body?
The American Journal Of Psychiatry – Methamphetamine-Related Psychiatric Symptoms And Reduced Brain Dopamine Transporters Studied With PET
Psychiatry And Clinical Neurosciences – Determining Vulnerability To Schizophrenia In Methamphetamine Psychosis Using Exploratory Eye Movements
Cambridge Journals – Pre-morbid Characteristics and Co-morbidity of Methamphetamine Users With and Without Psychosis
American College of Emergency Physicians – Critical Issues in the Diagnosis and Management of the Adult Psychiatric Patient in the Emergency Department
Hindawai Publishing Corporation – Treating Methamphetamine-Induced Resistant Psychosis With Clozapine
The Journal of Neuropsychiatry And Clinical Neurosciences – Neuropsychological Effects of Chronic Methamphetamine Use on Neurotransmitters and Cognition: A Review
National Center For Biotechnology Information – Symptoms and Course Of Psychosis After Methamphetamine Abuse: One-Year Follow-Up Of A Case
National Center For Biotechnology Information – Methamphetamine-Associated Psychosis

A drug that could erase drug-associated memories for recovering addicts sounds like something you would read in a sci-fi novel. But, a recent study that was conducted on mice addicted to meth shows that this science fiction scenario could be a reality for humans in the near future. When a person is addicted to a drug (for example, meth), relapse is one of the biggest risks for those in recovery. A positive memory of the drug triggered by any number of things could cause the person in recovery to relapse. For those who have struggled with a meth addiction, a new drug (blebbistatin) could help the patient from relapsing.

Those struggling with a meth addiction have one of the hardest times recovering from their addiction, with 93 percent falling back into relapse. This means that only 16 percent to 20 percent of those addicted to meth make a full and sober recovery. A big part of these relapses are due to triggered memories that associate the drug with pleasurable experiences in the past. And some of these memories can last a lifetime. A drug such as blebbistatin might be able to increase the success rate for those recovering from their addiction to meth.

Of Mice And Meth

To be clear, researchers are still trying to determine if the drug blebbistatin could be safe for human use. You cannot purchase this drug right now or use it alongside your current treatment (at least not yet). In the future you might be able to take advantage of this drug, but right now, researchers have only tested it on mice that were addicted to meth. But the preliminary trials of the drug look promising.

The Scripps Research Institute neuroscientists are aiming to stop addiction at its source: the brain. Their goal is to go into the brain and erase the memories associated with meth use to prevent relapse. These neurosurgeons took mice that were addicted to meth and administered blabbistatin to them. They found that the drug can erase dangerous memories associated with the addiction. Blabbistatin is a drug that targets and selects specific memories linked to addiction.

How Does It Work?

By now you are probably wondering how a drug could target specific memories. How does the drug’s selective nature on erasing only meth related memories work? Can it erase other non-addiction memories?

Our minds are very complex. Memories are stored in brain cells called neurons. Inside the neurons is a substance called actin (a structural protein) which helps store the memories. Any memory is created when the actin detaches and reattaches itself onto the neuron. For those struggling with addiction, for visceral memories (memories associated with drug addiction), the actin attaches and detaches more quickly. This creates a memory that is dynamic and lasts longer than other memories that were formed.

With new research, neuroscientists found that with these specific addiction related memories, they could prevent the actin from re-attaching itself to the neuron, therefore blocking the memory altogether. Proteins for regular non-meth memories stabilize quickly, but proteins for meth induced memories last longer. The researchers were able to use blebbistatin to target the dynamic proteins specifically.

Blebbistatin is used to specifically target actin in the brain. This drug blocks a molecular motor protein that supports actin activity. With just one injection of blebbistatin in the laboratory mice addicted to meth, the researchers found it blocked meth related memories in the mice for 30 days or longer. Despite the drug “erasing” the memories associated with meth, blebbistatin did not seem to alter or erase other memories in the mice’s brains. It also did not harm any new memories that were formed.

A New Medical Frontier

While the drug is still in its preliminary stages, researchers must find out if such a treatment could be a possibility for humans. The idea that a drug could help erase memories associated with drug abuse seems both intriguing and a bit controversial. We do not yet know how such a drug will affect the human mind. Altering and erasing drug related memories could be a welcome new recovery method for those who have been struggling with a drug addiction for years. In fact, the neuroscientists envision a future where a patient will be administered blebbistatin just once to erase the drug related memories (alongside other current forms of treatment).

Researchers think that if this drug could work for humans, by the time they are done with treatment, when they enter the “real world” again, their drug related memories will be erased. No memories of the drug will prevent triggers from allowing the patient to relapse. Or at least that is the hope.

While this drug could soon be a reality, there are still questions that remain unanswered. In some regards, it certainly is a controversial topic. Would the drug really erase a patient’s drug related memories completely and permanently? What if the erased memories have unforeseen consequences? For example, what if erased memories give patients a blank slate where they have no recollection of their past drug abuse? Could it be possible that no memories (positive or negative) associated with past drug abuse could cause a patient to “try” or “experiment” with a substance again because they forgot what it feels like? It’s a scary thought. Hopefully because the patient would also be undergoing other forms of treatment to address the addiction, scenarios like the one listed above would not happen.

Treatment For Your Addiction

Regardless of what treatment you receive for your addiction, always talk to your psychologist/doctor or rehab facility if you have any concerns or questions. Erasing positive or negative memories by a drug could have many unintended consequences, which is why much more research needs to be done before the drug is put on the market. Perhaps this drug will lead to many more success stories, but only time can tell. Until then, if you or someone you know is struggling from a drug addiction, there are many treatments available right now to help you. Visit us at DrugRehab.org for more information about this topic or others. There is hope. Reach out to us today at DrugRehab.org to start your new future.

Recent studies have linked use of methamphetamine and amphetamine drugs, some of the most commonly abused substances, to an increased risk of Parkinson’s Disease. The adverse effects of methamphetamine on the neurotransmitter dopamine relate directly to a dopamine deficiency strongly associated with Parkinson’s. When other factors were also examined, including factors known to contribute to higher rates of Parkinson’s, prior use or abuse of methamphetamines most strongly correlated with a significant increase in the risk of developing the disease.

Parkinson’s is a degenerative central nervous system disease that affects approximately one million people in the United States. It is characterized by muscle tremors and spasms, muscle rigidity, impaired coordination, and decreased mobility.

How Do Methamphetamines Cause Parkinson’s Disease?

Parkinson’s disease is caused from death of a region of the nervous system known as the substantia nigra. This part of the brain both produces and releases the neurotransmitter dopamine. Since dopamine is so closely tied with the primary functions of the nervous system as they relate to coordination and movement, a permanent dopamine deficiency can lead to the same progressive and chronic symptoms that characterize Parkinson’s disease.

Researchers have long known from non-human animal studies that methamphetamine induces cell death within the substantia nigra, though only recently have studies been able to verify the correlation to any large degree. One of the animal studies conducted in the mid-1990s indicated a total reduction in dopamine within the substantia nigra in laboratory mice of 40-45 percent within one week of exposure to methamphetamine. A similar study on mice demonstrated that just three dose-proportioned methamphetamine injections set at three hour intervals produced a fairly immediate reduction in dopaminergic cells of between 20 and 25 percent.

Observable significant increases in microglial cells, designed to protect the nervous system, are seen within the substantia nigra within hours after methamphetamine exposure, indicating some level of neurotoxicity.

In human studies, methamphetamine abuse results in similar neurotoxicological effects, resulting in a 50 percent decrease in dopamine levels. These studies also indicate a correlating increase in microglial cells, or the protective cells of the nervous system, indicating a similar response to dopaminergic cell damage within the substantia nigra.

Adverse Health Effects Of Methamphetamines

In addition to dopamine cell death, abuse of methamphetamine, a nervous system stimulant, can also lead to memory loss and cardiovascular damage, as well psychotic behaviors, social isolation, aggravation or aggression, and mood disorders including anxiety, depression, and paranoia.

Someone who is abusing methamphetamine is also likely to experience an increase in both respirations and heart rate, irregular heart beats, significant reduction in appetite, and severe insomnia. Methamphetamine abuse can also lead to a feeling “skin crawling,” in which someone feels compelled to scratch or pick at their skin. Hair loss and tooth decay are also common with long-term use of methamphetamine, as is malnutrition from changes in diet.

Side Effects of Methamphetamine Abuse

• Memory loss
• Increased heart rate and breathing
• Loss of appetite
• Insomnia
• Formication (skin crawling)
• Tooth decay
• Hair loss
• Malnutrition
• Mental and mood disorders
• Psychosis
• Parkinson’s disease

Methamphetamine abuse begins with a feeling of euphoria and crash lands in a battleground of severe withdrawal symptoms including fatigue, achiness, gastrointestinal upset, weight gain, anxiety, paranoia, depression, and even withdrawal-induced psychosis. Accompanying the withdrawal symptoms of methamphetamines, cravings for the drug are also severe.

Early Signs Of Parkinson’s Disease

Those with a history of methamphetamine abuse or individuals currently abusing the substance, may wish to become familiar with the early signs of Parkinson’s Disease. Though there is currently no known cure, early detection of the disease can improve long-term outcomes.

Early signs of Parkinson’s Disease include small tremors or shakiness, which can interrupt simple daily tasks like writing or buttoning a shirt. Someone might also notice changes in their balance as they walk, decreasing their stride or shuffling their feet. Other signs include unexplained muscle tightness or rigidity and spasms. Changes in sleep may also occur as involuntary movements result in disruption of normal sleep cycles. Gastrointestinal changes are also common, most notably constipation.

Know the Warning Signs of Parkinson’s

• Tremors or shakiness
• Changes in balance
• Muscle tightness or rigidity
• Muscle spasms
• Interrupted sleep caused by muscle spasms
• Constipation

If you have any of these symptoms, please consult with a medical professional. If you are currently suffering with an addiction to methamphetamines, effective treatment options include residential treatment, intensive and cognitive behavioral therapies, as well as long-term individual counselling and group support.

Get Help For Your Methamphetamine Addiction Today

A methamphetamine addiction is a serious matter that requires intensive treatment. DrugRehab.org can connect you to the treatment professionals and evidence-based drug rehabilitaiton programs available to meet your individual recovery needs. You deserve better than the addiction. Begin your path to recovery by contacting us at DrugRehab.org and discover a new and rewarding life free from addiction.

Around 14 he distanced himself from us, but my husband and I just thought it was a stage that all young teenage boys go through. I was unaware that anything was seriously wrong until 16, when it became all too obvious that something was going on. Our doctor told us he had ADD–he couldn’t focus. He was always so bored and tired and was failing in school. So we started him on a medication to address these things. The medications helped in the beginning but then we noticed an addiction forming. He needed more and more every week, and eventually he needed the medication to get out of bed every day.

He slipped through our fingers for 12 years. It took a family drug intervention on my 26 year old son (11 members of our family came to show their love and support) and a 6 month long term drug rehab program to undo the messes of over a decade of drug use. His counselors kept us a part of the recovery process and phoned us daily or every other day. His individualized program included a medically supervised physical cleanse as well as steps which addressed his guilt, the bridges he burned with his family, the hurtful things he did to his family and his friends and most importantly, the building of a productive, drug free future.

Today he is 30, happily married and with a baby on the way. As a family we have all given our apologies and moved on. This is a priceless gift for which I thank everyone who helped our family.

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