Methamphetamine
A powerful drug with an even more powerful addiction!
A powerfully addictive drug known as methamphetamine has a significant affect on the central nervous system. Using relatively inexpensive over-the-counter ingredients methamphetamine is made in clandestine laboratories. Methamphetamine is a drug with a high potential for widespread abuse because of these combined factors and without effective drug rehab, abuse of this drug seems to be spreading across the nation like wild fire.
“Speed,” “meth,” and “chalk” are the common street names for methamphetamine. “Ice,” “crystal,” “crank,” and “glass” refers to the form that is smoked. Characteristics of methamphetamine are: white in color, odorless, bitter-tasting crystalline powder that easily dissolves in water or alcohol.
From its parent drug, “amphetamine” methamphetamine developed and was originally used as a nasal decongestants and bronchial inhalers. With a chemical compound closely related to amphetamine, methamphetamine has a more pronounced affect on the central nervous system. With the dangers involved in the production of this drug the need for addiction treatment is becoming more of an issue on the forefront.
As with amphetamine use, it with increase energy, decrease appetite, and produce a general sense of well being. After the “rush” the effects can last 6to8 hours. In some individuals after the initial “rush” there may result a state of high agitation that can lead to violent behavior.
Classified as a Schedule II stimulant, methamphetamine creates a high potential for abuse and is available only through prescription that cannot be refilled. Use for medical purposes are limited for treatment of narcolepsy, attention deficit disorder, and for short-term use—obesity. Even these uses are controlled by the FDA. Hope springs eternal for effective national drug rehab, education and addiction treatment.
Like a wild fire the abuse of Methamphetamine is spreading across our nation!
Methamphetamine abuse has a long reported history of being the dominant drug problem in the San Diego area. Now the drug is developing as a major problem in the West and Southwest, as well. Other areas are seeing an increase in the use of methamphetamine, including rural and urban areas of the South and Midwest. Past information reports methamphetamine was traditionally used by white, male, blue-collar workers. Now, at present time a more diverse group that fluctuates with time and different geographic areas is showing up. Without effective addiction treatment and drug rehab to treat this problem the end seems no where in sight.
A decrease of 39 percent between 1994 and 1996 of hospital Emergency Department drug related episodes involving methamphetamine were reported in 21 metropolitan areas. These numbers followed a report of a 237 percent increase between 1990 and 1994. There was a dramatic decrease in methamphetamine related episodes between 1995 (16,200) and 1996 (10,800). In the first half of 1996 there was a significant increase of 71 percent.
According to the June 1997 publication by the NIDA’s Community Epidemiology Work Group (CEWG) methamphetamine continues to be a problem in Hawaii. This is also true of major Western cities such as San Francisco, Denver and Los Angeles. Prompting concern about widespread use are reports of increased availability and production in diverse areas of the country and particularly in rural areas. As the venues for production expand the need for effective drug rehab becomes a prevalent issue.
From 1994 to 1996 emergency room episodes due to stimulant use were tracked and during the last half of 1995 there was a dramatic decrease in ER episodes. Epidemiologists report a shortage of production in methamphetamine as the reason for this decrease.
It’s a leader in abuse!
In 1996, in the San Diego area methamphetamine remained the leading drug of abuse among those seeking drug treatments. In Hawaii methamphetamine was second only to marijuana. In other states and metropolitan areas of the West (e.g. 5 % in Los Angeles and Seattle, and 4 % in Texas and San Francisco) methamphetamine and other stimulants accounted for smaller percentages of those seeking admissions to treatment centers. In comparison, of abused drugs less than 1 % of treatment admissions in most Eastern and Midwestern metropolitan areas were related to stimulant use. In Minneapolis, St. Paul, and St. Louis 2 % of their total admissions were contributed to the use of stimulants. As methamphetamine becomes one of the most popular drugs in the country the time has come for powerfully effective drug rehab.
And they do it like this!
Users in Hawaii prefer smoking methamphetamine at a rate of 95%. Percentages in San Diego run close at 35 % for smoking and 38 % for sniffing. San Francisco stats reported 57 % used injection, 27 % sniffing, and 11 % smoking. Depending on how meth is taken moods can be altered in different ways. The many forms of meth can be snorted, smoked, injected, or orally ingested.
A user experiences an intense “rush” or “flash” immediately after smoking or injecting the drug intravenously. This effect is described as extremely pleasurable and last only a few minutes. Oral ingestion or snorting produces euphoria – not an intense rush but a high. Within 15 to 20 minutes a person feels the effects with oral ingestion and it takes about 3 to 5 minutes when a person is snorting meth.
Users act in a “binge and crash” pattern in order to keep the effects of the high going. A tolerance for meth occurs within minutes, meaning the pleasurable effects disappear even before the drug concentration drops significantly in the blood. In order to try and maintain the effect of the high the users binge on the drug.
Nicknamed “ice” a smokable form of meth came into use in the 1980’s. Ice is smoked in glass pipe like cocaine. Ice is a large, usually clear crystal of high purity. Ice produces effects that may continue for 12 hours or more and the smoke is odorless and leaves a residue that can be resmoked. With so many options in use of this drug a serious need for drug rehab options has developed.
Powerfully stimulating!
In regulating pleasure dopamine plays an important role. Within the nerve cells of the ventral tegmental area of the brain dopamine is manufactured and released in the nucleus accumbens and the frontal cortex. The drug appears to stimulate excessive amounts of dopamine releases, contributing to the effects of the user.
Even in small doses, meth is a powerful stimulant. Energetic physical activity, decreased appetite and sleeplessness will occur even when meth is ingested in small doses. An intense sensation or rush is reported by those who smoke or inject meth but only for a brief period. A longer lasting high rather than a rush is experienced from oral ingestion or snorting, and has been reported to last as long as half a day. Very high levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine are released into the area of the brain that regulate feelings of pleasure are believed to be the result of both the rush and the high.
The long and the short of it!
High doses of the drug have been shown to damage nerve terminals in the regions of the brain containing dopamine, in animals. Meth creates toxic effects. The toxic effects on the nerve terminals in the brain are thought to be contributed from the release of large amounts of dopamine produced from the use of meth. Elevated body temperature, to dangerous, sometimes lethal levels and even convulsions can be caused from high doses of the drug.
Methamphetamine has long-term effects
Addiction is only one of many long-term effects of methamphetamine abuse. A compulsiveness to seek and use methamphetamine is accompanied by functional and molecular changes in the brain. Chronic addiction to methamphetamine is a relapsing condition. Anxiety, violent behavior, confusion, and insomnia are included among the long-term effects of methamphetamine addiction. Persons suffering from this addiction may also display a number of psychotic features, including paranoia, auditory hallucinations, mood swings, and the sensation of insects creeping on the skin called “formication.” Suicidal thoughts as well as homicidal thoughts can result from the paranoia.
A tolerance for methamphetamine will develop after chronic use of the drug. To reach the desired effects of the drug a user will increase their dosage, take the doses closer together, or use a different method of ingesting the drug. A binge known as a “run” injecting as much as a gram of the drug every 2 or 3 hours throughout several days until there is no more drugs to be taken or until they are to disorganized to keep going. Usually when a user is on a binge they do not take in food and do not sleep during this time period. Psychotic behavior characterized by intense paranoia, visual and auditory hallucinations and out of control rages coupled with violent behavior are all characteristics of chronic abuse.
There are no physical demonstrations of withdrawal conditions when methamphetamine use is stopped. Several symptoms that occur when a chronic user stops taking methamphetamine, can quite possibly experience depression, anxiety, fatigue, paranoia, aggression, and an agonizing craving for the drug.
Long-term exposure to methamphetamine in animals has been cause for concern over its toxic effects on the brain. According to research as much as 50% of the dopamine-producing cells can suffer damage after low-levels of exposure to methamphetamine. Also, serotonin-containing nerve cells may receive even more extensive damage. Could this toxicity be related to the psychosis that is seen in some long-term methamphetamine users, still remains to be seen?
Does methamphetamine use have medical complications?
Yes! Most definitely! A variety of cardio problems are related to methamphetamine use. Rapid heart rate, irregular heartbeat, increased blood pressure, and stroke producing damage to small blood vessels in the brain, are all methamphetamine use related medical complications. Some users may suffer irreversible effects. Methamphetamine overdoses cause an elevated body temperature (hyperthermia) and convulsion. These effects may result in death if not treated immediately.
Inflammation of the heart lining can result from chronic methamphetamine abuse. Skin abscesses and damaged blood vessels can result from users injecting the methamphetamine. Episodes of violent behavior, paranoia, anxiety, confusion, and insomnia will also appear as actions of methamphetamine users. Occupational deterioration and social withdrawal is an indicator of a heavy user. For months and even years after stopping the use of methamphetamine psychotic symptoms may exist.
Illegal production of methamphetamine use of lead acetate as a reagent. The use of this component creates the potential risk of lead poisoning for methamphetamine abusers. Documented cases of acute lead poisoning in intravenous methamphetamine users may be the results of production error.
Methamphetamine has a major effect on the unborn baby of a “meth mother.” Use of methamphetamine during pregnancy may result in prenatal complications. Increased premature delivery, altered neonatal behavioral patterns, such as abnormal reflexes and extreme irritability become a higher risk for these babies. It is also believed that congenital deformities may be linked to methamphetamine abuse during pregnancy.
Is methamphetamine different from other stimulants, such as cocaine?
Amphetamine, cocaine, and methamphetamine are all classified as a psycho stimulant drug. Methamphetamine is structurally similar amphetamine and neurotransmitter dopamine, but cocaine is quite different. While it is true that these stimulants have very similar behavioral and physiological effects, they still have some major differences in how they work at the nerve cell level. Stimulation and feelings of euphoria experienced by the user are results from an accumulation of the neurotransmitter dopamine and this excessive dopamine concentration are results of both methamphetamine and cocaine.
Cocaine is quickly removed and almost completely metabolized in the body; in contrast to cocaine methamphetaminehas a much longer duration of action and a larger percentage of the drug remains unchanged in the body. Therefore, prolonged stimulant effects are present in the brain for a longer period of time from methamphetamine use.
Summing up the use of methamphetamine
Long-term effects of methamphetamine use are: strokes, repetitive motor activity, mood swings, paranoia, hallucinations, weight loss, addiction psychosis, and dependence.
Short-term effects of methamphetamine use are: decreased fatigue, increased energy, loss of appetite, euphoria and rush, increased respiration, and hyperthermia.
Methamphetamine vs. Cocaine: methamphetamine is man made, smoking produces a high that last 8-24 hours, 50 % of the drug is removed from the body in 12 hours, and has limited medical uses; cocaine is produced from a natural plant, smoking produces a high that lasts 20-30 minutes, 50 % of the drug is removed from the body in 1 hour, and it may be used as a local anesthetic in some surgical procedures.