Methamphetamine: Fast Facts, Hazards and Health Impacts

Clinically Reviewed by Matt Hawk ICAADC, CACII, Written by Karen Hadley

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What is Meth?

Methamphetamine (often called meth) is a powerfully addictive stimulant that dramatically affects the central nervous system. The drug is easily made in clandestine laboratories. While at one time, meth was “cooked” in small labs all over America, criminal organizations have taken over production. They use their long-established drug trafficking channels to bring supplies of methamphetamine to every corner of the U.S.

Methamphetamine is typically available in powder or crystalline form. Both forms can be shot, smoked, snorted or eaten. Meth can sometimes be found in counterfeit pills simulating prescription medications such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, Adderall, and Xanax and other medications.

As meth addiction progresses many users stay up for days at a time, taking more of the drug every time they come down. After around 3-4 days of being awake, users can appear psychotic, and at 11 or 12 days, the body's organs may begin failing.

The drug is commonly referred to as:

• "speed,"
• "meth,"
• and "chalk"

In the smoked form, it is often referred to as:

• "ice,"
• "crystal,"
• "crank,"
• and "glass"

The Effects of Methamphetamine

Immediately after smoking the drug or injecting it intravenously, the user experiences an intense rush that lasts a few minutes to half an hour and is described as extremely pleasurable. Snorting or oral ingestion produces euphoria without the initial intense rush. Snorting produces effects within three to five minutes, and oral ingestion produces effects within 15 to 20 minutes. The effects can last as long as 12 hours, which is much longer than the effects of cocaine.

Short-term effects of methamphetamine abuse also include:

• Euphoria
• Increased focus
• Decreased fatigue
• Increased activity
• Decreased appetite
• Increased heart rate and blood pressure
• Higher body temperature

Long-Term Effects of Methamphetamine Abuse

In its manufacture, methamphetamine is processed using harsh, caustic chemicals. As a result, heavy use of this drug is very hard on the user. Additionally, the lifestyle of a methamphetamine user usually creates further damage. All in all, it is one of the most damaging drugs on the illicit market.

Heavy users tend to experience hallucinations and delusions. Users very often develop sores on their face or body from picking at their skin, thinking that there are bugs they can’t see crawling under their skin. “Meth mouth” is also a possible effect of long-term use. As meth use dries up saliva and the drug is so caustic, some meth users suffer extremely damaged teeth which eventually require replacement with dentures.

Meth users typically suffer from poor judgment and may engage in dangerous lifestyles and risky sex. When a person becomes a meth addict, getting the drug becomes far more important than taking care of the home, children or work. The children may go unfed. Animal feces around the home may not be cleaned up. Used diapers may be found all over the home. Drug paraphernalia and drugs may be within reach of children. If there are children in the home of confirmed meth users, families should take effective action as the children of meth users may come to harm due to neglect, abuse or worse.

Other long-term effects of heavy methamphetamine use include:

• Anxiety and confusion
• Insomnia
• Erratic behavior
• Depression and mood swings
• Psychotic episodes
• Paranoia
• Hallucinations
• Weight loss
• Addiction

The Health Risks of Using Methamphetamine

Methamphetamine use can trigger a variety of cardiovascular problems. These include rapid heart rate, irregular heartbeat, increased blood pressure, and irreversible, stroke-producing damage to small blood vessels in the brain. Dangerously high body temperature and convulsions can occur with methamphetamine overdoses, which, if not treated immediately, may result in death.

Chronic methamphetamine abuse can result in inflammation of the heart lining. Those who inject the drug may also experience damaged blood vessels and skin abscesses. Heavy users also manifest psychotic episodes, progressive social and occupational deterioration. Psychotic symptoms can sometimes persist for months or years after use has ceased.

An overdose of methamphetamine can cause overheating to the point of convulsions, cardiovascular collapse or death. Each year, methamphetamine is involved in nearly 30,000 drug-related deaths.

A Quick History of Methamphetamine Abuse

At one time, methamphetamine was used in inhalers as a treatment for asthma. At that time, it was sold over the counter as benzedrine. During World War II, methamphetamine tablets were handed out to German, Japanese and American soldiers and pilots to keep them awake during long military actions. Some German officers thought that methamphetamine was a way to develop the superhuman soldiers they wanted for a win. The meth fed to German soldiers was called Pervitin.

When the war ended for Japan, they had huge stockpiles of meth left over that they no longer needed for their pilots. They then began to distribute the unused drug to the Japanese public, creating an epidemic of methamphetamine addiction. The drug soon began to be restricted in country after country, with medical forms of the drug continuing to be sold under strict regulation. In the U.S., prescription methamphetamine is currently called Desoxyn.

In 1980, the U.S. government tightened restrictions on selling ephedrine, a cold medication needed to make meth in small, domestic labs. Drug dealers making meth just switched to another cold medication, pseudoephedrine. More people started making meth in small labs after detailed instructions were published on the internet in the 1990s.

Soon, more laws were passed to try to restrict the manufacture of this addictive substance. In the teens of the new millennium, foreign chemical manufacturers began making this drug and sending it into the U.S. on the same trafficking channels that had long been used to traffic heroin and marijuana. Before long, the meth that was being moved into the U.S. was more potent than anything that had been seen before. Areas with high meth abuse began to struggle with an increased number of mental health cases.

Crystal Meth and Methamphetamine: What You Need to Know

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Methamphetamine: Frequently Asked Questions

Those Addicted to Methamphetamine Very Commonly Reject Help

If you see signs of methamphetamine use in someone you care about, you need to find them help at the first moment possible. Meth is so addictive that some people may become addicted after just a few uses. For a few people, it may take just one use. You may have to intervene in this person's life to get them to a Narconon drug and alcohol rehabilitation center that can help.

One of the most significant ways that the Narconon program can help a methamphetamine addict is by offering the Narconon New Life Detoxification, one phase of the overall treatment program. This phase combines time in a low-heat sauna accompanied by moderate daily exercise and a strict nutritional regimen. According to a 2018 peer-reviewed study, this combination helps alleviate post-acute withdrawal symptoms as well as clarifying thinking and reducing cravings.

The Narconon New Life Detoxification is a vital step for the methamphetamine addict doing the Narconon program. This detoxification step, combining time in a dry-heat sauna with exercise, flushes out the residual toxins that can make recovery so torturous. Many addicts have stated that this step reduces or even eliminates cravings for drugs.

Given the high addictiveness of methamphetamine, it is often advisable for recovering addicts to choose residential drug rehabs that operate longer-term recovery programs. This gives the addicted person the time to develop the physical stamina that will support the work of building a new, drug-free life. Narconon programs around the world have helped methamphetamine addicts repair the damage of addiction and live lasting, sober lives again.

If you are trying to help someone who is addicted to methamphetamine, call today to find out how the Narconon drug rehab program can help.