Methamphetamine is a stimulant drug chemically related to amphetamine but with stronger effects on the central nervous system. Street names for the drug include "speed," "meth," "crystal," and "crank." Methamphetamine is used in pill form, or in powdered form by snorting or injecting. Crystallized methamphetamine known as "ice," "crystal," or "glass," is a smokable and more powerful form of the drug.
Methamphetamine use has spread to all areas of the United States and continues to be on an upswing. Estimates from the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) indicate that methamphetamine-related emergency room episodes increased 346 percent from 1991 to 1995.
A methamphetamine-induced "high" artificially boosts self-confidence, many users are overcome by a so-called "superman syndrome." In this state, methamphetamine abusers ignore their physical limitations and try to do things which they are normally incapable of performing. Meth is highly addictive because people often continue using the drug to avoid an inevitable crash that comes when the drugs' positive effects begin to wear off. Even first time users experience many of meth's negative effects.
Methamphetamine's negative effects include, but are not limited to, the following:
- hyperactivity,
- Irritability,
- visual hallucinations,
- auditory hallucinations (hearing "voices"),
- suicidal tendencies,
- aggression,
- suspiciousness, severe paranoia,
- shortness of breath,
- increased blood pressure,
- cardiac arrhythmia,
- stroke,
- sweating,
- nausea, vomiting, diarrhea,
- long periods of sleep ("crashing" for 24-48 hours or more),
- prolonged sluggishness, severe depression,
- weight loss, malnutrition, anorexia,
- itching (illusion that bugs are crawling on the skin),
- welts on the skin,
- involuntary body movements,
- paranoid delusions, and
- severe amphetamine induced depression and/or psychosis.
Methamphetamine stimulates the central nervous system, causing chemical reactions in the brain and tricking the body into believing it has unlimited energy supplies and draining energy reserves needed in other parts of the body. This is why meth addicts tend to stay awake for long periods of time and then eventually crash, feeling tired, depressed and much worse than they did before they took the drug. Chemical imbalances in the brain and sleep deprivation commonly associated with continued meth use result in hallucinations, extreme paranoia and often bizarre, violent behavior.
Meth causes extensive damage to the body, and can cause death or permanent physical damage.
Physiological effects of methamphetamine use include:
- abnormally high blood pressure,
- rapid and irregular heart rate and rhythm,
- seizures,
- damage to blood vessels in the brain (stroke),
- accumulation of excess fluid in lungs, brain tissue and skull,
- continuous/excessive dilation of the pupils,
- impaired regulation of heat loss,
- hyperpyrexia (body temperatures higher than 104°),
- internal bleeding,
- damage to other organs caused by disruption of blood flow, and
- breakdown of muscle tissue, leading to kidney failure.
Similar to other drug substances, smoking and inhaling meth damages the lungs and nasal passages, and intravenous use can lead to spread of the AIDS virus.
The drug appeals to the abuser because it increases the body's metabolism and produces euphoria, alertness, and gives the abuser a sense of increased energy. But high doses or chronic use of meth, also known as "speed," "crank" and "ice," increases nervousness, irritability and paranoia.
Other types of addictive drugs
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