Methamphetamine Basics
Definition of Methamphetamine
A powerful, addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system,
methamphetamine is a derivative of amphetamine. Amphetamines were originally
intended for use in nasal decongestants and bronchial inhalers and otherwise
have limited medical applications, including the treatment of narcolepsy (a
chronic neurological disorder caused by the brain's inability to regulate
sleep-wake cycles normally), weight control and attention deficit disorder
(inability to maintain attention, impulsive behaviors and/or motor
restlessness). Methamphetamine is a Schedule II drug under the Controlled
Substance Act of 1970, currently accepted for medical use in treatment in the
U.S. Regrettably, methamphetamine is misused by some individuals, creating
severe problems for themselves, their families, their workplaces and their
communities.
Ways Methamphetamine is Taken and what it looks Like
Methamphetamine can be smoked, snorted, orally ingested and injected. It comes
in many forms and can be identified by color, ranging from white to yellow to
darker colors such as red and brown. Its form is either powder that looks like
granulated crystals, tablets (yabba) or rock, also known as “ice.” Ice can be
smoked, producing a faster, stronger high.
Effects of Methamphetamine
As a central nervous system stimulant, meth increases energy and alertness and
decreases appetite. It causes high levels of dopamine (a naturally occurring
chemical that affects the brain processes that control movement, emotional
response and the capacity to feel pleasure and pain) to be released into the
section of the brain that controls the feeling of pleasure, creating an intense
rush. These effects can last up to 12 hours and are almost instant when smoked
or injected. If snorted, the effects can take up to five minutes, and if
ingested, can take up to 20 minutes to occur. There are several possible side
effects to taking methamphetamine, such as convulsions, dangerously high body
temperature, stroke, cardiac arrhythmia (an irregular heartbeat), stomach cramps
and shaking.
Consequences of Chronic Use
Chronic use of any illicit drug can result in a higher tolerance for the drug,
causing users to take higher doses more frequently and/or changing the method of
ingestion and can lead to addiction. Long-term use of methamphetamine can lead
to psychotic behavior, including intense paranoia, visual and auditory
hallucinations, and out-of-control rages that result in violent episodes. These
types of hallucinations contribute to forming body sores, known as “crank
sores,” a delusion that bugs are crawling under the skin. Chronic use of meth
also leads to tooth decay known as “meth mouth,” a result of the chemicals used
in making meth decreasing a person’s ability to make acid-fighting saliva as
well as increasing one’s thirst. Because meth
causes blood vessel constriction, there is also reduced blood flow to gums. As methamphetamine
is a stimulant, other signs of chronic use include anxiety and insomnia.
Additional potential consequences of use are cardiovascular problems such as
inflammation of the heart’s lining and damaged blood vessels from needle
injections; prenatal complications including premature delivery, abnormal
reflexes and extreme irritability in the infant, and congenital deformities; and
an increased risk of contracting HIV/AIDS and hepatitis B and C by those who
inject the drug and share needles. As with any addiction, social and
occupational connections also begin to deteriorate with increased drug use.
Abuse and Addiction
Methamphetamine is a highly addictive substance, especially psychologically.
After smoking or intravenous injection of the substance, the meth user
experiences an intense sensation called a “rush” or “flash.” While this rush is
described as extremely pleasurable, it only lasts a few minutes but is followed
by a high that can last six to eight hours. The high is followed by a
devastating low, often so uncomfortable that the meth user begins to chase the
initial rush which will never again be attained, entering the cycle of abuse and
eventually addiction.
The initial rush of methamphetamine will never be attained again due to the nature
of how the substance affects the brain. Methamphetamine releases high levels of
the neurotransmitter dopamine, which stimulates brain cells, enhancing mood and
body movement. However, it also has a neurotoxic effect, damaging brain cells
that contain dopamine as well as serotonin, another neurotransmitter. According
to NIDA, research going back more than 20 years shows that high doses of
methamphetamine damage neuron cell endings. Dopamine- and serotonin-containing
neurons do not die after methamphetamine use, but their nerve endings
("terminals") are cut back, and regrowth appears to be limited. After the
initial release — and accompanying wave of pleasure — the dopamine is depleted
and the neurons require time to recover before normal dopamine traffic can
resume. Continuous methamphetamine use does not give time for the brain to
recover.
There are three patterns of methamphetamine abuse – low intensity, binging and high
intensity. The patterns differ from one another in the form of meth taken and
the amount of meth used.
The low-intensity pattern does not involve a psychological addiction, and the
preferred form of use is usually swallowing or snorting, which does not produce
the rush that smoking or injecting gives. Low-intensity abusers want the extra
stimulation the methamphetamine provides so they can stay awake long enough to
finish a task or a job, or they want the appetite suppressant effect to lose
weight. These people frequently hold jobs, raise families and otherwise
function normally. They may include people such as truck drivers trying to
reach their destination and workers trying to stay awake until the end of their
normal shift or an overtime shift. Because low intensity users are often
employed, workplace prevention/intervention efforts targeting this group can be
critical to keep a user from becoming addicted. Low intensity abusers are only
one step away from becoming binge abusers, and it may take only one exposure to
smoking or injecting for them to make the transition.
As mentioned, the methamphetamine rush can continue for five to 30 minutes and is
so intensely pleasurable that the user attempts to maintain it through binging
and tweaking. The binge is a continuation of the high. Binge abusers smoke or
inject methamphetamine and experience euphoric rushes that are psychologically
addictive. Within binging there are seven stages in the cycle of abuse: rush,
high, binge, tweaking, crash, normal and withdrawal. The abuser maintains the
high by smoking or injecting more methamphetamine. Each time the abuser smokes
or injects more of the drug, a smaller euphoric rush than the initial rush is
experienced until finally there is no rush and no high. During the binge, the
abuser becomes hyperactive both mentally and physically. The binge can last
three to 15 days.
The high-intensity abusers are the addicts, and their existence focuses on
preventing the crash. With high-intensity abuse, each successive rush becomes
less euphoric, and it takes more methamphetamine to achieve it. Each high is
not quite as high as the one before. During each subsequent binge, the abuser
needs more methamphetamine, more often, to get a high that is not as good as the
high he wants or remembers. Of most concern is tweaking, the time just prior to
crashing, when the user is trying desperately and without success to hang on to
the high. During this stage, the user is often overwhelmed with feelings of
anxiety and emptiness, and people can be extremely irritable and paranoid –
which can erupt in violent behaviors.
Meth Use is Widespread
Nearly 12 million Americans have tried methamphetamine as of 2004, according to the 2004
National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). The
2005 National Survey on Drug Use & Health
found that while the number of past meth users has remained steady since 2002,
the number of methamphetamine users who were dependent on or abused some illicit
drug did rise significantly during this period, from 164,000 in 2002 to 257,000.
Methamphetamine was once associated with white rural males in their 20s or 30s.
Today, there is no longer a “typical meth user,” but statistics show that use is
up among women and college students and that the typical age of initiation for
meth users is between 20 and 24. All sorts of people use methamphetamine for a
variety of reasons, in a variety of places. Some use methamphetamine to help
lose weight or alleviate stress.
Geographically, meth appears to be spreading from the
west coast, southwest and mid-west to the southeast and northeast. High rates
of use are associated with rural areas. The 2004 NSDUH found that rates of meth
use in rural communities increased from 2003 to 2004 in those aged 18 to 25.
Kentucky and Wyoming are currently among states that have been particularly hard
hit. The Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire’s Reports on
Rural America found that those living in rural areas who are unemployed are
seven times more likely than their counterparts in urban areas to abuse
stimulants, including methamphetamines.
While meth is perceived as a rural drug, it is increasingly present in urban environments
as well. On an international level, the World Health Organization finds that
methamphetamine is more abused worldwide than cocaine and heroin combined. The
U.S. has significantly cracked down on the manufacturing of methamphetamine, and
the majority of small, home based meth labs has decreased. To compensate for
fewer labs to supply the substance, drug trafficking from Mexico has increased
to provide domestic users with the substance. The imported methamphetamine is
often purer than that made domestically and has caused a rise in meth addiction
and treatment admissions.
Further, use of methamphetamine by Native Americans has increased to what federal and tribal
leaders label a crisis, reaching almost epidemic proportions. Of significance
to this population is the fact that most Native American reservations are
isolated and offer particularly limited treatment options.
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