Methamphetamine Wikipedia

The organization is active in a variety of countries, including Myanmar, Thailand, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, China, and Taiwan. Both racemic methamphetamine and dextromethamphetamine are illicitly trafficked and sold owing to their potential for recreational use. The highest prevalence of illegal methamphetamine use occurs in parts of Asia and Oceania, and in the United States, where racemic methamphetamine and dextromethamphetamine are classified as schedule II controlled substances. While dextromethamphetamine is a more potent drug, racemic methamphetamine is illicitly produced more often, owing to the relative ease of synthesis and regulatory limits of chemical precursor availability.

What are the long-term effects of methamphetamine misuse?

Using the drug can cause memory loss, aggression, psychotic behavior, damage to the cardiovascular system, malnutrition, and severe dental problems. Methamphetamine misuse has also been shown to contribute to increased transmission of infectious diseases, such as hepatitis and HIV/AIDS. Curiosity, boredom, peer pressure, weight loss, to fill a void—the reasons vary for why people try meth for the first time. The common thread of advice among many methamphetamine addicts, though, is don’t try it at all. The body can quickly become dependent on the chemicals, leading to methamphetamine addiction.

How Is Crystal Meth Made? What’s in It?

• It didn’t take long for crystal meth to become “discovered” in the 1980s.
• They may also discuss a person’s history of substance use with them.
• Using the drug can cause memory loss, aggression, psychotic behavior, damage to the cardiovascular system, malnutrition, and severe dental problems.
• Methamphetamine was developed early in the 20th century from its parent drug, amphetamine, and was used originally in nasal decongestants and bronchial inhalers.
• Since illegal drugs are not regulated, there is no way to know how much methamphetamine is in each dose.
• During World War II, armed forces used methamphetamine to keep personnel alert and improve endurance and mood.

Martinez, who has been in recovery for two years, now works with a Washington, D.C.-based group called HIPS helping others with meth addiction. She says when she started her recovery, it was hard in part because there were no medical treatments to help with cravings and withdrawal. A person who misuses methamphetamine may have less saliva in the mouth.

Addiction and Mental Health Resources

• The common thread of advice among many methamphetamine addicts, though, is don’t try it at all.
• A soldier going to battle on Pervitin usually found himself unable to perform effectively for the next day or two.
• Research has shown that methamphetamine withdrawal follows a predictable pattern.
• A high level of dependence means that withdrawal will be difficult.

But if you choose to use meth, there are steps you can take to make your experience safer. You probably won’t be able to tell if the drug you take has dangerous stuff in it, so try https://ecosoberhouse.com/ to buy meth from someone you trust. There’s ongoing research into the health effects of secondhand meth smoke. Still, you may test positive for the drug if you’re around the smoke.

What is methamphetamine?

Some users have been known to feel insects crawling beneath their skin. “He picks and picks and picks at himself, like there are bugs inside his face,” the mother of one meth addict told The Spokesman-Review. At Hazelden Betty Ford addiction treatment centers, evidence-based approaches to drug addiction treatment are utilized by a licensed and accredited multidisciplinary care team. Our treatment program options include cognitive-behavioral therapy, Twelve Step facilitation and medication-assisted therapies.

Meth abuse can cause irreversible damage to blood vessels in the brain. Use of the drug can also cause birth defects, profound weight loss and cardiovascular issues, including cardiac arrhythmia, myocardial infarction, stroke, seizures, extreme and unhealthy weight loss and even death. Addiction to methamphetamine introduces its own dangers and exacerbates many others.

• People have also taken the drug to lose weight, ease depression, and manage attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
• People who regularly inject the drug may suffer from collapsed veins and a higher risk for contracting HIV/AIDS or hepatitis.
• Other health risks include a higher chance of contracting a bloodborne disease, such as hepatitis or HIV, among those who inject the drug.
• According to MethProject.org, the meth addiction factor is extreme—it’s “one of the most addictive substances” out there today.

What does meth feel like?

The most effective meth addiction treatment programs include medical detox and cognitive therapies. It’s not an exaggeration to describe the long-term effects of meth use as profound. According to the NIDA, crystal meth can damage nerve terminals and increase the risk for physical and psychological illness (such as Parkinson’s disease).

Anhedonia and Psychosis

However, scientists think these high dopamine levels help make the drug more toxic to nerve terminals in the brain. Smoking or injecting methamphetamine causes an immediate, intense “rush” or feeling of bliss that lasts for a few minutes. During World War II, armed forces used methamphetamine to keep personnel alert and improve endurance and mood. Scientists developed methamphetamine from its parent drug, amphetamine, in the early 20th century.

It can damage your body and cause severe psychological problems. Methamphetamine overdose is a toxic, potentially life threatening reaction to the drug. Your risk of overdose increases if you take a large dose of meth or mix methamphetamine meth addiction with other drugs. In addition, stimulants such as meth cause tremendous bursts of physical activity while suppressing the appetite, an attractive combination for many people who began using meth to lose weight.

In everyday language, that means most of the meth will leave your system before the day is done. Some folks may do a “run,” which involves taking meth continuously for several hours or days, often without sleeping or eating. Many people use meth mainly to feel that initial rush of euphoria. So, once that euphoria wears off, they may take more in order to continue enjoying that feeling.