Using meth can cause long-term damage to the person’s health, which often persists even after the person has stopped using the drug. Listed Drug rehabilitation below are the short-term and long-term effects of using meth. The best treatment depends on your needs and the severity of your addiction.
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Repeated meth use changes the brain’s response to dopamine, leading to tolerance – the need for increasing amounts of the drug to achieve the same high. Over time the brain becomes dependent on meth for dopamine release, reducing its natural production. Her work spans various health-related topics, including mental health, fitness, nutrition, and wellness.
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Methamphetamine, especially crystal meth, is very addictive, so the chance of quickly developing an addiction is high. Although the reasons someone takes meth can differ, all addicts generally follow the same behavior pattern leading to full-scale addiction. Concerningly, these changes in the brain can be long-term and potentially life-threatening. Evidence indicates that exposure to meth is neurotoxic, damaging the nerves in the brain and leading to persistent cognitive impairment, including issues with memory, learning ability, and mental health disorders. If a drug is so dangerous, so addictive, and so debilitating, why do people use it? Primarily, crystal meth is easy to get and cheap for how long the high lasts.
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One study found that 66% of meth addiction users were smoking meth, 24% were injecting it, and 10% were snorting it. Injecting meth means that it gets into the bloodstream and, therefore, the brain, quicker. Over time, users may transition from smoking to injecting to achieve a more intense high. You can have a toxic or deadly reaction when you take too much meth. The risks of overdose are higher when you mix the drug with opioids or other stimulants such as cocaine, ecstasy, or amphetamines. Your withdrawal symptoms will be strongest during the first 24 hours or so and typically last about 7-10 days.
- Meth can be legally prescribed under the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved brand name Desoxyn.
- Taking any type of speed, including methamphetamine, orally is generally safer than smoking, injecting or snorting because your stomach can handle acidic and foreign substances better than your lungs, veins or nose.
- Even living in a residence that was once a former meth lab can be detrimental to an individual’s health, as residual chemicals can remain on surfaces in the home for months to years after.
- Matangikolo Piukana helped in several meth importations, mainly from Malaysia, and was prosecuted in connection with three consignments of the drug in June and July 2021.
- People often try to maintain the high by taking more of the drug before the first dose wears off.
One of the first symptoms of meth abuse is a sudden loss of interest in areas of life that were once important to the person. Hobbies, relationships, and career goals will all begin to take a back seat to getting and using meth. Initially, many people will attempt to hide their drug use, but the longer someone uses meth, the more prominent it becomes in their lives. Methamphetamine chemically alters how a user thinks and feels, which can make what was once a recreational drug activity a major life priority. If you decide to cut back or stop after using methamphetamine often, you are likely to experience withdrawal symptoms.
A person wanting to stop methamphetamine use should speak with a healthcare professional, who can provide support and referrals to treatment centers. 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.
- Over time, meth can cause significant changes in brain structure and function, leading to impaired cognitive abilities, memory loss, and reduced emotional regulation.
- Healthcare professionals also prescribe it off-label to treat narcolepsy.
- Available in many different forms, meth can be smoked, snorted, injected or ingested orally.
- It’s a free online tool provided by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
These include helplines, treatment locators, and medical professionals. The severity of Meth Head Syndrome depends on how long and how intensely you use meth. It includes all the brain and health issues due to long-term methamphetamine use. When diagnosing an SUD, a doctor may physically examine someone and discuss their medical history with them. A healthcare professional may wish to screen for psychiatric symptoms in order to rule out other disorders with similar https://ecosoberhouse.com/ symptoms. They may also discuss a person’s history of substance use with them.