Understanding the Dangers of Methamphetamines, Part 2

August 6, 2008

By Datriona Spears

What are the Effects of Meth?
As a powerful stimulant, methamphetamine, even in small doses, can increase wakefulness and physical activity and decrease appetite. Oral ingestion or snorting produces a long lasting high instead of a rush, which reportedly can continue for as long as half a day. Some short-term effects of methamphetamine include:

• Increased attention
• Decreased fatigue
• Increased activity
• Decreased appetite
• Euphoria and rush
• Increased respiration
• Hyperthermia

Long-term methamphetamine abuse results in many damaging effects, including addiction. Addiction is a chronic, relapsing disease, characterized by compulsive drug seeking and drug use, which is accompanied by functional and molecular changes in the brain. In addition to being addicted to methamphetamine, chronic abusers of meth exhibit symptoms that can include violent behavior, anxiety, confusion, and insomnia. They also can display a number of psychotic features, including paranoia, auditory hallucinations, mood disturbances, and delusions (for example, the sensation of insects creeping on the skin, called "formication"). The paranoia can result in homicidal as well as suicidal thoughts.

With constant use, a high tolerance for methamphetamine can develop. In an effort to intensify the desired effects, users may take higher doses of the drug, take it more frequently, or change their method of drug intake. In some cases, abusers give up food and sleep while indulging in a form of binging known as a "run," injecting as much as a gram of the drug every 2 to 3 hours over several days until the user runs out of the drug or is too disordered to continue. Chronic use can be coupled with extremely violent behavior.

One of the most striking effects of meth is the change in the physical appearance of meth users. Because meth causes the blood vessels to constrict, it cuts off the steady flow of blood to all parts of the body. Heavy usage can weaken and destroy these vessels, causing tissues to become prone to damage and inhibiting the body's ability to repair itself. The use of meth is usually accompanied by tooth-grinding, poor diet, and bad hygiene, which lead to mouths full of broken, stained and rotting teeth. Meth’s other long-term effects on the body include:

• Increased heart rate
• Disorganized lifestyle
• Lowered resistance to illness
• Liver damage
• Convulsions
• Extreme rise in body temperature, which can cause brain damage
• Stroke
• Death

Newest Methods of Use:
Swallowing meth has become a new trend, because it is slow and very gentle. It takes about 20-30 minutes to be metabolized into the body. Meth taken this way can be done in pill form by putting it into empty gelatin capsules. What is beginning to be done more is the mixing of meth into water, juice, soda or adding it to coffee to make ‘biker coffee.’ Although this method, involves the fewest risks, it’s not completely without risk, especially if there are contaminants in the speed or if you have stomach troubles, like ulcers. Meth is water-soluble and still can be effective when put into a liquid. There have been reported cases of women’s drinks being spiked with meth, and then being sexually assaulted. Although meth is not listed as a date rape drug, it could be considered based on the knowledge of the sex drive one has under the influence of meth.

A second new method of use is called “Booty Bumping” The speed is dissolved in water, and then a syringe or two without a needle is used to “bump” this liquid solution of crystal into your rear end. The drug is absorbed by the blood vessels in the lining of the rectum. This method takes about 3-5 minutes to be metabolized into the body. If one does not practice safe sex along with this method, their chances of contracting a disease will be increased.

Treatment:
Traditional treatment models are not effective for meth addiction, meth-specific treatment programs have been developed. Successful meth treatment requires the use of cognitive-behavioral therapy. The cognitive-behavioral therapy approach, which focuses on how the way we think affects our feelings and actions, helps patients identify and plan for the triggers associated with the substance abuse. This approach prepares the addict for life-long recovery.

A critical consideration in meth treatment is something known as the “wall.” Around 45 to 120 days into treatment, recovering addicts experience physiological changes that often lead to a return to meth use. This period of increased depression and need for the drug is the single significant factor today to the false perception that meth addiction is “untreatable.”

Although recovering from meth addiction is challenging, it is not impossible. For meth treatment to be successful, it simply must meet the demands of meth addiction. Research shows that recovering meth addicts require a longer and more intense outpatient program than is the case for many other drugs. These outpatient services should be very structured and include frequent contact between the treatment provider and the recovering addict.

For more information about Methamphetamine, call the Meth helpline, available 24 hours a day at 1.866.535.7922.

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Work Cited

1. “Meth Spiked Drink.” KCI The Anti-Meth Site. April 2008. http://www.kci.org/meth_info/msg_board_posts/2007/033007/Meth_spiked_drink.htm viewed 18 June 2008
2. “How Meth Destroys The Body.” Frontline: The Meth Epedimic. 14 February 2006. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/meth/body/
3. “Meth Defined.” Missouri State Meth Education. 2007. http://www6.semo.edu/coned/Medfels/text_meth.htm viewed 20 2008
4. “What is Meth.” MAPP-SD, Meth Awareness And Prevention Project. 2000. http://www.mappsd.org/Home3.htm viewed 17 June 2008 viewed 17 June 2008