Methamphetamine Addiction Signs, Symptoms, & Dangers of Meth Abuse Drug Rehab Options

Crystal meth is easy to obtain, and due to the incredibly harsh chemicals used in its manufacture—including battery acid and ammonia—the physical and cognitive effects of the addiction are severe. The drug also makes dramatic changes to your brain structure in a very short time, which can lead you to keep using it despite any negative consequences on your life, health, and relationships. This change in behavior is known as meth addiction, or methamphetamine use disorder.

• Some people swallow it in a pill form or smoke it by heating up crystals in a glass bowl or pipe and breathing in the vapors.
• Users may appear overly excited, hyper-focused, or unable to sit still.
• Fortunately, addiction treatment programs are available to help someone break their dependence on the drug.
• After the acute phase of withdrawal, a person may still experience low mood, anxiety, and cravings for the drug for several months.

More on Substance Abuse and Addiction

Meth is typically “cooked” or produced in makeshift home laboratories, often referred to as “meth labs“, located in abandoned or rural areas. Makers of illicit meth synthesize the drug by isolating the elements of highly reactive products. The ingredients for meth are cheap and meth addiction easily obtainable from any local drug store; the products range from lithium batteries to drain cleaner and the end product may contain as many as 32 different chemicals. Cooking meth produces toxic, flammable fumes and may result in chemical explosions.

• Because meth makes someone feel good in the beginning, they continue using the drug even when it no longer produces the same high.
• But it may also lead you to feel more anxious and agitated — not to mention increase your risk of alcohol poisoning or overdose.
• Since the treatment involves abstaining from the drug, the person may experience withdrawal symptoms such as fatigue, severe depression, anxiety, psychosis, and intense cravings for the drug during the detox process.
• Teeth may become stained, broken, rotting, and in some cases, destroyed beyond fixing.
• Some users are covered in small sores, the result of obsessive skin-picking brought on by the hallucination of having bugs crawling beneath the skin, a disorder known as formication.
• Learn more about the risks and side effects of substance use disorders, including the signs of intoxication or overdose.

Addiction to Methamphetamines

If someone has concerns that they or a loved one may have SUD, NIDA’s website can offer support and guidance to help them find a treatment program and manage their condition. Presently, there are no medications to help people recover from meth-related SUD that have received approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration. Drug rehabilitation inpatient programs may offer assistance through the withdrawal process, helping a person to recover from SUD.

Signs of an overdose

• Health professionals aren’t there to report you to the police.
• Pseudoephedrine, an ingredient in over-the-counter cold medicines, is usually the main ingredient used in illicit methamphetamine.
• Polysubstance use increases the risk of adverse long-term effects.
• But if you choose to use meth, there are steps you can take to make your experience safer.
• Although an intervention may motivate your loved one to seek treatment for an addiction, it could also have the opposite effect.

Reducing other drug use was also ranked highly, with 70% and 12% ranking it as “absolutely essential” and “very important”, respectively. Though alcohol and cannabis abstinence were not quite as important to recovery for these participants, substantial majorities also viewed abstinence from these substances as important. Contact a treatment provider today to discuss your rehab options and take your life back from the grips of meth addiction. Meth is an addictive substance that can cause dire consequences, including short and long-term physical and psychological damage.