LINKS
Partnership for a Drug Free America
Office of National Drug Control Policy
U.S Department of the Interior
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
About Meth
What is meth?
Methamphetamine is a stimulant drug chemically related to amphetamine but with stronger effects on the central nervous system. It is a white, odorless, bitter-tasting crystalline powder that easily dissolves in water or alcohol. Meth is made of highly volatile, toxic substances (based on such chemical "precursors" as methylamine and amyl amine) that are melded in differing combinations, forming what some have described as a "mix of laundry detergent and lighter fluid."
What are the slang terms for meth?
Street names for the drug include "speed," "meth," "crystal," and "crank." Crystallized methamphetamine known as "ice," "crystal," or "glass," is a smokable and more powerful form of the drug.
How is meth used?
Meth can either be snorted or injected, or in its crystal form 'ice' smoked in a pipe, and brings on a feeling of exhilaration and a sharpening of focus. Smoking meth results in an instantaneous dose of almost pure drug to the brain, giving a huge rush followed by a feeling of euphoria for anything from 2-16 hours.
What are the effects of meth?
Meth's effects increases arousal in the central nervous system by pumping up levels of two neurotransmitters, norepinephrine and dopamine. At low doses, meth boosts alertness and blocks hunger and fatigue. At higher doses, meth causes exhilaration and euphoria. At very high doses, the effects of meth can cause agitation, paranoia, and bizarre behavior.
What are the psychological effects of meth?
Anxiety, emotional swings, and paranoia are the most common psychological effects due to chronic use of meth. Symptoms increase with long-term use, and can involve paranoid delusions and hallucinations. Violence and self-destructive behavior are common.
What are the side effects of meth?
The side effects of meth include: paranoia, short term memory loss, wild rages and mood swings as well as damage to your immune system.
Meth side effects include but are not limited to:
- Hyperactivity
- Irritability
- Visual hallucinations
- Auditory hallucinations (hearing "voices")
- Suicidal tendencies
- Aggression
- Suspiciousness, severe paranoia
- Shortness of breath
- Increased blood pressure
- Cardiac arrhythmia
- Stroke
- Sweating
- Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
- Long periods of sleep ("crashing" for 24-48 hours or more)
- Prolonged sluggishness, severe depression
- Weight loss, malnutrition, anorexia
- Itching (illusion that bugs are crawling on the skin)
- Welts on the skin
- Involuntary body movements
- Paranoid delusions
FAQs Taken from:
http://www.addictionca.com/FAQ-meth.htmNational Congress of American Indians (NCAI)
1301 Connecticut Ave NW, Suite 200, Washington D.C. 20036
Phone: (202) 466-7767, Fax: (202) 466-7797
