Methamphetamine
Common Street Names
- Meth
- Mexican Crack
- Speed
- Redneck Cocaine
- Ice
- Rock
- Crystal
- Tick Tick
- Chalk
- Wash
- Glass
- Yellow Powder
- Crank
- Fast
- Brown
- Crypto
- Getgo
- Chicken Feed
Methamphetamine is a powerful stimulant drug. Typically, Methamphetamine is a white powder that dissolves easily in water. It can also be clear chunky crystals (called crystal meth or ice) or tablets. Methamphetamine can also be found in small brightly colored tablets combined with caffeine called Yaba .
Methods of Use
Methamphetamine can be used by orally ingesting, snorting, smoking or injecting. Smoking or injecting Methamphetamine produces the strongest and quickest effects. These methods usually cause an initial intense high that lasts only a few minutes although other effects last 8 to 24 hours. Snorting or orally ingesting Methamphetamine also produces feelings of euphoria although not as intense as with smoking or injecting. The initial euphoria from oral or snorting methods occur within 3 to 5 minutes and generally last 15 to 20 minutes.
Tolerance to Methamphetamine occurs within minutes of taking the drug. This means that before the drug is even close to being out of the body, the pleasurable effects are wearing off. This leads users to take higher and higher doses and dose more frequently. Some chronic users binge on the drug (known as a run) during which they do not eat, sleep, or do anything but use more Methamphetamine. Out of control rages and extremely violent behavior is common during binges.
Methamphetamine is easy to make and can be manufactured with inexpensive over the counter ingredients. Meth labs can be in homes, storage areas, barns, hotel rooms and even the trunk of a vehicle. These labs can be extremely dangerous. The chemicals used in cooking meth are very toxic. For each pound of meth made 5 to 6 pounds of toxic waste is created. People working or living in the conditions produced by cooking meth are at risk of lung damage, lead poisoning due to the manufacturing process, liver damage and burns.
Some Effects of Methamphetamine May Include:
- Euphoria
- Paranoia
- Increased Attention
- Irregular and increased Heart Rate
- Agitation
- Increased Blood Pressure
- Excited Speech
- Insomnia
- Decreased Appetite
- Formication (sensation of bugs crawling on skin– a.k.a. “crank bugs”)
- Increased Physical Activity and Decreased Fatigue
- Dangerously High Body Temperature
- Sudden Violent Behavior
Long Term Consequences of Methamphetamine Use
- Dependence & Tolerance
- Stroke
- Paranoia
- Weight Loss
- Psychosis
- Tooth Decay
- Hallucinations
- Inflammation of the Heart Lining
- Mood Disturbances
- Lead Poisoning
- Repetitive Motor activity
- Structural Changes to the Brain
Withdrawal to Methamphetamine can cause:
- Severe Depression
- Aggression
- Anxiety
- Intense Drug Cravings
- Fatigue
- Psychotic symptoms
- Paranoia
* Some symptoms may persist for months or even years after stopping the drug.
- Damage to the Brain from Methamphetamine use is similar to Alzheimer's disease, stroke and epilepsy
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