Meth Use: Know the Risks

Methamphetamine - also known as meth, ice, crystal meth, crystal, or crank - is a powerful and addictive stimulant that interferes with the brain.

When someone uses meth, high levels of dopamine, a natural chemical produced in the brain, are rapidly released into reward areas of the brain, creating feelings of intense excitement. It's one of the reasons why meth is so addictive. 

Meth use can cause significant health risks. A person using meth may stay awake for days, avoid eating, neglect personal hygiene, or have difficulty with speech and muscle coordination. Using meth can also interfere with mood, sleep patterns, and daily functions. People who repeatedly use meth may experience anxiety, paranoia, aggression, hallucinations, and mood disturbances. After just one month of meth use, the brain can become so damaged that it doesn’t recover for up to 14 months. Meth not only changes how the brain works, but also speeds up other major regulatory functions in the body - including increasing blood pressure and heart and respiratory rates. to dangerous, sometimes lethal, levels.

Short-term Effects of Meth Use

Even taking small amounts of meth can cause harmful health effects, including:

  • Increased blood pressure and body temperature

  • Faster breathing

  • Rapid or irregular heartbeat

  • Loss of appetite, disturbed sleep patterns, or nausea

  • Erratic, aggressive, irritable, or violent behavior

  • Long-term Health Risks of Meth Use

    Chronic meth use can lead to many damaging, long-term health effects, even when people stop taking meth, including:

    • Permanent damage to the heart and brain

    • High blood pressure leading to heart attacks, strokes, and death

    • Liver, kidney, and lung damage

    • Anxiety, confusion, and insomnia

    • Paranoia, hallucinations, mood disturbances, delusions, or violent behavior (psychotic symptoms can sometimes last for months or years after meth use)

    • Intense itching, causing skin sores from scratching

    • Premature osteoporosis

    • Severe dental decay and oral health problems

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the rate of fatal overdoses involving meth and other stimulants  has increased significantly in the last two decades. While there are currently no FDA-approved medications to treat meth addiction, behavioral therapies such as cognitive-behavioral therapy or CBT can help individuals cope with feelings or experiences that may prompt meth or substance use.

Want to learn more about the risks associated with chronic stimulant use? Healthy Acadia, in partnership with Power of Prevention and Maine Prevention Services, will offer a free CME workshop, “Stimulants 2022: Epidemiology, Effects, Clinical Challenges and Treatments,” on Thursday, February 10, 2022, from noon to 1 p.m., online via Zoom. Click here for more.

Many people who could benefit from treatment do not know they have an addiction or do not think treatment will work for them. However, with the right treatment plan, recovery is possible. If you, or someone you know, need help to stop using substances – whether the problem is methamphetamine, alcohol or another drug – call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or TTY: 1-800-487-4889, or use the SAMHSA’s Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator to get help.

You can also connect with a Healthy Acadia Recovery Coach for support along your road to recovery. Learn more.

POSTTracey CarlsonCE, SPR, HPM