Hello Kitlandis,
My heart goes out to you for your daughter, and I?m so glad you are
taking action! I have attempted to provide you with answers to all
your questions. Because of the topic overlap, the answers may be
combined within one source. As a parent, it would be hard for me to
read some of the information presented, and I hope it will not shock
you as some of it is graphic.
I?m unable to give you a precise answer to the lifespan of a meth
user - there are too many variables. Your daughter will need to make
up her mind to go to a rehabilitation clinic to get help. If she
refuses, you could consider intervention. There is a number at the
bottom of the link below to call for help and intervention.
http://www.family-drug-intervention.net/drug_intervention.html
If you or your daughter have no objection to a faith based sort of
rehabilitation, I?d recommend Teen Challenge. (Its for ALL ages, not
just teens.) I have seen people who have quickly left drugs and
alcohol through this program.
http://www.teenchallengeusa.com/
?Methamphetamine addicts have relapse rates no worse?and no
better?than for those of any other drug. [See Rawson R, Huber A,
Brethen P, Obert J, Gulati V, Shoptaw S, Ling W Methamphetamine and
cocaine users: differences in characteristics and treatment retention.
J Psychoactive Drugs 2000 Apr-Jun;32(2):233-8; Copeland AL, Sorensen
JL.Differences between methamphetamine users and cocaine users in
treatment. Drug Alcohol Depend 2001 Mar 1;62(1):91-5; Hawke JM,
Jainchill N, De Leon G. Adolescent amphetamine users in treatment:
client profiles and treatment outcomes J Psychoactive Drugs 2000
Jan-Mar;32(1):95-105.]. If you compare the course of various
addictions, alcoholism and opioid addictions tend to run longer than
meth addiction.
This is because alcohol and opioids like heroin tend to put users to
sleep and calm them?but stimulants like cocaine and methamphetamine
keep users awake for days on end, causing anxiety and paranoia. There
is only so much sleep loss one can take: After a few years of such a
lifestyle, stimulant addicts tend to quit, switch to more calming
drugs, or, in a minority of cases, die. If you determine
?addictiveness? by how long one?s life is dominated by a drug, then,
cocaine and amphetamine are less addictive.?
http://www.stats.org/record.jsp?type=logentry&ID=265
?Experts have shown that heavy methamphetamine users, those who do
two to four grams a week, can suffer serious brain damage. Heavy meth
use has been shown to be the equivalent of 40 years of aging,
affecting movement and memory.?
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/05/04/MN281636.DTL
?Side effects may include but are not limited to convulsions,
dangerously high body temperature, stroke and cardiac arrhythmia,
according to The Hartford Courant.
?Chronic use of the drug may also result in psychotic behavior
including intense paranoia, visual and auditory hallucinations and
out-of-control rages that can result in violent episodes... "
http://www.dailycampus.com/media/paper340/news/2005/10/27/News/Former.Meth.Addict.Warns.Of.Dangers.Of.Drug-1036295.shtml?norewrite&sourcedomain=www.dailycampus.com
Not just the meth user is harmed:
Know the law. Methamphetamine is illegal in all states and highly dangerous.
Get the facts. The ignitable, corrosive, and toxic nature of the
chemicals used to produce meth can cause fires, produce toxic vapors,
and damage the environment.
Stay informed. In 2001, methamphetamine use sent more people to the
emergency room than use of any other club drug. Over half of these
cases involved meth in combination with another drug, such as alcohol,
heroin, or cocaine.2
Know the risks. There are a lot of risks associated with using
methamphetamine, including:
? Meth can cause a severe ?crash? after the effects wear off.
? Meth use can cause irreversible damage to blood vessels in the brain.
? Meth users who inject the drug and share needles are at risk for
acquiring HIV/AIDS.
Look around you. Not everyone is using methamphetamine. In 2003, only
3.2 percent of 12th graders reported having used methamphetamine."
http://ncadi.samhsa.gov/govpubs/PHD861/
?Short-term effects of methamphetamine
? Increased attention
? Decreased fatigue
? Increased activity
? Decreased appetite
? Euphoria and rush
? Increased respiration
? Hyperthermia
Methamphetamine has toxic effects. In animals, a single high dose of
the drug has been shown to damage nerve terminals in the
dopamine-containing regions of the brain. The large release of
dopamine produced by methamphetamine is thought to contribute to the
drug's toxic effects on nerve terminals in the brain. High doses can
elevate body temperature to dangerous, sometimes lethal, levels, as
well as cause convulsions.
What are the long-term effects of methamphetamine use?
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 methamphetamine
abusers 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.
Long-term effects of methamphetamine
? Dependence
? Addiction psychosis
? Paranoia
? Hallucinations
? Mood disturbances
? Repetitive motor activity
? Stroke
? Weight loss
Researchers have reported that as much as 50 percent of the
dopamine-producing cells in the brain can be damaged after prolonged
exposure to relatively low levels of methamphetamine. Researchers also
have found that serotonin-containing nerve cells may be damaged even
more extensively. Whether this toxicity is related to the psychosis
seen in some long-term methamphetamine abusers is still an open
question."
Chronic methamphetamine abuse can result in inflammation of the heart
lining, and among users who inject the drug, damaged blood vessels and
skin abscesses. Methamphetamine abusers also can have episodes of
violent behavior, paranoia, anxiety, confusion, and insomnia. Heavy
users also show progressive social and occupational deterioration.
Psychotic symptoms can sometimes persist for months or years after use
has ceased.
Acute lead poisoning is another potential risk for methamphetamine
abusers. A common method of illegal methamphetamine production uses
lead acetate as a reagent. Production errors may therefore result in
methamphetamine contaminated with lead. There have been documented
cases of acute lead poisoning in intravenous methamphetamine abusers."
I'd like to copy the entire page, but because of copyright
restrictions, I am no able to do so. Please see the entire article.
This page is sponsored by Narc-Anon, a drug rehabilitation program.
Perhaps they can help your daughter.
http://www.stopmethaddiction.com/effects-of-meth.htm
What are its long-term effects?
Long-term effects can include coma, stroke or death.
http://www.drugfree.org/Portal/drug_guide/Crystal_Meth
What are the risks?
?Crystal methamphetamine use is associated with numerous serious
physical problems. The drug can cause rapid heart rate, increased
blood pressure, and damage to the small blood vessels in the
brain--which can lead to stroke. Chronic use of the drug can result in
inflammation of the heart lining. Overdoses can cause hyperthermia
(elevated body temperature), convulsions, and death.
Individuals who use crystal methamphetamine also may have episodes of
violent behavior, paranoia, anxiety, confusion, and insomnia. The drug
can produce psychotic symptoms that persist for months or years after
an individual has stopped using the drug.
Crystal methamphetamine users who inject the drug expose themselves to
additional risks, including contracting HIV (human immunodeficiency
virus), hepatitis B and C, and other blood-borne viruses. Chronic
users who inject methamphetamine also risk scarred or collapsed veins,
infections of the heart lining and valves, abscesses, pneumonia,
tuberculosis, and liver or kidney disease.?
http://www.usdoj.gov/ndic/pubs5/5049/#risks
With chronic use, addiction to crystal meth 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 forego 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 disorganized to continue. Chronic abuse can lead
to psychotic behavior, characterized by intense paranoia, visual and
auditory hallucinations, and out-of-control rages that can be coupled
with extremely violent behavior. Although there are no physical
manifestations of a withdrawal syndrome when crystal meth use is
stopped, there are several symptoms that occur when a chronic user
stops taking the drug. These include depression, anxiety, fatigue,
paranoia, aggression, and an intense craving for the drug. Although
use of crystal meth initially was limited to a few urban areas crystal
meth use has shown a dramatic throughout the country. In addition,
crystal meth use among significantly diverse populations has been
documented."
http://www.addict-help.com/crystal-meth-addiction.htm
The following exerpt is from Michigan Law Enforcement, but has lots of
interesting information on users.
?Users can develop depression and exhaustion as the drug effects wear
off. Withdrawal can result in convulsions, tremors and other symptoms
once the drug effects wear off. Users may feel they need to take
methamphetamine to just get through the day and to avoid withdrawal.
Use becomes compulsive the longer it goes on, as tolerance increases
(where users need to keep increasing the amount taken in order to get
the same effects). Other effects may include numbness in the legs and
arms, severe loss of weight and appetite, malnutrition, and constant
twitching and jerking movements. Nasal bleeding and damage can also
occur with inhalation of the drug. Increased body temperature and
blood pressure typically occurs, along with faster heartbeat and
breathing. Strokes are not unusual among heavy users.
Long-term use can cause damage to the liver, lungs, kidneys, and
other organs. Stomach and muscle cramps, sweats and chills, nausea,
and sleeping difficulties are also common. A reduced appetite for
food and drink can also lead to dehydration, severe weight loss and
malnutrition."
?Personal hygiene among stimulant users is characteristically poor.
Many users are noted to exude a bodily odor of chemicals. Housing
conditions are likewise typically filthy, cluttered with trash, dirty
dishes and clothes, and piles and stacks of all sorts of items left
lying about. Drugs are often left lying in the open, as are firearms
in some instances. If users are making their own drugs in clandestine
laboratories, it is common that these are located in living quarters,
with all sorts of glassware and chemicals also left lying about.?
?A notable behavioral effect of heavy methamphetamine or other
stimulant use (sometimes referred to by users as ?tweaking?) consists
of users deciding to repair something mechanical that is not really in
need of such attention. Users often take apart complex devices made
up of many small parts, but then forget about how they go back
together, or decide they are too busy with something else to get back
to reassembly."
"Hospital emergency rooms are often the first place that individuals
with acute drug use consequences appear. In many instances these
individuals present highly challenging situations to emergency room
staff, due to some of the more acute drug effects caused by
methamphetamine. Some users seek emergency room services for
consequences of their most recent use, while others seek assistance
for acute or longer-term health problems which could have some causal
factors other than the most recent ingestion of the drug (e.g.
nosebleeds, abscesses, sores, self-inflicted mutilations, psychiatric
symptoms). Some number of methamphetamine cases will be brought into
emergency rooms by law enforcement, emergency services transport
staff, or by family members or others (who feel there is nothing they
themselves can provide assistance in)?sometimes these cases will be
uncooperative, irritable, loud, incoherent, lacking personal hygiene,
combative, highly paranoid, and temporarily appear significantly
disoriented or possibly psychotic due to drug effects"
http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:U6NJ0Qm_90QJ:www.michigan.gov/documents/methreportI_-_final_print_68461_7.doc+mortality+%2B+methamphetamines&hl=en
?Crystal meth use can damage the brain slowly like a bug eating the
hand of an accident victim on the side of the road. Crystal meth
creates a condition similarly experienced by an Alzheimer patient
slowly loosing sanity and body control. Crystal meth affects the
person's potential by destroying it over time. Only the full Narconon
detox and rehab program has demonstrated any consistent success in
treating crystal meth effects. The Narconon program works because it
accomplishes what a person cannot do alone:
1. Fully rid themselves of the toxic accumulations;
2. Face and defeat their own shortcomings.?
This site also sponsors a drug rehabilitation program.
http://www.detox-narconon.org/crystal-methamphetamine-effects.html
?At times, Jackson became so dehydrated she couldn?t find a vein to
shoot up. Instead, she buried the needle into her neck or her breast.
The drug?s toxins later started emerging through her skin, resulting
in acne and quarter-sized boils. Her hair started coming out in
handfuls.
"It just seeps out your pores," Jackson said.
"So you try to clean up your face, and that?s where the pick marks
come in," she said, referring to the scabs that dot the faces of
"tweakers."
Jackson was blind to her body?s transformation even when a police
officer told her he hoped she took better care of her kids than
herself.
"I just looked at him and thought, ?What are you talking about? I look good.?"
After about seven years of heavy use, meth had a still higher price to exact.
Jackson started noticing soft brown pockets in her two front teeth
like mushy spots on an apple. Picking at the discolored areas opened
up pinhead-sized holes. Her teeth, she discovered, were rotting at the
gum line. Abscesses in her gums filled her mouth with pus. The only
remedy was to pull the teeth, three or four at once.
"Every time I?d eat, they?d fall out," Jackson said. "(Eating) a piece
of toast, my teeth would break."
The phenomenon of "meth mouth" ? tooth loss among addicts ? has
grabbed nationwide attention, becoming the topic of numerous news
reports within the past year. While not completely understood, the
problem is likely a combined effect of bone loss from the drug?s
caustic ingredients and users? poor diets, chronic dry mouth and poor
hygiene.
"There is a unique kind of dental decay that occurs with
methamphetamine," Shames said. "And the tooth just really crumbles
away."
"In the long term, meth use breaks down muscle tissue and can cause
strokes and heart attacks, Shames said. Needle users can develop
Hepatitis C, sepsis, flesh-eating bacteria, heart infections,
embolisms and drug-resistant staph infections. The drug can
permanently damage nerve cells, resulting in schizophrenia,
Parkinson?s disease, chronic movement disorders and symptoms similar
to Alzheimer?s disease.
"A lot of people look very psychotic while they?re using, and
unfortunately, they can look psychotic after they stop using," Shames
said.
Permanent nerve damage also prevents many meth addicts ? even after
they quit ? from feeling pleasure in life?s normal activities and
displaying affection. Many recovering addicts experience extreme
depression.
"Your world is just permanently a little grayer," Shames said."
http://www.mailtribune.com/archive/2005/0612/local/stories/01local.htm
"Methamphetamine releases high levels of dopamine which stimulates
brain cells, enhancing mood and body movement. It also appears to have
a neurotoxic effect, damaging brain cells that contain dopamine and
serotonin. The damage is to the neuron cell-endings. Dopamine and
serotonin neurons do not die after methamphetamine use, but their
nerve endings are cut back and re-growth appears is to be limited.
Over time methamphetamine appears is to cause reduced levels of
dopamine which can result in symptoms like those of Parkinson's
disease (NIDA Infofax)."
http://www.toad.net/~arcturus/dd/amphet.htm
?Methamphetamine use is associated with many serious physical
problems. The drug can cause rapid heart rate, increased blood
pressure, and damage to the small blood vessels in the brain--which
can lead to stroke. Chronic use of the drug can result in inflammation
of the heart lining. Overdoses of methamphetamine can cause
hyperthermia (elevated body temperature), convulsions, and death.
Individuals who abuse methamphetamine also may have episodes of
violent behavior, paranoia, anxiety, confusion, and insomnia.
Methamphetamine also can produce psychotic symptoms that persist for
months or years after an individual has stopped using the drug.
Methamphetamine abusers who inject the drug expose themselves to
additional risks, including contracting human immunodeficiency virus
(HIV), hepatitis B and C, and other blood-borne viruses. Chronic users
who inject methamphetamine also risk scarred or collapsed veins,
infections of the heart lining and valves, abscesses, pneumonia,
tuberculosis, and liver and kidney disease."
"Methamphetamine can be smoked, injected intravenously, snorted, or
ingested orally. The drug's euphoric effects are longer lasting than
cocaine, from eight to 24 hours, a big part of the popularity.
This high is followed by a severe crash causing the abuser to sleep
for up to three days straight. Short term meth use causes increased
alertness, paranoia, an intense high, hallucinations, aggressive
behavior, violent behavior, loss of appetite, acne or sores, and
convulsions. Long term effects of meth use include fatal kidney and
lung disorders, brain damage, depression, hallucinations, violent and
aggressive behavior, severe weight loss (meth literally eats away at
body fat and muscle), tooth decay (gray or black teeth),
paranoid-schizophrenia, deceased sociability, poor coping skills,
putrid body order (similar to glue and mayonnaise), open sores and
scarring on the skin (self-inflicted wounds from removing
hallucinatory "crank bugs" from the skin), disturbed personality
development, liver damage, heart attacks, stroke or death. "
Methamphetamine use is associated with serious health consequences,
including memory loss, aggression, violence, psychotic behavior, and
potential cardiac and neurological damage.
Methamphetamine abusers typically display signs of agitation, excited
speech, decreased appetite, and increased physical activity levels.
Methamphetamine is neurotoxic. Methamphetamine abusers may have
significant reductions in dopamine transporters.
Methamphetamine use can contribute to higher rates of transmission of
infectious diseases, especially hepatitis and HIV/AIDS."
http://www.pride.org/methamphetamine.htm#Methamphetamine%20Fast%20Facts
?Methamphetamine use appears to produce cardiomyopathy in some
users. The pathogenesis is probably similar to that of cocaine and
catecholamine?induced cardiomyopathy. Cellular, animal, and clinical
data support the link between methamphetamine exposure and myocardial
pathology.?Nineteen (84%) underwent echocardiography with consistent
findings of dilated cardiomyopathy and global ventricular dysfunction.
Of five who had a nuclear myocardial perfusion study, none had
evidence of ischemia or infarct. Of six who underwent cardiac
catheterization, only one had evidence of coronary stenosis.
Conclusion.?We identified 1640 patients admitted in a 4?yr period with
a primary or secondary diagnosis of cardiomyopathy.
We excluded patients with known cause of cardiomyopathy other than
substance abuse. We found 120 patients had a diagnosis of substance
abuse, including 21 patients with methamphetamine use. We
retrospectively reviewed the medical records of these 21 crystal
methamphetamine users. Results.?Previous reports describe myocardial
infarction, pulmonary edema, and aortic dissection related to
methamphetamine use. Cardiomyopathy due to methamphetamine exposure
has been rarely described.?
http://taylorandfrancis.metapress.com/(0pii4l55ac5q2srh3eymz4ix)/app/home/contribution.asp?referrer=parent&backto=issue,12,32;journal,8,42;linkingpublicationresults,1:119813,1
Long Term Effects
"Long term effects of meth use include fatal kidney and lung
disorders, brain damage, depression, hallucinations, violent and
aggressive behavior, sever weight loss, tooth decay,
paranoid-schizophrenia, decreased sociability, poor coping skills,
open sores and scarring on the skin (self inflicted wounds form
removing hallucinatory "crank bugs" from the skin), liver damage,
heart attacks, stroke or death. Chronic methamphetamine abuse can
include dependence and possible stroke. Chronic abuse of
methamphetamine also can lead to psychotic behavior characterized by
paranoia, hallucinations, mood disturbances and violence. Psychotic
symptoms can sometimes persist for months or years after use has
ceased. Methamphetamine use contributes to the transmissions of
HIV/AIDS through intravenous injection.
Methamphetamine use in conjunction with high-risk sexual behaviors
also contributes to the transmissions of HIV/AIDS. Acute lead
poisoning is another potential risk for methamphetamine abusers. A
common illegal method of production uses lead acetate as a reagent.
Production errors may result in methamphetamine contaminated with
lead. Hyperthermia (elevated body temperature) and convulsions occur
with methamphetamine overdoes, and if not treated immediately, can
result in death. Overdose patients are cooled off in ice baths, and
anti-convulsant drugs may be administered. Methamphetamine affects
multiple other organ systems including the heart, lungs, kidneys and
liver."
http://www.cornhuskerplace.org/index.cfm?page=methamphetamines_effects
Methamphetamine's negative effects include, but are not limited to, the following:
? 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
? Severe amphetamine induced depression and/or psychosis
" Physiological effects of methamphetamine use include: Abnormally
high blood pressure; rapid and irregular heart rate and rhythm;
seizures; damage to blood vessels in the brain (stroke); accumulation
of excess fluid in lungs, brain tissue and skull; continuous/excessive
dilation of the pupils; impaired regulation of heat loss; Hyperpyrexia
(body temperatures higher than 104°); internal bleeding; damage to
other organs caused by disruption of blood flow; and breakdown of
muscle tissue, leading to kidney failure.
Similar to other drug substances, smoking and inhaling meth damages
the lungs and nasal passages, and intravenous use can lead to spread
of the AIDS virus.
The drug appeals to the abuser because it increases the body's
metabolism and produces euphoria, alertness, and gives the abuser a
sense of increased energy. But high doses or chronic use of meth, also
known as "speed," "crank," and "ice," increases nervousness,
irritability, and paranoia."
http://www.okdhs.org/OKSubstanceAbuse/substances/methamphetamine.shtml
Health Consequences of Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine use can lead to substantial morbidity and
mortality. While methamphetamine dependence may be characterized by
daily use, many methamphetamine users go on intermittent
methamphetamine "binges" that last 24-72 hours during which they are
hypervigilant, do not sleep, and often engage in high levels of sexual
activity. Persons using methamphetamine can exhibit severe
intoxication symptoms that include agitation, anxiety, and acute
paranoia, and these conditions can progress to mimic acute
schizophrenia.[2] Methamphetamine use is associated with rapid weight
loss, likely due to its sympathomimetic properties.[4] Skin lesions
are common among methamphetamine users and are due to the obsessive,
excessive picking and scratching that accompanies methamphetamine use.
These lesions often become infected and develop into bacterial
cellulitis that requires antibiotic treatment. Methamphetamine use has
been associated with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
(MRSA) infection.[37]
Many methamphetamine users also experience severe dental decay, which
has been attributed to a number of factors, including: (1) decreased
attention to dental hygiene due to drug use; (2) excessive bruxism
(teeth grinding) and clenching due to the effects of the drug; (3)
increased intake of soft drinks high in sugar that methamphetamine
users often crave; (4) persistent dry mouth due to methamphetamine;
and (5) detrimental effects of residual products used in producing
methamphetamine.[38]
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/514193
?Pathophysiology: Amphetamines stimulate the central nervous
system (CNS), which results in one or more clinical effects: inducing
euphoria; intensifying emotions; altering self-esteem; and increasing
alertness, aggression, and sexual appetite.
In the brain, presynaptic reuptake of catecholamines (ie, dopamine,
norepinephrine) is blocked, causing hyperstimulation at selected
postsynaptic neuron receptors. Indirect sympathomimetic effects of
amphetamines are also caused by blocking presynaptic vesicular storage
and by reducing cytoplastic destruction of catecholamines by
inhibiting mitochondrial monoamine oxidase. Indirectly, these
hyperstimulated neurons can stimulate various other
noncatecholaminergic central and peripheral nervous pathways.
Sympathomimetic stimulation of central and peripheral pathways by most
amphetamines may occur directly but to a much lesser extent than with
ephedrine.
Changes in mood, excitation, motor movements, sensory perception, and
appetite appear to be mediated more directly by central dopaminergic
alterations. It has been postulated that serotonin alterations
contribute to the amphetamine-related mood changes, psychotic
behavior, and aggressiveness.
Methamphetamine is absorbed readily from the gut, airway, nasopharynx,
muscle, placenta, and vagina. Peak plasma levels are observed
approximately 30 minutes after IV or IM routes and 2-3 hours
postingestion. Rapid tissue redistribution occurs with steady-state
cerebrospinal fluid levels of about 80% of plasma levels. Hepatic
conjugation pathways with glucuronide and glycine additions can result
in inactivation and urine excretion of amphetamine metabolites.
When methamphetamine is used with ethanol, increased psychological and
cardiac effects are observed. This is presumed to be the result of
pharmacodynamic rather than pharmacokinetic interactions. Similarly,
the increased toxicity of simultaneously used opioids and
amphetamines, such as methamphetamine (ie, speedballing), appear to
result from pharmacodynamic interactions.
? Cardiovascular signs include the following:
o Chest pain, ischemia, or myocardial infarction
o Palpitations
? Central nervous system signs include the following:
o Agitation, anxiety, and hallucinations are typical complaints.
o Some patients who have used methamphetamine present unconscious to
the ED. In these persons, lack of responsiveness may be partially
caused by use of other drugs (ie, opioids).
o Other patients may be unresponsive because of the direct effects of
intravenous methamphetamine use or secondary to amphetamine-induced
seizures.
o The initial feeling of physical and mental enhancement following
amphetamine use can quickly deteriorate with high doses or chronic
use, resulting in emotional lability, confusion, paranoia, and
hallucinations.
o Altered mental status was found in 57% of a series of 127
amphetamine-toxic patients who presented to an ED with agitation,
suicidal ideation, hallucinations, delusions, confusion, and
despondent affect. These are the most common major signs and symptoms
of amphetamine abuse. Patients challenged with large doses of
intravenous methamphetamine developed drug-induced psychosis if they
were dependent on amphetamine but not if they were naive.
o Methamphetamine can induce an acute toxic psychosis in previously
healthy persons and precipitate a psychotic episode in those with
psychiatric illness.
o Methamphetamine-induced seizures have been viewed as isolated events
or associated with hyperthermia, coma, muscle hyperactivity, metabolic
acidosis, secondary rhabdomyolysis, renal failure, and shock.
? Respiratory signs include the following:
o Dyspnea
o Wheezing
? Increases and decreases in sexual desire and activity have been
reported with amphetamine use.
? Methamphetamine use and/or abuse during pregnancy can be fatal to
the mother and result in spontaneous abortion or teratogenesis to the
fetus. Methamphetamine has been shown to cause placental
vasoconstriction and interfere with placental monoamine transporters.
? Although not formally studied, the most common dermatological
manifestations in patients who abuse amphetamine-related compounds are
probably related to self-induced skin picking, intravenous needles, or
burns.
? A case of lichenoid drug eruption has been reported with the use of
methamphetamine.
Physical:
? Cardiovascular
o Tachycardia and hypertension may be observed.
o Atrial and ventricular arrhythmias and myocardial ischemia have been noted.
o Chest pain, associated with cardiac ischemia, following
methamphetamine use may occur. Patients are at risk for cardiac
ischemia because of accelerated atherosclerosis from chronic drug use
and other less well-understood mechanisms. Concern that thrombus
formation may be contributing to amphetamine-related myocardial
infarction has generated at least one case report on the use of
thrombolytics, in addition to the use of nitrates and analgesics, in
patients with chronic drug use.
o Significant hypotension with bradycardia and metabolic acidosis has
been observed in massive amphetamine overdoses.
o Suppression of vasomotor outflow leading to severe orthostatic
hypotension because of amphetamine intoxication also has been
reported. This suggests that multiple mechanisms contribute to the
development of circulatory collapse with amphetamine abuse.
o Acute and chronic cardiomyopathy is thought to be secondary to
direct amphetamine cardiac toxicity and indirectly from
amphetamine-induced hypertension, necrosis, and ischemia. Although
most reports of cardiomyopathy have implicated oral and intravenous
amphetamines as causes, smoking of methamphetamine has also been
documented as a cause.
o Necrotizing angiitis with arterial aneurysms and sacculations have
been observed in the kidney, liver, pancreas, and small bowel of
methamphetamine drug abusers.
o Similarly, acute aortic dissections and arterial aneurysms have been
associated with methamphetamine abuse.
o With the illicit use of any intravenous drug, bacterial or fungal
endocarditis can lead to abnormal cardiac valves, secondary dilated
cardiomyopathy, septic embolism, and mycotic aneurysm. Recently, some
individuals orally taking fenfluramine and phentermine for appetite
suppression have been found to have valvular abnormalities leading to
mitral and aortic regurgitation.
? Central nervous system
o Seizures and psychosis may occur.
o Acute and chronic amphetamine exposures have also been associated
with choreoathetoid movement disorders independent of Huntington
disease.
o Other CNS disorders induced by amphetamines include cerebrovascular
accidents caused by hemorrhage or vasospasm, cerebral edema, and
cerebral vasculitis. Coma, clonus, and respiratory failure are
characterized in a recent report of massive dexfenfluramine overdose.
o Spontaneous cerebral hemorrhaging has been reported in patients
using amphetamines, as well as in patients with preexisting
arteriovenous malformations and with amphetamine-induced cerebral
vasculitis.
o Cerebral artery spasm and occlusion, leading to ischemic strokes and
transient cortical blindness, have been noted following
methamphetamine use.
? Respiratory
o Barotrauma, including pneumomediastinum, pneumothorax, and pneumopericardium
o Acute noncardiogenic pulmonary edema
o Pulmonary hypertension
o Renal and hepatic
? Renal failure associated with amphetamines has been related to
hypoxemia, rhabdomyolysis, necrotizing angiitis, and cardiovascular
shock with subsequent acute tubular necrosis.
? Renal necrotizing angiitis, noted in some cases of renal failure,
has been observed in the presence of hepatitis B serum antigen and is
usually found in those who use intravenous amphetamines.
? In one case report, amphetamine-induced acute interstitial nephritis
was thought to be the cause of renal failure.
o Hepatocellular damage has been reported with amphetamine,
malondialdehyde (MDA), and 3,4-methylelenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA)
after acute and chronic abuse. Direct toxic effects (eg, hypotension,
hepatotoxic, contaminants, hepatic vasoconstriction, lipid
peroxidation, occult viral causes, necrotizing angiitis) have been
postulated as mechanisms for amphetamine-induced hepatocellular
toxicity.
o Abuse of methamphetamine has also been associated with the formation
of giant GI ulcers and ischemic colitis.
http://www.emedicine.com/EMERG/topic859.htm
?Does methamphetamine contribute to violent crime and death?
Absolutely. Law enforcement officials in California and throughout the
United States attribute rising methamphetamine abuse to increases in
emergency room admissions and violent crimes.
More than 1,800 deaths were caused by methamphetamine abuse from 1992
to 1994 -- a 145 percent increase in just two years. The majority of
these cases occurred in the four western cities of Los Angeles, San
Francisco, San Diego and Phoenix.
California Emergency room admissions related to methamphetamine abuse
increased by more than 366 percent from 1983 to 1993.
Nearly 3,000 methamphetamine users entered drug treatment centers in
1994 alone in the southern San Francisco Bay and San Diego regions,
the Washington Post reports."
http://feinstein.senate.gov/meth_booklet.html
Physical Health Effects: Regular use produces strong psychological
dependence and increasing tolerance to the drug. High doses may cause
toxic psychosis resembling schizophrenia. The users (delusions), and
feel as though people are out ot get them (paranoia). The euphoria
increases impulsive and risk taking behavior, such as bizarre and
violent acts. Intoxication may induce a heart attack or stroke due to
spiking of blood pressure. Chronic use may cause heart and brain
damage due to severe constriction of capillary blood vessels.
Long-term heavy use can lead to malnutrition, skin disorders, ulcers,
and various diseases that come from vitamin deficiencies. Lack of
sleep, weight loss, and depression also result from regular use. Users
who inject drugs intravenously can get serious and life-threatening
infections (e.g., lung or heart disease, kidney damage) from
non-sterile equipment or contaminated self-prepared solutions.
Effects on Mental Performance: Anxiety, restlessness; Moodiness; and
false sense of poor. Large doses over long periods can result in:
Hallucinations; delusions; paranoia; and brain damage."
http://www.cornerstonebh.com/meth.htm
"In addition, corneal ulceration, or keratitis, has been identified
(Poulsen, Mannis & Chang, 1996) in methamphetamine abusers, resulting
from physiologic effects, inconsistent purity, multiple routes of
administration, and manufacturing mishaps in clandestine labs leading
to injury to the eye. Finally, researchers in San Francisco and
Seattle have reported widespread use of methamphetamine among
homosexual and bisexual populations."
http://mimh200.mimh.edu/mimhweb/pie/reports/Methamphetamine%20in%20Missouri.pdf
?It is postulated that the increase in circulating catecholamine
levels produced by amphetamines may enhance coronary tone and
aggregation of platelets, contributing to acute vascular occlusion.
Animal studies suggest taht elevated catecholamine levels may also
precipitate rupture of atherosclerotic plaques and induce focal
myocarditis. Catecholamine-related cardiomyopathy is also associated
with myofibrillar degeneration.(17)(18) Autopsy findings in one group
of methamphetamine abusers revealed a disarray of myofibrils, similar
to that seen in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.(19) Moderate doses of
methamphetamine may actually increase cardiac output and myocardial
contractility. Excessive doses result in myocardial depression.
Pulmonary edema has been reported in patients who use oral
dextroamphetamine and methamphetamine.(6)(17) The smokable crystal
methamphetamine has also been reported to produce acute pulmonary
edema 24 to 36 hours following inhalation.(5) In addition, vasospasm
resulting in acute myocardial infarction, cardiogenic shock and death
has been reported.(6) Myocardial infarction has also occurred
following intranasal administration of the drug.(18)"
"After abrupt cessation of amphetamine use, withdrawal symptoms peak
in two to three days.(11) Withdrawal consists of abdominal cramping
and symptoms of gastroenteritis, but with increased appetite. Patients
experience headaches, lethargy, dyspnea and severe depression, and
often have suicidal tendencies.(1) In many cases, methamphetamine
toxicity can be treated conservatively, with referral for long-term
therapy following release from the emergency department. Only about 10
percent of patients require hospital admission. Long-term treatment
requires drug rehabilitation and intensive inpatient counseling."
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3225/is_n2_v51/ai_16557857/pg_2
?The average "hit" of ice (meth) is one-tenth of a gram, with
effects lasting up to 15 hours.(1) However, since the bioavailability
of smokable methamphetamine is 50 percent that of the intravenous
form, more of the drug must be used to achieve a similar effect. Some
of the drug remains trapped in the smoking apparatus, as well as in
the respiratory tract mucosa.(12) The long half-life of
methamphetamine and the long plateau effect suggest that markedly high
plasma concentrations accumulate with repeated inhalation of the drug,
even over long intervals.(13) Based on animal studies, it appears that
the effects associated with ice may last 10 times as long as the
effects of cocaine.(3) "
Persons who chronically use methamphetamine may exhibit symptoms
indistinguishable from paranoid schizophrenia, with delusions,
paranoia and aggressive behavior.(1)(15) Patients who have
methamphetamine-induced organic mental disorders differ from patients
who have other drug- or alcohol-induced disorders in that they
experience more hallucinations (both auditory and visual), more
paranoid ideation and more aggressiveness.
Amphetamine-induced psychosis has been shown to resolve within 10 days
of cessation of drug use. It may, however, persist for up to six
months in approximately 10 percent of patients. After resolution of
psychosis, further use of the drug may induce another psychotic
episode within a shorter period of time than was so initially.(15) One
study investigating the personality traits of alcohol users and
methamphetamine users showed more impulsiveness and less inhibition of
aggression in the methamphetamine users.(16)"
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3225/is_n2_v51/ai_16557857
"The most dangerous stage of meth abuse for abusers, medical
personnel, and law enforcement officers is called "tweaking." A
tweaker is a methamphetamine addict who probably has not slept in 3-15
days and is irritable and paranoid. Tweakers often behave or react
violently and if a tweaker is using alcohol or another depressant, his
negative feelings and associated dangers intensify. The tweaker craves
more meth, but no dosage will help re-create the euphoric high, which
causes frustration, and leads to unpredictability and potential for
violence.
A tweaker can appear normal: eyes can be clear, speech concise, and
movements brisk. But a closer look will reveal the person's eyes are
moving ten times faster than normal, the voice has a slight quiver,
and movements are quick and jerky. These physical signs are more
difficult to identify if the tweaker is using a depressant.
Tweakers are often involved in domestic disputes and motor vehicle
accidents. They may also be present at "raves" or parties and they may
participate in spur-of-the-moment crimes, such as purse snatchings or
assaults, to support their habit."
http://www.okdhs.org/OKSubstanceAbuse/substances/methamphetamine.shtml
?Side Effects of Crystal Meth As with nearly all drugs there are side
effects associated with crystal meth. Most common are insomnia,
agitation, irritability, dry mouth, sweating, and palpitations.
Body temperature increases, as does breathing and heart rate. Blood
pressure becomes affected. People with cardiac and blood pressure
problems can cause further damage to their cardiovascular systems.
Crystal meth can cause behavioral problems, paranoia and psychosis,
especially when used frequently and in individuals with a
predisposition to mental illness.?
http://menshealth.about.com/cs/stds/a/crystal_meth.htm
?Victims of meth labs can include the many law enforcement officers
involved in shutting them down, DEA Special Agent Lingle said. The
chemicals used in meth can pose airborne, waterborne or explosive
threats.
"We still don't know what these chemicals do to human beings," Lingle
said. "The officers who were doing labs back in the '70s and '80s are
coming up with lymphoma and Hodgkin's disease and many other things,
kidney failure and liver failure. And that's not even talking about
the crooks who are using this crap. The people that are using
methamphetamine have a very short lifespan because the chemicals
literally eat you from the inside out."
Malone said that the U.S. Department of Justice is conducting studies
on the residual effects from meth labs to determine just how dangerous
former lab sites are to future residents. No results have been
released yet.
The effects of exposure to chemical fumes endured by meth cooks, on
the other hand, are quite clear, Malone said. They include brittle
bones, missing or rotten teeth and open, weeping sores.
"That person is sitting there soaking in concentrated vapors," he
said. "They're at ground zero, so they're getting supersaturated. They
could be a cook that never took part of the product, that was squeaky
clean as far as that goes, and still be suffering these major effects
from it."
After all the hazardous material has been collected and some of it
retained for use as evidence, the remainder is removed by a private
waste disposal company that contracts with DEA and dumps hazardous
waste at designated spots nationwide.?
http://studentmedia.vpsa.asu.edu/webarchives/bulldog/981211/speed.html
"Some methadone deaths result from accidental or deliberate
overdoses by patients with legitimate prescriptions, said Bruce
Goldberger, a UF forensic toxicologist whose laboratory performs drug
analyses for medical examiners in 35 Florida counties. But others
occur when the drug is used recreationally for its euphoric,
long-lasting high, often by patients who go ?doctor shopping? to
obtain multiple prescriptions. Deaths also can occur when individuals
borrow pills from others for pain medication and accidentally
overdose.
?In Florida, we had a 71 percent increase in methadone-related deaths
from 2000 to 2001 - now methadone is associated with more deaths than
heroin,? said Goldberger, a clinical associate professor of pathology,
immunology and laboratory medicine at UF?s College of Medicine.
?Colleagues in other states have told me they?ve seen an upswing in
methadone deaths.?
Methadone was detected during 357 autopsies statewide in 2001,
compared with 328 autopsies involving heroin, according to an FDLE
report on drug-related deaths issued in June. Nationwide,
methadone-related emergency room visits nearly doubled between 1999
and 2001, from 5,426 to 10,725, according to the Drug Abuse Warning
Network, a federal data collection system.
?If you?ve never used opiates before, it?s very difficult to predict
how you?ll respond to the typical methadone pill - that?s why doctors
use such care in determining the correct initial dosage,? he said.
?More than half the methadone-related deaths in Florida in 2001 were
people ages 35 to 50. I suspect many of them were not trying to get
high; they simply needed pain relief, got a pill from someone else and
didn?t realize the danger they were getting into.?
Goldberger said he?s seen deaths in nearly every age group, from an
18-year-old man who ingested small doses of methadone and alcohol
recreationally, to middle-aged and elderly patients who were
prescribed methadone legitimately but died as a result of combined
drug intoxication.
WARNING**** This site has graphic pictures******
http://www.nicd.us/drugdeathpics.html
Images
=======
Several images of meth users. Roll your mouse over the "before"
picture to see the "after" picture.
http://www.co.multnomah.or.us/sheriff/faces_of_meth.htm
Meth User's Teeth
http://img44.exs.cx/img44/1231/methmouth8bs.jpg
Before and After Pictures
http://www.drugs-info.co.uk/newinfo/3stories/3stories.html
Scroll down to see all photos:
http://2stopmeth.org/main.php?pg=methinfo
Effects of meth on the brain:
http://www.loni.ucla.edu/~thompson/MEDIA/METH/PR.html
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/metha.html
Personal Stories
================
?After abusing meth for over 20 years, Parnell said he mentally and
physically tortured his second wife and children. Eventually, as a
result of drug abuse, Parnell put a gun to his head, surviving the
shot to the face. Despite the local sheriff pronouncing him dead as a
result of sustaining such traumatic injuries, Parnell has undergone 15
surgeries thus far and has several to follow in order to reconstruct
the damage."
http://www.dailycampus.com/media/paper340/news/2005/10/27/News/Former.Meth.Addict.Warns.Of.Dangers.Of.Drug-1036295.shtml?norewrite&sourcedomain=www.dailycampus.com
http://www.kcstar.com/projects/methdiary/
One person's comment on a forum: "The good thing about meth is that
periodically a trailer housing a meth lab blows up taking the meth
cookers with it. If they could just make it a bit more dangerous to
make meth we could establish a perfect equilibrium where all the labs
blew themselves up."
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/03/01/135734.php
A testimonial:
I weighed less than 100 lbs at one point and the skin around my eyes
started to hang from being so sunk in. I spent close to $35, 000 in
legal fees to keep custody of my son in the last three years, and have
wasted it all away. I've always prided myself on being such a great
mother, no matter what. This drug took me from my children, my family
and everyone I ever loved and cared about. I lied when needed, I
fought if necessary, and was treated like the biggest piece of dirt
from so many people. I am now trying to recover and it is the hardest
thing I've ever done. I was addicted to the life that comes with
using, just as much as I was addicted to the drug. I woke up one day
and realized I couldn't get anymore, everyone was in jail or running
from the police. I met a man that instantly I fell in love with, he
had a power over me, and one day I hope to marry this man and wake up
to him every morning. I was horrible to him, and just now am trying to
rebuild the relationship, to be a family with him and my children is
all I want. Walking away from the life was difficult, and it is a
struggle everyday. My name is Tiffany and I live in Texas, I am the
mother of two, and an ex-addict."
http://www.kci.org/meth_info/letters/2004/October_2004.htm
I hope this has given you plenty of information. If any part of my
answer is unclear, please request an Answer Clarification, before
rating. This will enable me to assist you further, if possible.
I wish you the best. Sincerely, Crabcakes
Search Terms
============
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