Methamphetamine is a white, bitter-tasting powder or pill. Crystal meth looks like glass fragment or shiny, bluish-white rocks.
It's ability to release high levels of dopamine in reward areas of the brain strongly reinforces drug-taking behavior. People can take methamphetamine by smoking, swallowing, snorting, or injecting the drug.
Methamphetamine increases the amount of dopamine in the brain, which is involved in movement, motivation, and reinforcement of rewarding behaviors (highness and co) Because the "high" from the drug both starts & fades quickly, people often take repeated doses to keep up their highness.
Short-term health effects include: increased wakefulness (long hours no sleep), high physical activity, decreased appetite, & increased blood pressure & fever
Long-term health effects include: risk of addiction; risk of contracting HIV and hepatitis (due to sharing of injecting needles with infected folks); severe dental problems ("meth mouth"); intense itching, leading to skin sores from scratching; violent behavior; paranoia, etc.
Methamphetamine can be highly addictive. When people stop taking it, withdrawal symptoms (things they start to observe) can include anxiety, tiredness, severe depression, psychosis (kolo mental), and intense drug cravings (this can make them do anything to get the drug).
A person can overdose on methamphetamine. Because methamphetamine overdose often leads to a stroke, heart attack, or organ problems, treatment is targeted at managing these specific conditions..
The most effective treatments for methamphetamine addiction is cognitive-behavioral therapy, which helps patients recognize, avoid & cope with the situations likely to trigger drug use.
Motivational incentives, i.e cash rewards to encourage patients to remain drug-free helps too.
There are currently no approved medications to treat meth addiction.
People can recover from meth addiction if they have access to effective treatments that address multitude of medical & personal problems resulting from long-term use. #STAYAWAYFROMMETH #STAYAWAYFROMICE. Ref. NIH: national institute on drug abuse.
