Stimulants

Methamphetamine (meth) is a synthetic stimulant that is addictive and can cause considerable health adversities that can sometimes result in death. Meth can be smoked, snorted, injected, or taken orally and is often used with other substances.

Body

Someone using meth may experience a temporary sense of heightened euphoria, alertness, and energy. This is because meth increases the amount of dopamine, a natural chemical, in the brain. Dopamine is involved in body movement, motivation, and reinforcing rewarding behaviors. Meth rapidly releases high levels of dopamine into reward areas of the brain, making people want to continue to use meth.

Meth not only changes how the brain works, but also speeds up the body’s systems to dangerous, sometimes lethal, levels—increasing blood pressure and heart and respiratory rates. People who repeatedly use meth may also experience anxiety, paranoia, aggression, hallucinations, and mood disturbances.

Through evidence-based treatment and support, it is possible to live life free from meth. While there are currently no Food and Drug Administration-approved medications to treat meth addiction, behavioral therapies can be effective. One example is cognitive-behavioral therapy, which helps people cope with situations that may prompt drug use. Another example uses motivational incentives in the form of vouchers or rewards that the person can earn as encouragement for not using meth or other substances.

Free from Meth

Meth can make you feel like you’re losing your freedom. But recovery is possible.

Download the audio and video files for "Free from Meth".

Watch one man’s message

The Rise of Meth Use in the United States

The Rise of Meth Use in the United States

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the rate of fatal overdoses involving meth and other stimulants (PDF | 459 KB) has increased significantly. According to SAMHSA, about 2 million people aged 12 years or older use meth in any given year, while about 500 people each day try meth for the first time.

Short-term Effects

Short-term Effects

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

Long-term Health Risks

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 problems

Need Help?

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 text your zip code to 435748 (HELP4U), or use the SAMHSA’s Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator to get help.

References and Relevant Resources

References and Relevant Resources

• Find Treatment
• Early Serious Mental Illness Treatment Locator
• National Survey on Drug Use and Health | SAMHSA
• Counselor’s Family Education: Manual Matrix Intensive Outpatient Treatment for People with Stimulant Use Disorders | SAMHSA (PDF | 1.1 MB)
• Methamphetamine | National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
• Methamphetamine | NIDA
• Drugs Most Frequently Involved in Drug Overdose Deaths: United States, 2011-2016 | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PDF | 335 KB)
• Kratom | NIDA

Where this page came from

This page was imported from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Published by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and, as a work of the United States government, in the public domain; material credited to others is left out.

Nobody has written it yet — it is the source material at a new address, which is why search engines are asked to skip it and why no one earns from it. It is up for grabs: take it on, and it is yours to rewrite and to earn from.