| Methamphetamine
A
highly addictive central nervous system stimulant that can be
injected, snorted, smoked, or ingested orally. Methamphetamine
users feel a short yet intense "rush" when the drug
is initially administered. The effects of methamphetamine include
increased activity, decreased appetite, and a sense of well
being that can last from 20 minutes to 12 hours. The drug has
limited medical uses for the treatment of narcolepsy, attention
deficit disorders, and obesity.
Methamphetamine can easily be manufactured in clandestine laboratories
using store bought materials and is the most prevalent synthetic
drug manufactured in the United States. The ease of manufacturing
methamphetamine and its highly addictive potential has caused
the use of the drug to increase throughout the Nation. The methamphetamine
problem was originally concentrated in the West but has spread
throughout almost every major metropolitan area in the U.S.
with the exception of the Northeast. |
Meth Powder |
Some
Street Names:
Bikers
Coffee
Methlies Quick
Chalk
Poor Man's Cocaine
Chicken Feed
Shabu
Crank
|
Speed
Crystal Meth
Stove Top
Glass
Trash
Go-Fast
Yellow Bam
Ice |
|
"ICE"
|
Yaba, the Thai
name for a tablet form of methamphetamine mixed with caffeine, is
appearing in Asian communities in northern California and Los Angeles
areas. These tablets are popular in Southeast and East Asia where
they are produced. The tablets are small enough to fit in the end
of a drinking straw and are usually reddish-orange or green with
various logos. There are indications that methamphetamine tablets
are becoming more popular within the rave scene because of the tablet's
similar appearance to club drugs such as Ecstasy.
Health
Effects:
The
effects of methamphetamine use can include addiction, psychotic
behavior, and brain damage. Methamphetamine is highly addictive
and users trying to abstain from use may suffer withdrawal symptoms
that include depression, anxiety, fatigue, paranoia, aggression,
and intense cravings for the drug. Chronic methamphetamine use can
cause violent behavior, anxiety, confusion, and insomnia. Users
can also exhibit psychotic behavior including auditory hallucinations,
mood disturbances, delusions, and paranoia, possibly resulting in
homicidal or suicidal thoughts. 11 Use of methamphetamine can cause
damage to the brain that is detectable months after the use of the
drug. The damage to the brain caused by methamphetamine use is similar
to damage caused by Alzheimer's disease, stroke, and epilepsy.
Consequences
of Use:
Chronic methamphetamine abuse can result in inflammation of the
heart lining and, for injecting drug users, damaged blood vessels
and skin abscesses. Social and occupational connections progressively
deteriorate for chronic methamphetamine users. Acute lead poisoning
is another potential risk for methamphetamine abusers because of
a common method of production that uses lead acetate as a reagent.
Medical consequences of methamphetamine use can include cardiovascular
problems such as rapid heart rate, irregular heartbeat, increased
blood pressure, and stroke-producing damage to small blood vessels
in the brain. Hyperthermia and convulsions can occur when a user
overdoses and, if not treated immediately, can result in death.
Research has shown that as much as 50% of the dopamine-producing
cells in the brain can be damaged by prolonged exposure to relatively
low levels of methamphetamine and that serotonin-containing nerve
cells may be damaged even more extensively.
Methamphetamine abuse during pregnancy can cause prenatal complications
such as increased rates of premature delivery and altered neonatal
behavior patterns, such as abnormal reflexes and extreme irritability,
and may be linked to congenital deformities. Methamphetamine abuse,
particularly by those who inject the drug and share needles, can
increase users' risks of contracting HIV/AIDS and hepatitis B and
C. |
