Methamphetamine abuse is a very serious and growing problem.  Illicit methamphetamine is sold in powder, ice, and tablet forms.  Powder methamphetamine is produced domestically, but it is also smuggled in from Mexico.  It is the most common form of methamphetamine available in the United States.  For some time, Asian-produced ice was almost exclusively available in <:City>Guam, <:State>Hawaii, and areas of <:State>California; however, as domestic production increased, this form of methamphetamine became available to areas of the United States that previously had no exposure to it.  The tablet form of methamphetamine has primarily been produced in Burma and then smuggled into the United States, particularly Northern <:State>California and <:City>Los Angeles.  Use of amphetamine was initially limited to several urban areas of the Southwest, but several major western cities and <:State>Hawaii have seen dramatic increases in its use, as well as rural areas throughout the country.  Additionally, methamphetamine use has been documented among significantly diverse populations. 

 

Methamphetamine is easily manufactured in clandestine laboratories using ingredients that can be purchased in local stores.  Over-the-counter medicines containing ephedrine, pseudoephedrine and other substances are combined together to make methamphetamine.  These ingredients are cooked in meth labs, causing a negative impact on the environment.  Producing a single pound of methamphetamine causes the release of noxious gas into the atmosphere as well as creating a significant amount of toxic waste.  Many meth lab operators dump the waste into household fields and yards, or in rural areas.  Also, when first responders raid meth labs, they often suffer respiratory problems, eye irritations, dizziness and nausea. 

 

What is methamphetamine?

 

Methamphetamine, a Schedule II drug, is a strongly addictive stimulant that has a pronounced effect on the central nervous system.  Schedule II drugs have strong potential for abuse, and are obtainable only through prescriptions that are not permitted to be refilled.  Methamphetamine has been used in a limited way to treat attention deficit disorder, narcolepsy, and obesity.  It is easily made in clandestine laboratories with relatively inexpensive over-the-counter ingredients.  Its abuse is associated with serious health conditions, including aggression, memory loss, psychotic behavior, potential heart damage, and potential brain damage.  It also contributes to more cases involving the transmission of HIV/AIDS and hepatitis. 

 

            Methamphetamine comes in a number of forms and can be orally ingested, smoked, snorted, or injected.  The drug changes moods in different ways, depending on the way it is taken.  Methamphetamine has many different street names, the most common being chalk, meth, and speed.  In its smoked form, methamphetamine is often referred to as crank, crystal, glass, and ice.  It is an odorless, bitter-tasting, white crystalline powder that readily mixes with water or alcohol, and its effects can last for 12 hours or more.  Methamphetamine was developed in the early 1900s from its forerunner, amphetamine, and it was originally used in bronchial inhalers and nasal decongestants. Its chemical composition is much like amphetamine; however, it has stronger effects on the central nervous system. 

 

             Methamphetamine is most often used in a binge and crash pattern.  Tolerance for the drug occurs within minutes, so users try to stay high by binging on the drug.  Like amphetamine, methamphetamine causes increased activity and diminished appetite, as well as a sense of well-being that can last 6 to 8 hours.  Directly after smoking it or injecting it intravenously, the user experiences an intense, extremely pleasurable rush that lasts only a few minutes.  Snorting produces effects within 3 to 5 minutes, and oral ingestion produces effects within 15 to 20 minutes.  Following the initial rush, there is usually a state of agitation that can sometimes cause violent behavior.   

 

Short-Term Effects of Methamphetamine Abuse

 

            In the brain, a neurotransmitter known as dopamine performs the major role of regulating pleasure.  The rush and the high from use of methamphetamine in its various forms are thought to result from the discharge of high levels of dopamine into the areas of the brain that control feelings of pleasure.  This large release of dopamine is thought to be the reason for the drug’s harmful effects on the brain’s nerve terminals.  High doses can raise body temperature to dangerous, potentially lethal, levels, as well as cause convulsions.  In summary, the short-term effects of methamphetamine abuse can include:

 

·        Increased attention and decreased fatigue

·        Increased activity

·        Decreased appetite

·        Euphoria and rush

·        Increased respiration

·        Hyperthermia

·        Convulsions

 

Long-Term Effects of Methamphetamine Abuse 

 

            Long-term methamphetamine abuse produces many damaging effects, one of which is addiction.  Addiction is a chronic disease, distinguished by compulsive drug seeking and drug use accompanied by functional and molecular changes in the brain.  In addition to being addicted to methamphetamine, habitual methamphetamine abusers show symptoms that can include anxiety, confusion, insomnia, and violent behavior.  They also can display a number of psychotic characteristics, including auditory hallucinations, delusions, mood disturbances, and paranoia.  The paranoia can result in homicidal and/or suicidal thoughts. 

 

            With chronic use, methamphetamine users develop a tolerance for the drug.  In trying to strengthen the desired effects, users take higher doses, take the drug more frequently, or alter their method of taking the drug.  In some cases, abusers give up food and sleep for several days while injecting the drug periodically until the user has no drug left or is too uncoordinated to continue.  Chronic abuse can result in psychotic behavior, characterized by hallucinations, extreme paranoia, and out-of-control rages that might be accompanied by violent behavior.

 

            There are no physical indications of withdrawal syndromes when a user stops taking methamphetamine.  However, there are some symptoms that occur—depression, anxiety, fatigue, aggression, paranoia, and a very strong craving for the drug. 

 

            In scientific studies, researchers have reported that up to 50% of the dopamine-producing cells in the brain can be damaged after prolonged exposure to relatively low levels of methamphetamine.  Researchers have also found that nerve cells containing serotonin may be damaged considerably more.   

 

            Methamphetamine use can cause cardiovascular problems, including rapid heart rate, irregular heartbeat, elevated blood pressure, and irreversible damage to small blood vessels in the brain, possibly leading to stroke.  Overdoses of methamphetamine can cause hyperthermia (elevated body temperature) and convulsions, which, if not treated promptly, can result in death. 

 

            Chronic methamphetamine abuse can cause inflammation of the heart lining.  Injection of methamphetamine can cause damaged blood vessels and skin abscesses.  Abusers of the drug also can have exhibit violent behavior, paranoia, anxiety, confusion, and insomnia.  Heavy users also display progressive occupational and social deterioration.  Even after use has ceased, psychotic symptoms can persist for a long time. 

 

            Lead acetate is used as a reagent in a common method of illicit methamphetamine production.  Therefore, production errors may result in lead-contaminated methamphetamine.  Some intravenous methamphetamine users have incurred acute lead poisoning. 

 

            Fetal exposure to methamphetamine is also a serious problem in the United States.  Presently, research shows that methamphetamine abuse during pregnancy may result in prenatal complications and increased rates of premature delivery.  Such use may also result in altered neonatal behavioral patterns, such as abnormal reflexes and extreme irritability.  The abuse of methamphetamine during pregnancy has also been associated with congenital deformities. 

 

            In summary, the long-term effects of methamphetamine abuse can include:

 

·        Dependence and addiction psychosis

·        Hyperthermia

·        Weight loss

·        Cardiovascular problems

·        Stroke

·        Acute lead poisoning

·        Skin abscesses

·        Damaged blood vessels

·        Prenatal complications

·        Altered neonatal behavioral patterns

·        Congenital deformities

 

Treatments for Methamphetamine Abusers

 

            Presently, the most successful treatments for methamphetamine addiction involve cognitive behavioral intervention methods.  These approaches are structured to help reshape the patient’s thinking, behaviors, and expectancies and to develop skills in managing various life stressors.  In addition to the foregoing, recovery support groups appear to be instrumental in leading to drug-free recovery in the long-term.  As for pharmacological methods of treatment, antidepressant medications can be helpful in helping abstinent methamphetamine users with their depressive symptoms.  Emergency room doctors use certain methods to treat individuals who have overdosed on methamphetamine.  Since hyperthermia and convulsions are usual and often fatal complications of methamphetamine overdoses, emergency room treatment centers on the current physical symptoms.  Patients exhibiting hyperthermia are usually stabilized in ice baths, and may be given anticonvulsant drugs.  Acute methamphetamine intoxication is often dealt with by observation in a quiet, safe environment.  Cases of extreme excitement or panic are often successfully treated with antianxiety agents such as benzodiazepines.  Cases of methamphetamine-induced psychoses are often given short-term doses of neuroleptics, which are older drugs that have been traditionally used for such purpose. 

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