The brain’s natural dopamine and norepinephrine levels are raised by methamphetamine. With readily available materials, it is inexpensive and simple to create, and the effects endure longer than those of cocaine. This narcotic is also known by its street names like crystal meth, ice, chalk, crank, and speed.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) estimates that in 2019, methamphetamine was used by about 2.6 million Americans who were 12 years of age or older. Additionally, 1.5 million of them, or roughly 57.7%, were estimated by NIDA to have a misuse disorder.
How Do They Use It?
Methamphetamine in its illegal forms can be injected, smoked, snorted, or taken orally. The quick, powerful rush or bliss that results from smoking or injecting methamphetamine lasts for a few minutes. After consuming it, snorting causes a euphoric high that lasts for three to five minutes rather than a strong rush. Methamphetamine effects might be felt 15–20 minutes after oral administration.
Effects
Methamphetamine’s effects might linger for several hours, and they can take up to four days to go away from a person’s body. The exact amount of methamphetamine in each dose cannot be determined since illicit drugs are not subject to regulations. Heart attack, seizures, and elevated body temperature can result from an overdose. An overdose can cause organ failure and perhaps death if it is not handled right away. Getting assistance from meth rehab centers can ensure a return to a better life.
Long-Term Abuse And Its Effects
Abuse of methamphetamine can lead to profound alterations in the brain. Numerous studies have shown that changes in the activity of the brain’s dopamine system are linked to slower motor response times and difficulties memorizing words. The areas of the brain that regulate emotions and memory have undergone structural and functional alterations, according to more studies.
Addiction to methamphetamine is extreme. This is because dopamine stays in the synapses of the brain long after it is used. Dopamine causes the consumer to feel intense euphoria by maintaining brain cell activation. A person needs higher dosages of the medicine to feel normal after a while because they are unable to create dopamine on their own. They can experience overwhelming exhaustion, depressive symptoms, agitation, indifference, and confusion if they try to withdraw all of a sudden.
