The effects of crystal meth on the body and the brain "stimulate" an addict into constant dopamine production. Short-term, crystal meth users will experience effects such as an elevation in heart rate and blood pressure. Chronic users face a more dire future that includes psychosis, paranoia, aggression, meth mouth, brain damage, a stroke and even death.
Crystal meth effects on the body
Crystal methamphetamine is simple to make and cheap to produce. It is also highly addictive. In its crystal form methamphetamine is usually smoked or injected. Users receive an immediate and intense flash from this crystallized version, followed by a feeling of euphoria that can last for hours. Although the drug primarily acts on the brain, its effects are felt throughout the body.
Short-term, the body of a crystal meth user can experience:
- tachycardia (elevated heart rate)
- heart palpitations
- blurred vision
- increased blood pressure
- insomnia
Long-term, the body of a crystal meth user can experience:
- the need for increased meth hits and in larger amounts
- brain fevers from higher crystal meth doses
- consistently high "stroke causing" blood pressure
- cardiac arrest
- damage to muscles, tissues and blood vessels
- an inability to heal
- acne or sores
- tooth decay resulting in meth mouth
In just a couple of years, meth users can age significantly. As skin loses its elasticity over time due to tissue and blood vessel damage, addicts will appear much older than they actually are. An additional complication for chronic abuse is "Meth Mouth."
What is Meth Mouth?
When addicts use crystal meth it can damage the salivary glands reducing the amount of saliva produced. This leads to a consistently dry mouth that allows acid to builds up and eat away the teeth. Long time addicts end up with Meth Mouth, which the American Dental Association at Ada.org describes as, "rampant tooth decay."
Users themselves describe their teeth as being, "Blackened, stained, rotting, crumbling or falling apart," says the ADA, adding that in many cases the only solution is extraction. But the more dire consequences of crystal meth effects, is on the brain.
Crystal meth effects on the brain
When an addict smokes or injects crystal meth, it forces the dopamine receptors in the brain to constantly release dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter and one of the chemicals responsible for transmitting signals between the nerves and the brain. With meth use, dopamine which is similar to adrenalin in side-effects, is released in excess, providing the euphoria associated with a hit. When the dopamine receptors are constantly stimulated, they are subject to damage which leaves them unable to produce dopamine effectively. As a result, users lose the ability to experience pleasure and suffer symptoms similar to Parkinson's disease.
The drug also appears to have a neurotoxic effect says Methresources.gov, which damages brain cells and blood vessels in the brain. The potential for a stroke is elevated and in many cases, brain damage is not reversible even after a user is rehabilitated. Psychosis is another effect of drug use says the government agency, with symptoms that include, "Paranoia, visual and auditory hallucinations, and delusions ( the sensation of insects creeping under the skin, sometimes referred to as “crank bugs”)."
Across the US, although meth use rates have been dropping, "18-25 year-olds continue to demonstrate the highest use rate of any age group (two to three times higher than any other age group)," reports Meth Resources.gov, which says that the highest meth use is among "Whites and Native Americans living in the West or South, who also use marijuana, cocaine, and intravenous drugs." Unfortunately meth use doesn't solely impact the addict; the effects of this illicit drug tear through society and decimate the environment.
Meth labs exposure
Meth labs are prolific and easy to establish. In Indiana for example, the article, "Meth Lab Numbers Worsen," reports that the number of labs being discovered is increasing. The article, released on Feb. 15, 2011 by Travis Sturgill of The Madison Courier, adds, "According to a report released by the Indiana State Police Methamphetamine Suppression Section, 1,346 meth labs were seized by the ISP, three more than in 2009, and 287 more than in 2008. An additional 49 labs were reported to the ISP by other agencies." Furthermore says the staff writer citing David Bursten of the ISP, "2010 was a record-breaking year for all categories of meth-related activities."
Exposure to lab chemicals is an ongoing concern, especially with many meth labs being domestic in origin. Some of the chemicals used in meth production include anhydrous ammonia – an agricultural fertilizer and industrial refrigerant, as well as red phosphorus used to make matches. According to the Minnesota Department of Health at Health.state.mn.us, combinations of volatile organic compounds or VOCs which include acids, bases, metals, solvents and salts, can also be present and when mishandled, often result in chemical fires, explosions and the release of toxic gases.
A person doesn't have to actively do meth to be affected either. Lab chemicals can, "Enter the body by being breathed, eaten or absorbed through the skin," says the Health Dept., culminating in negative short term exposure health effects such as irritation or shortness of breath, to liver, kidney and neurological damage in chronic exposure. But it isn't just the skin that absorbs the chemicals in a meth lab, walls, carpets and furniture can absorb them too, turning an entire building or home into a hazardous waste site. The potential for harm to others then because of this drug, is great.
Drugged driving and meth use
Laws against drunk driving are extensive and enforceable, but drugged driving presents a new challenge. As Suite101.com's, "Drugged Driving Data is Way Behind Statistics for Drunk Driving" shows, driving under the influence of drugs such as meth, can be difficult to determine when there are no valid tests that can effectively measure impairment. Yet driving drugged is becoming an epidemic in the US, with one-third of fatally injured drivers with known test results, testing positive for the presence of at least one drug, (Cesar.umd.edu; 2010).
The Environmental Protection Agency in its Meth Lab Guidelines at Epa.gov, says, "Studies have shown that the smoking of meth alone can produce levels of airborne meth that may result in a general contamination of the structure in which it is smoked." If just "smoking" meth can leave contaminants behind, one can only imagine how dangerous the chemical by-products from manufacturing meth can be. Put simply, whatever crystal methamphetamine touches, it can kill.
Note: all sources accessed Feb. 14; 15 and 16, 2011.
Elizabeth Batt - Elizabeth Batt is a former large animal nurse, certified NREMT, lover of equines and conservationist.
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