What is Crystal Meth??
What is crystal methamphetamine?
Methamphetamine is a stimulant that affects the central nervous system. Commonly known as “crystal,” “speed,” “meth,” or “Tina”, it is a white or off-white, odorless, bitter-tasting crystalline powder that easily dissolves in water. Crystal meth provides the user with sustained energy and a general sense of well-being. Along with increasing alertness and wakefulness, it masks the body’s need for food, water, or rest. It mirrors the body’s natural “fight or flight” response, a reaction that slows digestion and increases alertness and concentration. Crystal meth can be snorted or smoked as is or dissolved in water and drunk or injected. The effects can last from 6 to 12 hours or more, depending on the individual’s tolerance and the dosage. With sufficient quantity of speed or use of time, a state of high agitation can develop along with extreme emotions and intense paranoia. These in turn can sometimes lead to violent behavior.
What are the short-term effects of crystal meth use?
Crystal Methamphetamine, like cocaine, is a “psychostimulant” that increases the amount of at least three important brain chemicals called neurotransmitters: dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine. As a result, methamphetamine can elevate your mood, induce euphoria, increase alertness, reduce fatigue, increase energy, decrease appetite, increase movement and speech, and provide a sense of increased personal power and prowess. This is the high you feel – you instantly become the “life of the party”. And, unlike the high from cocaine which is brief, the effect of meth lasts for six to eight to 12 hours or more depending how much you do.
Unfortunately, there’s also a down side. The same process produces increased blood pressure, heart rate and sweating, and can cause anxiety, irritability, insomnia, paranoia, and sometimes even psychosis. In addition, once the high wears off, mental and physical exhaustion set in often with a deep depression that sometimes includes thoughts of suicide.
What are the long term effects of crystal meth amphetamine use?
Crystal Meth amphetamine causes long lasting changes in brain chemistry, particularly in the neurotransmitter systems of your brain. Notably, these brain chemistry changes seem to impact cognitive abilities such as memory, judgment, reasoning, and verbal learning. And these changes do not reverse themselves quickly. Current research indicates that it takes many months away from the drug before your brain begins to heal. Other long term effects are often frequent bouts of drug craving, frequent agitating dreams of using crystal or frequent frustration dreams of being unable to use. These also fade over time, but this takes many months away from the drug as well.
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