Drug Use & Abuse

Drug: Methamphetamine, a synthetic stimulant derived from amphetamine (a drug used to treat attention disorders)

 

1. Behavioral effects

The onset of the methamphetamine high is very quick, especially when taken intravenously or via smoking.  The high is also quite short, which tends to create a pattern among users of taking the drug several times in a day or series of days; this is referred to as ‘crash and burn’ or ‘binge and crash’ methamphetamine use (National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), 2017).  Methamphetamine causes a large spike in the amount of dopamine in the brain, creating a feeling of euphoria in the user.  Because of this alteration of brain chemical levels, users can be prone to erratic behavior, often exacerbated because of lack of sleep for long periods of time.  Users may display increases in confidence, or even engage in dangerous behavior due to a feeling of immortality. 

2. Physiological effects

Along with dopamine, methamphetamine also releases norepinephrine and serotonin, which trigger the fight or flight response in the body.  The result of this is an increase in heart rate, increased perspiration, heightened energy, and constriction of the blood vessels which raises blood pressure (Fabian, 2007, p. 446).  These also cause a heightened ability to focus on menial tasks (hence the stereotype of the meth head cleaning the bathroom repeatedly).  Studies show the drug has an especially strong effect on the limbic system (Kobayashi et al., 2004, p. 328).

3. Acute health effects

As with most other drugs, there is a risk of overdose, which can lead to serious injury or death.  Overdose deaths are more common with intravenous use, as dosing is much more difficult to control than with smoking, and because the purity of street methamphetamine can vary greatly (addictionblog.org, 2013).  It can cause irregular heartbeat and heart palpitations, which carries the risk of serious cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke, although these are more associated with long-term use. 

4. Chronic health effects

There are many side effects from long-term use of methamphetamine, both physical and psychological.  Possible physical effects include high blood pressure, heart disease, loss of teeth/ gum disease, HIV or hepatitis from needle sharing, collapsed veins, and many others (NIDA, 2017).  Psychologically, it can cause permanent psychosis, severe depression (as long-term use damages the ability of the body to create dopamine), anxiety, hallucinations, and insomnia (Anglin, Burke, Perrochet, Stamper & Dawud-Noursi, 2000, p. 137).   

5. Combining with other drugs

According to drugs.com, a searchable database which lists potentially dangerous drug interactions, there are 91 major legal drug interactions with methamphetamine (497 including generic and brand names), and 515 more moderate legal drug interactions (3901 including generic and brand names).  Of the drugs with the highest risk, several are commonly abused prescription opiates, including codeine and hydrocodone (drugs.com, 2018).  As far as mixing methamphetamine with other illicit drugs, some users combine it with marijuana, GHB, cocaine, or MDMA, among others.  Several of these can cause serious complications: mixing with other stimulants such as cocaine can cause an acceleration of the overdose process, while depressants such as opiates can mask symptoms of potential overdose until it is too late to seek medical treatment.  For this reason, many people who use methamphetamine in combination with heroin can overdose without others nearby even being aware until it is too late (American Addiction Centers, 2018).

6. What surprised me

I was surprised by how widely accepted the use of stimulants similar to methamphetamine has been throughout history.  While obviously methamphetamine is more potent and dangerous than legal amphetamines or stimulant herbs, the basic effect on the body is very similar.  It wasn’t until 2005 that the government banned the manufacture of Ephedra-based products, which were typically billed as dietary supplements and were available over the counter.  I actually tried ephedra a few times in high school, in the form of Herbalife energy/diet pills.  I had no idea at the time that it was basically a milder form of speed, but it certainly made me extremely focused and motivated to get things done!  Societies have been recreationally using forms of natural stimulants for thousands of years, and pollen from an ephedra plant was found in a grave dating back 60,000 years, proving that even Neanderthals enjoyed using stimulants. (Miller, 2015).

7. Legalization

I do support legalization of most drugs in general. I think this would allow us to be able to better regulate and control the sale and use of drugs. Also, it could greatly reduce the black market and criminal element of drug distribution and therefore greatly reduce the number of people in our prisons (which is very costly right now). I think the way it should be done is to require people to get prescriptions in order to obtain the drugs that are currently illegal (e.g. heroin) and pick them up at supervised pharmacies, where people treatment programs would be available to people, and not just sold anywhere at a store. For a time in the US in the early 1900’s, before we made opium illegal, doctors would dispense them at pharmacies to addicts. Our current war on drugs that spends billions of dollars is not working, so it would be good to try a new approach.

8. Decrimininalization

I feel that transitioning out of the ‘war on drugs’ involves first decriminalizing the possession and use of small amounts of drugs.  While I completely understand that people worry decriminalizing drug use can send the wrong message to children, I believe that our current policies have been ineffective at prevention also.  I feel that if we refocused the efforts and resources away from drug law enforcement, and towards use prevention education and rehabilitation programs, we could see better outcomes.  Treating people who are addicted to drugs as criminals does nothing to address the root issues that lead to the addiction in the first place, and until the stigma in our society is abolished, I don’t believe progress can be made. If we stopped putting the billions into trying to stop the supply, I think there would be more than enough money to treat addicts. The downside is that decriminalization would not allow regulation of the quality of drugs (because selling drugs is still illegal) which legalizing all drugs would do. I am not sure which is better – legalization or decriminalization.

 

References

Addictionblog.org. (2013, April 1). Methamphetamine overdose: How much meth does it take to OD? Retrieved from http://drug.addictionblog.org/methamphetamine-overdose-how-much-meth-does-it-take-to-od/

American Addiction Centers. (2018).  Retrieved from https://americanaddictioncenters.org/meth-treatment/cut-with/

Anglin, M., Burke, C., Perrochet, B., Stamper, E. & Dawud-Noursi, S. (2000). History of the methamphetamine problem. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 32(2), 137-141.

https://www.drugs.com/drug-interactions/methamphetamine-index.html?filter=3&generic_only=

Fabian, John Matthew, P.S.Y.D., J.D. (2007). Methamphetamine motivated murder: Forensic psychological/psychiatric & legal applications in criminal contexts. Journal of Psychiatry & Law, 35(4), 443-474,417. Retrieved from https://nuls.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.nuls.idm.oclc.org/docview/222371788?accountid=25320

Iyo, M., Sekine, Y. & Mori, N. (2004). Neuromechanism of developing methamphetamine psychosis: A neuroimaging study. Annals New York Academy of Science, 1025, 288-295.

Kobayashi, H., Ide, S., Hasegawa, J., Ujike, H., Sekine, Y., Ozaki, N., Inada, T., Harano, M., Komiyama, T., Yamada, M., Iyo, M., Shen, H., Ikeda, K. & Sora, I. (2004). Study of association between alpha-synuclein gene polymorphism and methamphetamine psychosis/dependence. Annals of New York Academy of Science, 1025, 325-334

Miller, M. (2015, February 11). Archaeological study explores drug-taking and altered states in prehistory. Ancient Origins. Retrieved from http://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/archaeological-study-explores-drug-taking-prehistory-020210

National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2017, February). Retrieved from https://www.drugabuse.gov/ publications/drugfacts/methamphetamine