Meth Withdrawal & Detox: Symptoms, Timeline & Treatment

Methamphetamine (also known as “crystal meth”) is an extremely addictive drug. If a person uses it more than once or twice, they have a high chance of developing an addiction. Once a person becomes dependent, the body will go into withdrawal if they try to quit. Meth withdrawal symptoms may manifest during or after detox, which is the process of the body metabolizing and removing it.

Symptoms, side effects and signs of meth addiction may include:

Repeated use of meth also changes the structure of the brain. These changes cause coordination, learning and speech problems, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Regular exposure to the drug also causes the brain’s natural defense system to attack healthy brain cells. According to the Methamphetamine and Other Illicit Drug Education Project from the University of Arizona, symptoms of meth psychosis include seeing hallucinations, hearing voices and harming yourself. The stimulant can also bring about a severe crash when the inebriating effects wear off, causing the user to sleep for days afterward. If you feel comfortable, you can bring it up with a healthcare professional.

How Is Crystal Meth Made? What’s in It?

Methamphetamine withdrawal is a slow, difficult, but enormously valuable process that may last several days or weeks. A person doesn’t have to use meth for weeks or months to develop long-term brain damage. A meth overdose can cause strokes, or interruptions to the blood and oxygen supply to the brain. Strokes caused by meth can be deadly or cause permanent health problems. With repeated meth use, the brain’s chemical balance becomes disrupted. An individual will become addicted to meth because they will develop a tolerance to its pleasurable effects, which causes them to need to take it repeatedly.

Can addiction be treated successfully?

• Meth can release high levels of dopamine rapidly in the reward areas of the brain that strongly reinforce the drug-taking behavior, leading quickly to meth addiction.
• Some people recover from major depressive or psychotic symptoms within weeks of abstinence.
• The next highest numbers were children with Hispanic parents (40,062) and children with non-Hispanic Black parents (35,743), who also experienced the highest rate of loss and highest year-to-year rate increase, respectively.
• They can also refer you to a treatment center and answer any questions you may have.

Meth produces more reward chemicals than your brain can fully handle. It sends your brain’s dopamine levels into the stratosphere, so to speak. In everyday language, that means most of the meth will leave your system before the day is done. Some folks may do a “run,” which involves taking meth continuously meth addiction for several hours or days, often without sleeping or eating. Healthline does not endorse the use of any illegal substances, and we recognize abstaining from them is always the safest approach. However, we believe in providing accessible and accurate information to reduce the harm that can occur when using.

Meth Treatment

SAMHSA’s mission is to lead public health and service delivery efforts that promote mental health, prevent substance misuse, and provide treatments and supports to foster recovery while ensuring equitable access and better outcomes. For people with addictions to drugs like stimulants or cannabis, no medications are currently available to assist in treatment, so treatment consists of behavioral therapies. Treatment should be tailored to address each patient’s drug use patterns and drug-related medical, mental, and social problems. After the initial withdrawal process is complete, creating a plan for further treatment is vital.

Effects of Meth Addiction

They also find little pleasure in life and experience low energy, difficulty concentrating, irritability and insomnia. But over time and with help and support, people learn new skills to overcome meth abuse and discover new life interests. People in recovery from methamphetamine addiction must commit to staying sober for their entire lives. An estimated 321,566 children in the United States lost a parent to drug overdose from 2011 to 2021, according to a study published in JAMA Psychiatry.

Drug-Free Workplace Helpline

• Meth use, like other amphetamines, results in increased activity, decreased appetite, enhanced sociability and talkativeness, and can induce feelings of pleasure and a sense of well-being.
• Oral health and skin problems are so prevalent among meth users that slang terms such as meth mouth and meth sores have become well known.
• This change in behavior is known as meth addiction, or methamphetamine use disorder.
• And during our first meeting with a local provider, we learned that the biggest barrier to treatment for most people was the cost.
• Some types of organ damage, such as the effects of a stroke or heart attack, can’t be cured.
• Meth dependence is a physiological adaptation of the body, wherein the body becomes so used to meth being present in the system that when the individual cuts back on their use or quits, withdrawal symptoms emerge.

In the past, there were fewer self-help and treatment program options and less access to resources. The landscape has changed post-pandemic, and innovations in the self-help and treatment space, as well as many virtual options, have increased access to care. More recently, there has been a movement towards a fluid and adaptive approach to recovery that resembles a patchwork of non-linear layers and choices.

Should you seek professional care?

They have toxic effects on the body that are sometimes fatal. However, consistently using meth damages the brain cells that produce dopamine, which can make it harder for the person to achieve the same high over time. As a result, the person has to take the drug more frequently, consume increasingly higher doses, or constantly https://ecosoberhouse.com/ change the way they take it, in order to achieve the same effect. Methamphetamine, commonly referred to as meth, speed, or crack, is a powerful stimulant drug that affects the central nervous system. While some drugs slow down the body, meth speeds it up by triggering a burst of energy and an intense rush of euphoria.

What Does Meth Feel Like?