Because many people who abuse meth engage in a binge, it is important to know how long meth stays in your system. The body immediately begins to metabolize meth, first breaking it down partly to amphetamine. Within a few hours, the body continues to break down the methamphetamine and amphetamine left in the bloodstream.
The liver and kidneys do their work filtering out the chemicals of meth, as does urination. The majority of meth leaves the body without metabolizing at all. In addition to being highly addictive, meth can cause damaging effects to your health.
Psychological dependence can result because the rush effects are desirable: excitement, high energy, talkativeness. People who abuse meth may associate this time with increased abilities to perform or achieve tasks part of the delusions they experience. But taking high doses or prolonged abuse can lead to less desirable effects to your health. For example, chronic use can lead to: irritability, nervousness, paranoia, violent behavior and extreme depression. All of these symptoms can contribute to increased likelihood of self-harm or harm of others.
Left untreated, prolonged meth abuse can trigger psychosis similar to schizophrenia. Treatment for meth first involves detoxification detox. Hyperthermia and convulsions can be fatal. Methamphetamine can also cause irreversible damage to the blood vessels in the brain, which can result in a stroke.
Some of the common signs that someone might be using methamphetamine include:. Overdose is another danger associated with methamphetamine use. An overdose results in a rapid onset of physiological deterioration, eventually leading to a heart attack or stroke.
Because of the speed of onset, death occurs suddenly and unexpectedly. A meth overdose produces profuse sweating, rapid breathing, increased heart rate, and dilated pupils. A person who has overdosed on meth will have a high temperature, kidney failure, and cardiovascular collapse. The truly scary part is that it will all happen very quickly. If you suspect that someone has overdosed on methamphetamine, contact emergency services immediately.
As a result of anti-drug campaigns and popular media, many people have a mental picture of what they think a "meth user" looks like. Often it's an image of someone with rotten teeth who is dirty, gaunt, and scabbed. Pictures of people who have misused meth and have undergone shocking physical changes are graphic and can make for a convincing argument against drug use, but they paint a very narrow picture of who uses meth.
In reality, approximately 1. Methamphetamine addiction can affect anyone. Methamphetamine has a high risk of tolerance and dependence. Tolerance occurs when a person needs to take increasing amounts of the drug in order to achieve the same "high" they initially experienced. Tolerance to methamphetamine develops quickly. How long meth stays in your system depends upon a variety of factors including metabolism, body mass, and the frequency of use.
It can usually be detected by blood test for one to three days, by urine test for up to a week, and by hair follicle test for up to 90 days. Methamphetamine is highly addictive and people can become physically dependent upon the drug quickly. Meth, like amphetamine, produces a rapid pleasurable feeling, which is followed by feelings of depression and irritability when the drug wears off. People who use meth will seek and use more methamphetamine in order to get back to that state of pleasure or to just feel "normal" again.
This cycle results in physical dependence on the drug and often requires serious treatment to successfully break. Once you have decided to quit, detoxification is the first step. This process begins once you stop taking methamphetamine and continues until your system is free of it and has adjusted to being off the drug.
Initial withdrawal symptoms usually begin within 24 hours of the last dose, peak after about 10 days, and may last three weeks or more. People often go through the detox and withdrawal process at home, but residential and outpatient treatment options are also available. If you decide to go through the process at home, make sure to inform your doctor and have a friend or loved one check in on you often. The withdrawal from a drug like meth is not easy and is filled with days or weeks of many symptoms.
People who stop using methamphetamine experience irritability, depression, fearfulness, and loss of energy. Possibly the hardest withdrawal symptom to overcome, however, is the extreme craving for the drug. People withdrawing from methamphetamine can alternate from wanting to sleep all the time to not being able to sleep. Withdrawal symptoms can last for several weeks.
Long-term Meth use can also cause significant damage to the brain and the cells that make dopamine, as well as to the nerve cells containing serotonin. Methamphetamine is often cut with other powerful substances, and some users will deliberately mix in or take additional drugs in order to elicit a stronger high.
Some of the drugs most commonly combined with Meth include:. The Stimulant effects of Meth can mask the Sedative effects of alcohol and lead to someone drinking more than they would typically drink. Concurrent consumption can also lead to high blood pressure, psychosis and hallucinations, chronic liver damage, cancer, and sudden death.
Speedballs will often cause the user to have difficulty walking and to exhibit suppressed avoidance responses. This makes them more likely to injure themselves and others. Combining an Opioid drug with Meth also increases the likelihood that an individual will overdose.
Anxiety is a common negative side effect of Meth use. Xanax , a medication used to reduce anxiety, can be used to combat this negative feeling. The result is an extremely addictive combination that often leads to heart issues. As Meth speeds up the heart, Xanax slows it down. This can lead to heart arrythmias, which can then lead to potentially fatal heart failure. Boca Raton, FL. View Center. Hollywood, FL. Meth is a highly dangerous and addictive substance.
When someone suffers from an addiction to Meth, it may seem like they will never be able to regain control over their life again. However, an addiction treatment program can help Meth users break their physical and psychological dependence on the drug.
If you or a loved one is suffering from an addiction to Methamphetamine, contact a treatment provider and learn about potential rehabilitation options today. She has always had a passion for literature and the written word. The meth rush phase lasts about 14 hours. This initial rush is followed by a longer meth high. Typically, this meth high lasts for a few hours, but can extend up to 15 hours.
A person may feel very outspoken and might be prone to arguing to make their point. They can often fixate on one activity such as standing and staring at an appliance or a flame or actively repeating a task like snapping their fingers or sweeping a room.
When someone is addicted, they will continue to repeat the meth rush and high cycle for days to make the euphoria associated with the methamphetamine high last as long as possible and avoid negative withdrawal effects. During this time, they may barely eat or sleep. As their body weakens physically and mentally, it may lead to the next step in the meth high- shutdown or tweaking.
When the rush and high are over, psychological issues begin to present themselves due to exhaustion and the inability to regain the methamphetamine high. The person using will often describe this time after the meth high as a feeling of emptiness, loss, and craving, or existing in a fog of sensations no one else can experience.
This period of time of the meth high is dangerous for both the person experiencing it and others around them due to their increased hostility or desire to harm themselves.
When the body cannot take anymore, it will retreat into a sleep stage to find a semblance of recovery.
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