Facts of Methamphetamine Abuse

Methamphetamine is a central nervous system stimulant that has been used for the treatment of attention deficit disorder, obesity and for other ailments that require the treatment for amphetamine.

One major fact of methamphetamine is that it is one of the most addictive drug available today. When taken at high doses methamphetamine produces a euphoric feeling, the effect that addicts crave.

Another fact of methamphetamine is that it is easily produced using readily over the counter medication. The toxic form of methamphetamine that is

produced on the streets is called crystal meth.

The effects of crystal meth are much long lasting than methamphetamine. Hundreds of kilograms of this drug can be produced in clandestine labs for just a few hundred dollars. 

It is a fact that methamphetamine can kill. When overdosed, this drug can cause increase heart rate, high blood pressure and heart failure.

Damage to the vessels can also lead to stroke and eventually death. There are also cases of multiple organ damage.

There are many street names given to methamphetamines, some of the common names are Meth - the shorten form for Methamphetamine; Crystal Meth - the street name for the crystal form of the drug produced; Strawberry meth - a new type of methamphetamine produced; "Ice" - this is the pure methamphetamine hydrochloride, the smoked form of the drug; rock, crack, crystal, glass - denotes the appearance of the drug; "Speed" describes the rush feeling that it produces.

While the methamphetamine names may sound appropriate to describe the drug, there is no description given that explains the negative effects that this drug produce.

One of the main facts of methamphetamine is that there is a face to methamphetamine addicts. There are common changes in appearance of a person who is a meth addict. Some facts of methamphetamine features are:

* Weight loss - the increase in dopamine release is associated with this common feature

* 'tired' facial appearance - many meth users experience insomnia, restlessness and the their apparent wasting away accounts for this feature

* Body sores -  decrease in oxygenated blood, due to respiratory defects, to certain part of the body

* Meth mouth - advance tooth decay and mouth sores

Some other associated effects of crystal meth use are psychosis, paranoia, hallucinations, delusions, obsessive compulsive behavior, and damage to brain, memory loss, aggressive behavior and mood instability.

The final fact of methamphetamine is that it is considered a class A drug and dealers and users caught with this drug illegally can face a minimum of seven year imprisonment.