Tips for Teens, The Truth About Methamphetamine (Meth)

METHAMPHETAMINE AFFECTS YOUR BRAIN. Meth causes changes in the brain circuits that control reward, stress, decision-making, and impulse control, making it more and more difficult to stop using even when it is having negative effects on your life and health. Frequent use also can lead to tolerance and withdrawal, so you need more of the drug just to feel normal. Additional effects of using meth can include anxiety and depression, chronic fatigue, paranoid or delusional thinking, and serious psychological illness.2,3 METHAMPHETAMINE AFFECTS YOUR BODY. Using meth increases heart rate, blood pressure, and risk of stroke. Other negative consequences of long-term meth use are extreme weight loss, severe dental problems (“meth mouth”), and skin sores caused by scratching.4 Meth use affects the levels of dopamine in your brain. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that affects, among other things, movement, motivation, emotions, and feelings of pleasure.5 Because meth causes a flood of dopamine to the brain, the natural supply gets depleted. As a result, activities that would normally increase dopamine and, therefore, pleasure (such as listening to music or eating a delicious meal) may no longer do so, which can lead to depression.6 METHAMPHETAMINE AFFECTS YOUR SELF-CONTROL. Meth is an addictive drug that can cause aggression, violent behavior, and psychosis (loss of contact with reality).7,8 METHAMPHETAMINE IS NOT ALWAYS WHAT IT SEEMS. As much as 60 percent of what a person injects, snorts, or smokes is not meth. Powder sold as meth may contain many other substances, including lead acetate or mercury, both of which are toxins that can lead to poisoning.9,10 METHAMPHETAMINE CAN KILL YOU. High doses can cause the body to overheat to dangerous levels. Death can result from stroke, heart attack, or multiple organ problems caused by overheating.11 METHAMPHETAMINE ADDICTION IS TREATABLE. Behavioral treatments can help someone stop using methamphetamine and recover from addiction.12