Making it Crystal Clear: The myth of methamphetamine? but instead of lasting just minutes, methamphetamine lasts for up to 8 hours. John who has tried methamphetamine on a number of occasions described it as a much more exhilarating experience than other recreational drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy: “Meth makes you feel like you’ve awoken from a deep sleep all your life. You don’t want to sit still and suddenly want to experience all those things that give you pleasure – and they’re so much more enhanced than ever before,” he said. “The problem arises when you stop. All that excitement leads to a massive low. You’ll spend days mopping around thinking life is worthless – or worse still you won’t be able to sleep and think you’re going mad.” Methamphetamine acts on the noradrenergic, dopamine and serotinergic systems with stimulation of the mesolimbic system causing the euphoria and addictive qualities of the drug. One of the side effects is obsessive behaviour with users performing repetitive tasks such as characteristic skin picking leading to stereotypical sores on the bodies of users.
Most users also experience an irresistible and compulsive sexual urge - one of the reasons why it has become so popular on the club scene. Intercourse is often more aggressive and for longer frequently with the inability to reach orgasm, increasing the risk of sexual trauma and infections. Decreased inhibitions also make it more likely for sex to be unprotected – users are six times more likely to have intercourse without condoms(6).
“Meth labs have been uncovered here - and as with crack, the chances are that the drug will find a level within existing chronic drug using groups and this would present a challenge for existing drug services.” Harry Shapiro Director of Communications and Information, DrugScope
Effects of methamphetamine: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Euphoria Agitation Diarrheoa Nausea Sweating Insomnia Bruxism Agitation Compulsive fascination Obsessional behaviour Increased libido Weight loss Withdrawal-related depression Psychosis (often on withdrawal) Dopamine receptor downregulation and hypersensitization Visual and auditory hallucinations Stroke Meth mouth Liver damage
SOURCE: EROWID; DRUGSCOPE; ASSOCIATION OF CHIEF POLICE OFFICERS
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METH
Fig 1. – Media fears of methamphetamine use
Sudafed and YouTube Newspapers have claimed that a 15-yearold with a chemistry set could cook up methamphetamine from household ingredients by following an instructional video from YouTube. They highlighted that making methamphetamine is relatively simple. The active ingredient is pseudoephedrine – which can easily be purchased in over-the-counter decongestants such as Sudafed. This is heated with red phosphorus and blue iodine – known in the US as the “Red, White and Blue Process”. So concerned were drug agencies about the availability of the constituent ingredients in the US that they introduced the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005 that limited the amount of pseudoephedrine that can be purchased at one time. In reality, production of methamphetamine is not so safe as it involves flammable and toxic gases which can ignite in explosive form - one of the ways clandestine meth factories are commonly discovered.