Methamphetamine

Methamphetamine is a powerful synthetic stimulant. It is illegal, highly addictive and very dangerous to your health. 

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About methamphetamine

Methamphetamine is a synthetic stimulant made from chemical ingredients. It is also known as:

Methamphetamine is a strong stimulant, but it also produces compulsive effects and dependence. It comes in several forms:

It can be smoked, snorted, injected or swallowed.

Any methamphetamine used in Canada is produced illegally.  

Methamphetamine is controlled under Schedule I of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA). Activities such as sale, possession or production are illegal, unless authorized for medical, scientific or industrial purposes. Pharmaceutical methamphetamine is not authorized in Canada.

Short-term effects of methamphetamine

How quickly methamphetamine affects you depends on how you take it. You will feel its effects within:

Methamphetamine can have dangerous and unpredictable, short-term mental and physical effects. These usually last 8 hours but can sometimes last up to 24 hours.

Mental effects

Methamphetamine users may experience a temporary rush of well-being (euphoria). They may also feel:

At high doses, methamphetamine may cause unpleasant effects, such as restlessness and anxiety. Sometimes mental performance can be impaired.

Physical effects

Methamphetamine users may also experience physical effects, such as:

Smoked methamphetamine may cause difficult breathing and shortness of breath.

Contaminated equipment can spread infectious diseases such as:

Binge effects

If you binge on methamphetamine, the euphoria decreases over time and unpleasant effects and compulsive behaviour increase.

Binge users may display highly focused and/or repetitive behaviours. They may also experience:

As a result, they may be irritable and prone to unprovoked aggression. Cravings for the drug may become extremely intense.

After binges, methamphetamine users “crash.” They may sleep for long periods of time and feel hungry, depressed or anxious, as well as continuing to crave methamphetamine.

Long-term effects of methamphetamine

Long-term effects are complications that result from repeated and sustained short-term effects. Methamphetamine users go through periods of stimulation and depression

Mental effects

Repeated methamphetamine use changes your moods and mental states.

Over time, problematic use may cause any or all of these symptoms:

It is unclear if psychosis and depression contribute to, or result from, methamphetamine use.

The mental effects of methamphetamine combined with psychiatric symptoms harm a person’s ability to manage their lives properly.  

Physical effects

The most dangerous long-term physical effects are cardiovascular. Even young users can suffer from:

Methamphetamine dependence may cause further harms, such as:

Using methamphetamine during pregnancy may be harmful to your unborn child. It is associated with:

Risks related to methamphetamine use

Methamphetamine overdoses most commonly produce exaggerated mental and physical effects such as:

Reports of overdose also note convulsions and coma.

Methamphetamine deaths result mostly from heart or lung complications. Deaths from choking on vomit or from infections are also frequent.

High doses of methamphetamine have also been linked to fatal accidents, suicides and violent aggression causing death.

The risk of accidental overdose is also higher with co-use of other substances (for example, alcohol, opioids).

Staying at the scene of an overdose is important to help save the person’s life. The Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act gives some legal protection for individuals who witness an overdose and call 911 or their local emergency number for help.

Substance use disorders and withdrawal

Methamphetamine is highly addictive. Tolerance develops the more you use. This means that you need more and more methamphetamine to get the desired effects. Difficulty getting “high” causes great frustration and unstable behaviour.

Unlike with other substances of problematic use, methamphetamine withdrawal produces mostly psychological symptoms. If you stop using methamphetamine abruptly you experience intense cravings. These cravings are so intense that you cannot focus on anything else. Eventually, your life may be taken over by the urge to get and use the drug.

Other symptoms of withdrawal include:

Coming down from a methamphetamine-induced state is commonly known as "tweaking." When the effects are wearing off, you feel a powerful combination of:

As the effects of methamphetamine continue to wear off, you can also experience:

This is a dangerous state, both for you and those around you. You are fueled by intense, negative psychological effects. You may be in a psychotic state or disconnected from reality. You can also become hostile and violent or you may self-mutilate, attempt suicide or attack others for no reason.

Unstable behaviour may not be apparent if other substances are used during withdrawal.

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2023-02-08