Methamphetamine is a very strong stimulant that works on the central nervous system. Scientists created methamphetamine from amphetamine in the last century for a very good purpose. At that time, it was an ingredient in bronchial inhalers and nasal decongestants. Now, users experience a pleasurable euphoria when they ingest methamphetamine. It also causes them to talk more than they usually do and makes them eat less.
People can obtain methamphetamines with a prescription from their doctors, but these prescriptions are not allowed to be refilled. Even so, not many physicians are prescribing methamphetamines for their patients, but if they do, they only provide them with small doses. Therefore, it isn’t likely that people can misuse methamphetamines from a doctor’s prescription alone. However, it is possible that this original taste of the drug can lead to addiction.
The Methamphetamine Crisis
In 2017, approximately 964,000 people 12 years old and older reported that they had a methamphetamine disorder in the past year. A total of 774,000 people used the substance in the last month, and 1.6 million people used the substance in the past year.
Because people cannot get enough meth from a legal prescription to develop a substance use disorder, the illegal market stepped in to fill the gap. These labs do not focus on safety, and they combine dangerous chemicals when they are creating the meth. Needless to say, the federal government isn’t regulating these meth labs, so the manufacturers can cut the meth with any substance.
Dealers cut meth with other substances so that they can make the meth stronger. It also serves the purpose of allowing the dealers to sell less meth for more money, and the customers are even aware of this fact.
What Is Used to Cut Meth?
Several of the additives that dealers use to cut meth are hazardous to human health, and they include the following:
Lithium Metal
Lithium metal is a product that manufacturers use to make batteries, and it may also be flammable. It can be dangerous to your health for several other reasons as well. Short-term effects include irritation and burning of the skin and eyes. If lithium is inhaled, it can irritate the lungs and cause coughing or shortness of breath. Exposure to large amounts of lithium leads to pulmonary edema or fluid in the lungs.
After exposure to lithium, human beings can experience abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea and the loss of appetite. It can also cause confusion, seizures, tremors, loss of coordination, blurred vision, twitching, muscle weakness, headache and coma.
Hydrochloric Acid
Hydrochloric acid is a substance made naturally in the stomach for the purpose of digesting food, but it is also made in the lab. Manufacturers place hydrochloric acid in dyes, fertilizer and chlorides. It is a substance that is known to be corrosive to human beings, and it irritates the eyes, mucous membranes and the skin.
Short-term, oral exposure to hydrochloric acid corrodes the body’s stomach, mucous membranes and esophagus. It can also burn and scar the skin. Long-term exposure to hydrochloric acid can lead to erosion of your teeth and discoloration.
Iodine
Iodine is a substance that exists in the foods that we eat, but some manufacturers add iodine to their products. One example of this is salt. It can also be found as a dietary supplement. Iodine is needed so that the thyroid can perform its duties. For example, the thyroid produces thyroxine and triiodothyronine, which are hormones. They form a part of the body’s metabolic process, enzymatic activity and protein synthesis.
When people consume too much iodine, it isn’t good for them. For example, high doses of iodine cause hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism as well as thyroid papillary cancer. If people ingest too much iodine, this can cause several serious side effects, including a weak pulse, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain, fever, and burning in the stomach, throat and mouth. It can also cause you to fall into a coma.
Sulfuric Acid
Manufacturers use sulfuric acid to create detergents, explosives, drugs, dyes, pigments, fertilizers, and inorganic salts and acids. It is also an ingredient in batteries.
Sulfuric acid is destructive to human beings. It is corrosive and destroys the lungs, the teeth, the eyes and the skin. It is also life-threatening to human beings.
Red Phosphorus
Red phosphorus can be a powder, a pill or amorphous granules. If it is inhaled, it can cause bronchitis, irritation and coughing. With long-term skin contact, it can cause the skin to become irritated. If it comes in contact with the eyes, they can become irritated, and the cornea may be injured.
When ingested, red phosphorus isn’t harmful to the body, but sometimes, red phosphorus contains white phosphorus. Red phosphorus that has been contaminated with white phosphorus has the potential to cause the jaw bone to degenerate.
Red phosphorus may react with oxygen and water vapor to form a toxic gas. It is also easily combustible and may ignite with exposure to heat. After the fire has been extinguished, it can begin to burn again.
Users may be able to recognize the fact that their meth has been cut with additives, but it is not always obvious. Therefore, users don’t always know exactly what is going inside of their bodies when they consume meth. This is dangerous because the meth could contain a substance that will poison them or cause an overdose.
At the same time, it isn’t necessarily safer for a user to consume meth that doesn’t contain as many additives. This is because users may be accustomed to taking meth that contains additives, and if they receive a batch that has fewer additives, this can also cause them to overdose. In general, methamphetamine sold on the streets is about 70% pure.
Dealers cut meth with other substances so that they can make the meth stronger. It also serves the purpose of allowing the dealers to sell less meth for more money, and the customers are even aware of this fact.
How Do People Use Meth?
Different dealers produce different types of meth, and they cut these different types with different additives. Methamphetamine can be injected, snorted or smoked. Users can also eat this substance. It comes as a white powder that is odorless, but crystal meth comes in translucent chunks that users can dissolve and inject into their veins. It is the purest form of methamphetamine that users can choose. They can also place it in a pipe and smoke it.
Smoking or injecting this substance ensures that it reaches the brain in the quickest manner possible. Because it enters the bloodstream and the brain so quickly, it provides users with an immediate rush of euphoria, but this increases the user’s potential to become addicted to the substance. This type of pleasurable feeling doesn’t last very long, but it does offer people a couple of minutes of intense pleasure.
If users eat or snort methamphetamine, they will experience euphoria, but they do not get to experience the intense rush. If users snort their methamphetamines, they will begin to feel the effects within three to five minutes. Eating methamphetamines takes the longest to produce the desired effects. Users must wait 15 to 20 minutes to experience the high when they eat meth.
The pleasurable effects of meth begin to disappear rather quickly, so they need to ingest more of the drug to continue to feel the euphoria. Some people will even just consume methamphetamine for days at a time, depriving themselves of sleep and food in the process. This is known as a “run.” Most of the time, people abuse methamphetamine by binging and crashing.
What Are the Increased Health Risks?
If you or someone you love is combining methamphetamine with other substances, you are increasing the danger that you would ordinarily be under if you only ingested meth. You are more likely to overdose on the drugs, but if you are mixing meth with a depressant, the depressant can cause the symptoms of an overdose to go unnoticed. If this happens, no one would know that you are experiencing an emergency.
Not all additives are dangerous, but they can be if you are smoking or injecting meth that has been laced with additional substances. Then, baking soda or powdered milk can be dangerous for you. If the meth has metals or chemicals in it, it can burn your throat and mouth and irritate your lungs.
Another significant issue is the fact that some of the substances that are cut into meth cannot be entirely dissolved. They leave tiny particles in your bloodstream, and these can build up. They can eventually create blockages near the brain, liver or heart. When this occurs, it can be very dangerous for you and may even result in your death.
Combatting the Methamphetamine Industry
Law enforcement targeted anhydrous ammonia, which is an ingredient that manufacturers put into methamphetamine. Officials looked for a way that they could make meth less potent, and as a result, it would also be less profitable. They are currently researching this additive to see if they can add it to the anhydrous ammonia. It is a good plan that may save many lives in the long run.
What Is Meth Mouth?
Someone with meth mouth has teeth that have turned black and look stained and rotten. These teeth often break or eventually fall out.
According to Brett Kessler, a dentist in Denver, Colorado, in the first stage of meth mouth, the person’s teeth begin to decay, the gums become swollen and red, and the person has bad breath. The second stage leads to receding gums, sores on the lips and continuing tooth decay. In the third stage, the teeth may be falling out, but they can also decay until they reach the gum line.
Meth may attack someone’s teeth because of the additives. As was mentioned above, hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid both destroy teeth, and red phosphorus causes degeneration of the jaw bone. The other problem is that methamphetamine is acidic, but saliva protects the teeth against acidic substances that enter the mouth. Unfortunately, methamphetamine damages the salivary glands in a condition known as “xerostomia.” When this occurs, the salivary glands can’t produce enough saliva to protect the teeth from decay.
Meth causes people to grind their teeth. It also makes them less inclined to brush their teeth and take care of themselves in general.
In addition to meth mouth, methamphetamine may also damage your blood vessels that can lead to strokes. The chemicals that manufacturers use to make methamphetamines can also cause liver damage. Methamphetamines can also raise your body temperature, and this leads to brain damage. This drug reduces your immune system’s ability to fight infections. Lastly, methamphetamine use can lead to death.
Granite Recovery Centers
Methamphetamine is a drug that causes several repercussions for the user. If you or your loved one haven’t begun to see the devastating effects that methamphetamine causes for people yet, you have a chance to make sure that they never happen to you. Now is the time to get treatment for your substance use disorder.
Short-term withdrawal symptoms will last for about two weeks and include the following:
- Insomnia
- Anxiety
- Fatigue
- Psychosis
- Intense cravings
- Changes in appetite
- Spasms and pain in the muscles
- Headaches
- Dehydration
Long-term withdrawal symptoms include the following:
- Cognitive problems
- Anxiety
- Cravings
- Irregular sleep
- Depression
If you are unable to tolerate these withdrawal symptoms for several weeks while your body is going through the detoxification process, you must enter our drug detox program. At Granite Recovery Centers, we can place you in detox where our staff will take care of your every need while you are here. We will treat you with medications so that your body can safely metabolize all of the substance. Then, you will be ready to begin counseling for your substance use disorder. Granite Recovery Centers provides medical detoxification for people who do not need immediate medical intervention, are not a danger to themselves, and are capable of self-evacuation in the event of an emergency.
Our treatment program includes cognitive behavioral therapy, the 12-step program, group therapy and individual therapy. If you or a loved one want to get off of meth or any other substance before you experience any very serious consequences, contact us at Granite Recovery Centers today.
