Meth use is rapidly gaining popularity with the younger generation and it’s also becoming easier to procure —especially in colleges.

Meth: What Is It And How Does It Affect You?

Methamphetamine, or Meth, usually used for recreational purposes, is a highly addictive drug. Long-term use of meth may cause hair loss, tooth decay, and anxiety.

Overview

We are seeing an increasing number of young people getting hooked on meth in Pakistan. Most of these young adults get their first exposure at their educational institutions, regardless of gender and belong to well off socioeconomic backgrounds. Several meth-related deaths have been noted in major cities of Pakistan. According to the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF), around 27 million Pakistanis were using meth back in 2018. 
&nbsp;

Meth and its effects

Methamphetamine is a psychostimulant drug used commonly for recreational purposes. It is chemically similar to amphetamine (a drug used to treat hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy). It is illegally produced from pseudoephedrine (yes, that stuff in most cold medicines). The powder form is called meth or speed and the bluish-white crystal form is called crystal meth, ice or glass which is also its most potent form. It&rsquo;s consumed by either swallowing, smoking, snorting or injecting. Sharing needles puts people at risk of <a href="https://merisehat.pk/disease/hiv-61">contracting HIV</a> as well.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

It works by increasing dopamine in the brain that is the key factor in our brain&rsquo;s reward system. The brain&rsquo;s reward centre is located in the limbic system which controls our ability to feel pleasure and gives us motivation. It was originally designed to make us feel better after performing functions that are essential for survival, such as feeding when hungry. Engaging in activities you enjoy releases dopamine from your neurons, this gives us the feelings of pleasure and is then promptly cleared away once it serves its function so as not to overstimulate the brain.&nbsp; 
 
Meth blocks this reuptake of dopamine while also causing the neurons to release more of it. The sheer amount of dopamine now present in your brain gives you that intense feeling of overstimulation leading to prolonged euphoria that is felt while on meth. 
&nbsp;

At a low dose, it can increase heart rate, breathing rate, elevates mood, concentration and alertness, reduces appetite and increases weight loss. The person feels on edge, overly excited and might start experiencing paranoia and/or anger. The feelings of euphoria and extreme arousal that accompany all this is what eventually gets the users hooked onto the drug. Some other things that can be seen are flushed skin, tremors, numbness, dizziness, pale appearance, blurred vision irritability, wakefulness, insomnia, extreme confidence and a phenomenon called &lsquo;punding&rsquo; where the individual repetitively performs a task without a purpose or an end goal. 
Long-term addicts suffer from effects like extreme weight loss given the poor diet, there is poor hygiene in general and leads to tooth decay, dental damage (dry mouth and teeth grinding lead to what is called &lsquo;meth mouth&rsquo; &mdash; common in those who inject it), sleeping disorders, anxiety, seizures, bleeding in the brain, skeletal muscle damage, skin sores and violent behaviours.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

It may also lead to raised temperature which causes one to pass out, severe itching, hair loss, loss of skin elasticity and Parkinson&rsquo;s disease down the line are some other adverse effects. Long-term use has been shown to be severely neurotoxic leading to neurodegeneration, neuro-plastic change, hypertrophy of white matter, shrinkage of grey matter and disturbance in normal metabolic pathways.&nbsp;

Chronic use leads to severe mood swings, paranoia, delirium, hallucinations, delusions, increased propensity for violence and risky sexual behaviour, anxiety and depression leading to suicide.

Overdose causes psychosis, heart attacks, seizures, strokes, organ failure and even death.&nbsp;

Infants born to mothers who have used meth undergo a neonatal withdrawal syndrome characterized by poor feeding, abnormal sleep, tremors, increased muscle tone and might develop ADHD down the line. 
&nbsp;

When it comes to meth addiction, treating physical withdrawal is not that hard if the addict is young and a fairly new user. With enough sleep and adequate nutrition the body recovers rapidly. What&rsquo;s tough to deal with is the psychological withdrawal and usually requires in-patient treatment. 
There are no approved pharmacological treatments for it but sometimes antidepressants, antipsychotics and anticonvulsants are used. When studied for their positive impact, they were shown to have little to no benefit.&nbsp; 
 
 
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), motivational interviewing, 12-step therapy, group therapy, psychodynamic therapy and combination therapy (contingency management and community reinforcement approach) along with physical exercise has been found to be effective as well.&nbsp;&nbsp; 
Treatment for overdose is activated charcoal and haemodialysis to clear away the substance from the body, beta blockers to bring the blood pressure down, benzodiazepine for calming down and antipsychotics for the behavioural symptoms. All this work to calm the mind and the body and bring functions back to baseline.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Bottom Line

This is a highly addictive central nervous system stimulant and a party drug. The younger generation of students in Pakistan are increasingly turning towards this illicit substance and we don&rsquo;t have any regulatory bodies taking the issue seriously. It&rsquo;s important to start a conversation where users can openly come clean about their addictions and get the much needed help. A strong crackdown by ANF and social and psychological support for the younger generation will also go a long way in dealing with this issue.&nbsp;

Trusted By