What Does Methamphetamine Mean?
Methamphetamine is a drug that acts on the central nervous system. It is one of several different types of amphetamines.
A powerful and addictive stimulant, the drug has a distnctive crystalline structure and is sometimes referred to as crystal meth. Taking many forms, the drug may be ingested in pill form, smoked, snorted as a powder, or converted to a liquid and injected.
Methamphetamine induces a high or euphoric state by increasing the amount of dopamine delivered to the brain. Because the effects of methamphetamine are short-lived, users often take doses in quick succession and may lose the ability or will to engage in self-care, forgetting to eat or sleep.
Long-term use of methamphetamine results in a series of increasingly harmful side effects including damage to the teeth, mental disturbances including paranoia and hallucinations, loss of appetite, insomnia, and weight loss. Over time the drug alters the way the brain processes dopamine resulting in additional cognitive and emotional impairments.
An overdose of methamphetamine can cause an individual to suffer a stroke, heart attack, or other fatal organ failure.
Methamphetamine is sometimes referred to as crystal meth or meth.
