When taken, meth and crystal meth create a false sense of well-being and energy, and so a person will tend to push his body faster and further than it is meant to go. Thus, drug users can experience a severe “crash” or physical and mental breakdown after the effects of the drugs wear off.

Because continued use of the drug decreases natural feelings of hunger, users can experience extreme weight loss. Negative effects can also include disturbed sleep patterns, hyperactivity, nausea, delusions of power, increased aggressiveness and irritability.

Other serious effects can include insomnia, confusion, hallucinations, anxiety and paranoia.1 In some cases, use can cause convulsions that lead to death.

Long-range damage

In the long term, meth use can cause irreversible harm: increased heart rate and blood pressure; damaged blood vessels in the brain that can cause strokes or an irregular heartbeat that can, in turn, cause cardiovascular2 collapse or death; and liver, kidney and lung damage.

Users may suffer brain damage, including memory loss and an increasing inability to grasp abstract thoughts. Those who recover are usually subject to memory gaps and extreme mood swings.

Meth Harm

SHORT-TERM EFFECTS

• Loss of appetite
• Increased heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature
• Dilation of pupils
• Disturbed sleep patterns
• Nausea
• Bizarre, erratic, sometimes violent behavior
• Hallucinations, hyperexcitability, irritability
• Panic and psychosis
• Convulsions, seizures and death from high doses

LONG-TERM EFFECTS

• Permanent damage to blood vessels of heart and brain, high blood pressure leading to heart attacks, strokes and death
• Liver, kidney and lung damage
• Destruction of tissues in nose if sniffed
• Respiratory (breathing) problems if smoked
• Infectious diseases and abscesses if injected
• Malnutrition, weight loss
• Severe tooth decay
• Disorientation, apathy, confused exhaustion
• Strong psychological dependence
• Psychosis
• Depression
• Damage to the brain similar to Alzheimer’s disease,3 stroke and epilepsy