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DRUG INFORMATION:

METHAMPHETAMINE
(speed, crank, meth, shit, crystal, chalk, glass, ice...)
Methamphetamines are synthetic amphetamines or stimulants that are produced and sold illegally in pill form, capsules, powder, and chunks. Two such Methamphetamines are crank and ice.

Crank refers to any form of methamphetamine. Ice is a crystallized smokeable chunk form of methamphetarnine that produces a more intense reaction than cocaine or speed. Ice has an appearance that is clear and crystal-like, and resembles frozen ice water.

Methamphetamines stimulate the central nervous system, and the effects may last anywhere from 8 to 24 hours.

Crank and ice are extremely addictive and produce a severe craving for the drug.
SHORT-TERM EFFECTS
  • increased alertness
  • sense of well-being
  • paranoia
  • intense high
  • hallucinations
  • aggressive behavior
  • increased heart rate
  • convulsions
  • extreme rise in body temperature (as high as 108 degrees which can cause brain damage and death)
  • uncontrollable movements (twitching, jerking, etc...)
  • violent behavior
  • insomnia
  • impaired speech
  • dry, itchy skin
  • loss of appetite
  • acne, sores
  • numbness
 EFFECTS ON THE MIND
  • disturbed sleep
  • excessive excitation
  • excessive talking
  • panic
  • anxiousness
  • nervousness
  • moodiness and irritability
  • false sense of confidence and power
  • delusions of grandeur leading to aggressive behavior
  • uninterested in friends, sex, or food
  • aggressive and violent behavior
  • severe depression

 

 LONG-TERM EFFECTS
  • fatal kidney and lung disorders
  • possible brain damage
  • depression
  • hallucinations
  • disorganized lifestyle
  • permanent psychological problems
  • violent and aggressive behavior
  • weight loss
  • insomnia
  • behavior resembling paranoid schizophrenia
  • decreased social life
  • malnutrition
  • poor coping abilities
  • disturbance of personality development
  • lowered resistance to illnesses
  • liver damage
  • stroke
  • death

 
Methamphetamines cause a severe crash after the effects wear off. The crash, or low feeling is more intense and longer lasting than both speed and cocaine.
The effects are not only long lasting, but continue to cause damage to the user long after use has stopped.
Methamphetamine abuse can also lead to legal, financial, and social problems.
Addiction to methamphetamine can be very strong, therefore withdrawal symptoms are likely when use of the drug is discontinued.

WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS

  • severe craving
  • insomnia
  • restlessness
  • mental confusion
  • depression
Although a person addicted to crank or ice may experience withdrawal symptoms for a short time, the benefits to a person who stops using the drug greatly outweigh an addiction to methamphetamines. These benefits include a longer, healthier life and greater enjoyment of everyday activities.

PREGNANCY AND METHAMPHETAMINE

If methamphetamines are used during pregnancy, babies tend to be:

  • asocial
  • incapable of bonding
  • have tremors
  • have birth defects
  • cry for 24 hours without stopping
There is also an increased risk of child abuse and neglect of children born to parents who use methamphetamines.
Information provided by: http://www.lec.org/DrugSearch/Documents/Meth.html, and http://www.methamphetamine-referral.com/index.html  (these pages are not available at this time)
The above link has (HAD - it's not a working link now) some GREAT information (too much to list here). I HIGHLY recommend going to it. It has pictures that demonstrate what happens to brain cells after taking speed. 

Some background info: 
Tolerance - Because tolerance for methamphetamine occurs within minutes -- meaning that the pleasurable effects disappear even before the drug concentration in the blood falls significantly -- users try to maintain the high by binging on the drug.
The brain - Dopamine plays an important role in the regulation of pleasure. In addition to other regions, dopamine is manufactured in nerve cells within the ventral tegmental area and is released in the nucleus accumbens and the frontal cortex. Methamphetamine stimulate dopamine production.

ALERT! Methamphetamine can cause a variety of cardiovascular problems. These include rapid heart rate, irregular heartbeat, increased blood pressure, and irreversible, stroke-producing damage to small blood vessels in the brain. Hyperthermia (elevated body temperature) and convulsions occur with methamphetamine overdoses, and if not treated immediately, can result in death.

"NIDA researchers have found that, when it comes to brain cells, "speed" actually does kill. "Speed" is a street name for methamphetamine, a powerfully addictive stimulant. Previous research had shown that methamphetamine damages but does not kill certain nerve cells in brain structures that control movement. The new research, conducted in mice, indicates that methamphetamine-induced damage prompts other nerve cells in brain regions involved in cognition as well as movement to self-destruct. The new findings raise concerns that methamphetamine may have significantly more harmful long-term consequences than previously thought, the researchers say."
Information provided by: http://area51.upsu.plym.ac.uk/~harl/amphets.html
"It has caused stroke, heart attack, suicide, murder, imprisonment, insanity, and death to a lot of people I care about, not to mention what it does to the people around them. I know that most junkies don't care what they are doing as long as they 'get off', others can't get a grip on their habit, many have mental and emotional problems that they can't deal with and thus use, some have tried to get clean and failed. I understand this all too well. I fight my addiction every day. I know a lot of people and I don't know anyone who isn't affected by addiction."

Also as AMPHETAMINES: Sulph, Whizz, Speed, Billy, Phets

Contact me at: sommemi@hotmail.com