The use of methamphetamine (meth) can result in serious life-threatening overdoses. Meth overdoses can be frightening experiences, as they frequently involve symptoms that differ from the “standard” overdose symptoms, such as lethargy and respiratory distress. Typically, meth overdoses involve high levels of energy, cardiac distress, and potential psychotic symptoms such as delusions, paranoia, and hallucinations. Psychostimulants with abuse potential are a subset of stimulants that have a higher likelihood of being abused due to their effects on the central nervous system.
Signs of Crystal Meth Overdose
With powdered meth, people often snort the drug or dissolve it into the water and inject it for a fast high. If the person doesn’t receive comprehensive addiction treatment, the likelihood of a return to meth use and another overdose is high. It is a stronger form of amphetamine and a drug sometimes used legally to treat health issues such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy. The effects of meth addiction are some of the most dangerous of all addictions. Taking meth sends the drug rapidly and directly into your bloodstream, which can increase the risks for a potentially dangerous or life-threatening overdose. A legal, pharmaceutical form of methamphetamine is available as a non-refillable prescription.
Meth Overdose: Signs, Symptoms, & Treatments
Knowing the specific signs of a meth overdose could save a person’s life. If you are worried that someone you know is at risk for overdosing on meth, contact a meth hotline. These helplines can offer information about the effects of meth, the signs of overdose and the locations of nearby treatment centers. People who overdose on the drug may also experience meth psychosis, such as paranoid delusions that can last up to 15 hours.
Methamphetamine
If they have a seizure, witnesses should not hold the person down, but keep their head and other limbs free from hitting objects that could cause injury. When the patient is admitted to the hospital, they may receive care from a cardiologist and be evaluated by a psychiatrist. Doctors who treat the overdose can check for HIV and hepatitis, and refer the patient to treatment centers.
Health Care Providers
- Street meth is highly potent and often laced with fentanyl, an opioid 100 times stronger than morphine, driving an increase in fatal and non-fatal overdoses.
- People who recover from meth addiction may experience significant gaps in memory and changes in mood regulation.
- For this reason, once stabilized, it’s important to think about long-term recovery from meth.
You can receive 24/7 text support right away and at your convenience. There is no obligation to enter treatment and you can opt out at any time. How well a person does depends on the amount of drug they took and how quickly they were treated.
Meth Overdose Prevention
The amount of drug ingested and how quickly the person received medical attention determine their prognosis. Certain mental health issues, memory loss, and insomnia can last for years, and medical complications can lead to permanent disability. The demand for meth has given rise to a market for illegal stimulants. The street version– crystal meth, ice, or crank – is made in crude meth labs from ingredients found in over-the-counter cold medicines.
In its most basic definition, a meth overdose results from too much meth in the body. This high level of toxicity results in several serious conditions within the body, many of which can be life-threatening. In the case of a meth overdose, this highly toxic environment triggers a sort of chain reaction in which many of the body’s essential organs are impacted.
Activated charcoal can help bind toxins.7 This can aid in absorbing meth and/or other drugs in the digestive tract. Doctors may also administer benzodiazepines and antipsychotics for sedation and seizure management. If individual patients are awake, activated charcoal may be a treatment option. If the person is overdosing and experiencing a seizure, gently hold the back of their head and turn it to the side, if possible. This can help prevent injury and asphyxiation (choking) by vomit.
The rapid onset of overdose symptoms is particularly dangerous because it leaves little time for intervention. Drug overdoses are a serious and widespread epidemic across the United States. More than 100,000 drug overdoses in 2021 were fatal, causing a truly devastating amount of loss for many families, communities, and loved ones. While opioid overdoses make up the majority of drug overdoses each year, an overdose can occur when too much of any drug is consumed. Patients who experience methamphetamine toxicity usually present with an altered mental status that can present as psychotic episodes, irritability, suicidal ideation, and rarely coma or seizures.
Meth can cause extreme changes to a person’s brain, resulting in a mood disorder or psychotic episode. If a person experiences a stroke, treatment includes restoring blood flow to the brain. If a meth overdose causes a heart attack, first responders will attempt to restore blood flow to the heart. Meth is a dangerous stimulant that can lead to fatal overdose. Inpatient dual diagnosis treatment is available for those struggling with meth abuse and addiction. Overdosing on meth is a very serious event that can be life-threatening.
In the West and Midwestern U.S., law enforcement officials report that meth is the most common culprit behind drug addiction rates, overdoses, and drug-related crime. For loved ones, recognizing the signs and symptoms of a meth overdose and how to help is critical. An overdose occurs when the levels of drugs in the body reach toxic amounts, and the system can no longer break the drugs down safely. In the case of a stimulant like meth, this can raise body temperatures, blood pressure and heart rates to dangerous levels, causing a heart attack or stroke. In addition, many emergency rooms and treatment centers are also versed in treating overdose events from various substances, including meth.
All local poison control centers in the United States use this national number. You should call if you have any questions about poisoning or poison prevention. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, medical professionals aim to restore blood flow to the brain when a meth overdose causes a stroke. If it leads to heart attack, physicians try to restore blood flow to the heart.
First responders and emergency room workers may treat a meth overdose with medication, including benzodiazepines and antipsychotics. If a person does not respond to sedation, medical professionals may administer a beta/alpha-blocker. A methamphetamine overdose can be fatal and should be treated promptly by medical professionals.
Further, mixing meth with other drugs or alcohol can heighten the side effects and increase the potential for an overdose. This means that taking more meth just after the high wears off can be dangerous since it may inadvertently lead to extremely high dopamine levels in the body. Drug Enforcement Administration Schedule II classification group. This means that this drug has a high potential for abuse and can cause physical and psychological dependence.
Knowing the signs of a meth overdose can help you spot potentially life-threatening symptoms before they become severe. Methamphetamine is a synthetic chemical closely related to its cousin amphetamine. Methamphetamine https://sober-home.org/ was invented in the early 1900s and was used to help people stay awake or lose weight. During WWII, soldiers took methamphetamine to help them stay awake during long military engagements.
Too much of this drug can fatally cause a heart attack or stroke. In chronic methamphetamine overdose, adverse health effects can happen over time. This could consist of delusional behavior and repeated infections. More than 1 million Americans report using meth in the last year, and stimulant overdoses are on the rise.
The drug then crosses into your brain, where it causes the release of the brain’s feel-good chemical dopamine. Unfortunately, high levels of dopamine can cause a significant impact on your cardiovascular system, increasing your temperature, heart rate and blood pressure. Meth is often sold illegally on the streets, which makes its chemical compound even more dangerous. Other names for meth (short for methamphetamine) include crystal meth, ice, speed and crank. RehabCenter.net is intended for educational purposes only and is not designed to provide medical advice of any kind. Any information found on RehabCenter.net should never be used to diagnose a disease or health problem, and in no way replaces or substitutes professional care.
There may be permanent damage to the organs even if the person receives treatment. The antibiotics used to treat these infections may also result in complications. Crystal meth, a highly addictive stimulant, poses severe health risks, including the potential for fatal overdose. Methamphetamine overdoses can occur quickly, with symptoms ranging from severe agitation and hyperthermia to heart attacks and seizures. The most reported physical symptoms of a meth overdose involve difficulty breathing, rapid heart rate, high blood pressure, and chest pains. These symptoms are often attributed to cardiac distress related to potentially serious events like heart attacks or strokes.
Cognitive behavioral therapy and motivational incentives have shown effectiveness in treating meth addiction. CBT assists people in recognizing, avoiding and coping with situations that lead to drug use, while motivational incentives use rewards to promote sobriety. Be cautious around a person who appears extremely excited or paranoid. If the person is experiencing a seizure, gently hold the back of his or her head to prevent injury. You can also turn the person’s head to the side to reduce the risk of choking on vomit. It cannot be stressed enough that medical care is essential in reducing the risk of serious medical complications during and after a meth overdose.
A much weaker form of methamphetamine is sold as a prescription with the brand name Desoxyn. Adderall, a brand name drug https://sober-home.org/alcohol-addiction/ containing amphetamine, is used to treat ADHD. If you believe someone has overdosed on meth, call 911 immediately.
