Find Help For Meth Addiction At Arrow Passage Recovery
If you or a loved one is struggling with meth addiction, Arrow Passage Recovery can help. Meth addiction recovery can be daunting to navigate on your own and getting help from a rehab center for meth addiction can make the process much easier.
Additionally, a meth addiction treatment center can help manage symptoms associated with withdrawal. Arrow Passage Recovery offers residential, partial hospitalization, and outpatient treatment options to aid you in recovery. Get in touch with us today to get meth addiction help and start your journey to a meth-free life.
The Rise Of Meth Use In The United States
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , the rate of fatal overdoses involving meth and other stimulants has increased significantly. According to SAMHSA, about 2 million people aged 12 years or older use meth in any given year, while about 500 people each day try meth for the first time.
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Meths Impact On Your Kidneys
Both prescription and illegal drugs can have nephrotoxic effects, meaning they can damage the kidneys. Meth is one such substance that can cause nephrotoxicity, leading to possible kidney failure.
Having renal failure means your kidneys can no longer function as they should. This leads to a dangerous buildup of wastes in the body that can become life threatening.
Renal failure may be either chronic or acute . Nephrotoxicity associated with drugs, such as meth, is
Renal failure is only one of many negative health implications of meth, and this risk is associated with short-term and long-term drug use.
What Are The Signs Of An Overdose
Methamphetamine is a powerful and dangerous drug and comes with a risk of overdose. Signs include:
- Rapid or irregular heart rate
- High blood pressure
Methamphetamine can cause dangerous overheating and can induce a heart attack, convulsions, stroke, and eventually, death.
Long-term effects of methamphetamine are horrible for the user. They may experience chronic depression and anxiety, as well as memory problems and psychosis. Methamphetamine is made of harsh and caustic chemicals, and the effects on the body are hard, aging many users well beyond their years.
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Cognitive And Behavioral Interventions Used To Treat Meth Abuse
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy : is based on the idea that thoughts and feelings cause our behaviors, not external factors such as people, situations, and events. This type of therapy aims to help the addict change the way they think and behave to increase coping skills with the stresses of life.
- The Matrix Model: includes intensive individual and group therapy to promote behavioral changes needed to prevent relapse, be abstinent, and establish a lifestyle unrelated to drugs. This can include changing their where they live, the people they associate with, and even their profession.
- Motivational Incentives for Enhancing Drug Abuse Recovery : an incentive based treatment promoting meth abstinence is another treatment that has shown efficacy in meth abusers through the National Drug Abuse Clinical Trials Network.
How Meth Use Affects The Body
About a million people ages 12 or older in the U.S. could be living with methamphetamine use disorder, or meth addiction, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. And about 1.9 million people might have used meth – also known as crystal, speed, or ice – in the past year.
Ongoing meth use can damage your body and mind in several ways. Halifax-based physician Naveen Gupta, MBBS, BSc, tells WebMD Connect to Care that itâs like âa ticking time bomb that can go unnoticed from both the abuser and the health care professionals.â
Here are some of the ways meth use can cause long-term damage.
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Meth Addiction Health Conditions
Meth is a highly addictive drug and has devastating effects on almost every part of your body. These effects include physical and psychiatric issues and they tend to be worse when meth is injected or smoked.
Chronic use can cause permanent damage. But its not just regular use of meth that takes a toll on your system. Infrequent use can also make you ill. The drug is dangerous enough to be lethal the first time it is tried. Simply being high on meth constitutes a medical emergency.
Amidst the opioid epidemic, meth use has also been on the rise in the U.S. Drug use lowers inhibitions which can increase risky behaviors including unsafe sex. Couple this with the use of shared needles and theres a chance of contracting HIV or other infectious diseases.
Meth acts on your central nervous system . It causes a surge in dopamine, one of our feel-good neurotransmitters. The drug fills users with energy and confidence and makes them feel super alert. It can also result in a stronger sex drive. But what feels great initially, quickly lands users in a vicious cycle of dependence and poor well-being.
Lets have a look at the short and long-term effects of meth use and the health conditions that arise.
Effects On The Blood Vessels
The blood vessels are responsible for transporting blood throughout the body. These vessels include the arteries, capillaries and veins. When methamphetamine is used, vasoconstriction or narrowing of the blood vessels occurs 3. This can lead to inflammation of the heart, seizures, psychosis, stroke and brain bleed due to lack of normal flow of blood. Constricted blood vessels also produce headaches, irregular heartbeats and chest pain. Additionally, the constriction of the blood vessels can cause pulmonary edema or excessive fluid on the lungs, leading to chronic lung disease.
- The blood vessels are responsible for transporting blood throughout the body.
- Additionally, the constriction of the blood vessels can cause pulmonary edema or excessive fluid on the lungs, leading to chronic lung disease.
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Treating Crystal Meth Addiction
If you or someone you know is struggling with crystal meth addiction, The Recovery Village is willing and ready to help on your road to recovery. Together with our team of trained medical professionals, you can gain the tools needed to help overcome your addiction and live a healthier, safer life. Dont wait another day to start your journey.
The Dangers Of Heavy Meth Use: Overdose
Meth is often used in binges or runs. During a meth run, the person will most likely take the drug every few hours for several days. While on a run, the high person usually does not eat or sleep, weakening his body even more.
If you suspect that you or a loved one is experiencing an overdose, please stop reading and call 911 immediately.
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Can Meth Use Cause Renal Failure
Curated by Claudia Shannon / Research Scientist / ishonest
Methamphetamine, often abbreviated as meth, is a stimulant drug that can cause dependence. Meth primarily impacts the central nervous system , raising blood pressure and heart rate. The drug impacts your brain by increasing dopamine.
Meth can also cause kidney failure, a life threatening complication in which your kidneys cant effectively process waste from your bloodstream. Kidney failure can lead to long-term health complications, including kidney disease and death, if not promptly treated.
Read on to learn more about what the research says regarding meth and renal failure, other health risks from meth use, and how to seek treatment for a substance use disorder .
Meth has a variety of street names, including speed, ice, and crank.
Meths impact on your kidneys
Both prescription and illegal drugs can have nephrotoxic effects, meaning they can damage the kidneys. Meth is one such substance that can cause nephrotoxicity, leading to possible kidney failure.
Having renal failure means your kidneys can no longer function as they should. This leads to a dangerous buildup of wastes in the body that can become life threatening.
Renal failure may be either chronic or acute . Nephrotoxicity associated with drugs, such as meth, is a common cause of acute renal failure.
Acute renal failure from meth use may be linked specifically to the following kidney-related problems:
Other health risks
Short-term effects
Long-term use
What The Experts Say About Long
Research published in 2014 found that meth has toxic effects on the nervous system. The toxicity leads to damage of the serotonin and dopamine receptors in the brain. Long-term use can cause damage to the brain, very similar to traumatic brain injury .
The damage that occurs during long-term chronic abuse can cause brain damage that lingers for months after abuse and use has stopped and, in many cases, permanently.
As stated earlier, brain damage in meth users leads to a higher risk of Parkinsons disease. Misuse may also create extreme anorexia. Those using and overdosing on meth, even for a short period, will notice a drastic change in appearance.
From 2010 to 2014, the number of yearly drug overdose deaths increased by 23%. In 2010, 38,329 people died by drug overdose compared to 47,055 in 2014.
The top ten drugs include the following:
- Methamphetamine
Here are some comparisons of the past challenges claiming the lives of Americans compared to more recent drug overdose deaths in recent years.
Unemployment and isolation are both risk factors for addiction and potential overdose. How do we minimize these risk factors? Who can help? Answers need to be found to help this overwhelming epidemic. Too many lives are being lost. Without some answers, overdose deaths are just going to continue to get worse.
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Effects Of Methamphetamine Use On The Kidneys
Whether used by smoking, snorting or injecting, meth acts on dopamine neurotransmitters in the central nervous system, creating a euphoric high. This makes it an addictive drug.
It also works to restrict blood flow, which decreases oxygen-rich blood levels all over the body, including to its vital organs.
The kidneys, unfortunately, are one of the organs that get hit the hardest by meth abuse. A creatinine blood test can be used to help determine a persons kidney health.
The following are some of the ways meth drug use can affect a persons kidneys.
What Does A Methamphetamine Overdose Look Like
A meth overdose is a definite possibility with continued chronic abuse. Methamphetamine is a psychomotor stimulant, meaning it stimulates a persons central nervous system .
CNS stimulation causes a persons physical and mental processes to speed up, sometimes to dangerous and even life-threatening levels. The more meth a person uses, the faster the central nervous system operates.
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Can Meth Use Lead To Kidney Failure
An addiction to crystal meth is hard on many of the bodys vital organs, including the kidneys. While some damage to the kidneys may be reversible, other conditions will result in permanent damage to one or both kidneys.
Crystal meth is a type of amphetamine that is used recreationally as a powerful and intense stimulant drug. It has powerful side effects on the body.
Methamphetamine abuse can result in a fast heart rate, high blood pressure , constricted blood vessels, and high body temperature , which puts a great deal of pressure on a persons cardiovascular system.
A person abusing meth also has a greater chance for developing other health risks. One of these is progressive kidney dysfunction, which may result over time in kidney failure.
Know The Risks Of Meth
Someone using meth may experience a temporary sense of heightened euphoria, alertness, and energy. This is because meth increases the amount of dopamine, a natural chemical, in the brain. Dopamine is involved in body movement, motivation, and reinforcing rewarding behaviors. Meth rapidly releases high levels of dopamine into reward areas of the brain, making people want to continue to use meth.
Meth not only changes how the brain works, but also speeds up the bodys systems to dangerous, sometimes lethal, levelsincreasing blood pressure and heart and respiratory rates. People who repeatedly use meth may also experience anxiety, paranoia, aggression, hallucinations, and mood disturbances.
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Health In Recovery From Meth
So far, this article has been pretty heavy. And for good reason: meth poses a serious threat to the health of the people who use it. But there is some good news. Not all of the damage caused by using methamphetamines is permanent. Studies have found that the brain heals and adapts from much of the damage done by meth after a long enough period of abstinence. The image below shows how a brains ability to process dopamine recovers over time.
Motor control also recovers. Some types of heart damage caused by meth are also reversible over time. Depending upon how early it is caught and other risk factors, meth-related kidney damage may be treatable. The liver is uniquely able to regenerate, so if a person stops using meth before permanent liver damage occurs, it has a chance to heal itself.
Other conditions are treatable once a person stops using. For example, hepatitis C is curable for most people with a course of oral medication. HIV can be managed for many with adherence to a retroviral regime. Skin lesions and abscesses can and do heal with treatment and lack of further irritation.
The important thing in all of these cases is to stop using as early as possible so the damage has the best chance to heal and treatments have the highest success rates. You dont have to hit some dramatic rock bottom to deserve recovery from meth! You can start now, and begin the path to better health.
Effects Of Substance Abuse On The Renal System
**The information in this article is designed for educational purposes and should not be used for diagnostic purposes. If anyone believes they have a problem with the functioning of their kidneys or a substance use disorder, they should contact a licensed medical professional. For substance abuse rehabilitation please call our toll free number at
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Twitching Facial Tics Jerky Movements
Twitching, facial tics, and jerky movements are all symptoms of meth usage. Meth use can lead to dystonia, which is the involuntary contraction of muscles in the face and the body, which can lead to twitching. Dystonia often resolves itself within a couple of days for many, while for some individuals, these symptoms can linger for years.
Research Captures Unfolding Cardiovascular Toll From Meth Use
A massive new study spotlights the toll methamphetamine use may take on heart health, suggesting men, people with kidney disease and those with high blood pressure are especially at risk.
The findings, published Monday in the Journal of the American Heart Association, indicated people who used meth faced a 32% overall increased risk for cardiovascular disease, with especially high risks for heart failure and pulmonary hypertension. The higher risks echoed those associated with alcohol misuse and cocaine use.
“Alcohol and cocaine are established risk factors for cardiovascular disease. What was striking to me was that methamphetamine use is just as risky for the heart,” said Dr. Nisha Parikh, lead study author and an associate professor of clinical medicine at the University of California San Francisco.
The public needs to know about these risks, she said. “And we have to provide more resources for people who are using methamphetamines and want to stop.”
Methamphetamine is a highly addictive stimulant with long-lasting, harmful effects throughout the body. It induces a euphoric feeling that starts and fades quickly, encouraging users to binge and crash. Use of the drug is a growing global health crisis, affecting 27 million users worldwide.
In the 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, almost 1% of the U.S. population age 12 and older reported having used meth in the past year, and 0.6% about 1.5 million people reported having a methamphetamine use disorder.
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Diagnostic Tests/lab Tests/lab Values
- Urine, hair, breath, saliva, sweat, and blood, along with behavioral and psychological cues are used most often in drug testing.
- Due to ease of retrieving a sample, speed of analysis, and low cost, urinalysis is most often utilized. Urinalysis detects the presence of drug metabolites or physical byproducts of the drugs use.
- Most accurate is the use of blood testing, which measures the actual presence of the drug or its metabolite in the blood at the time of the testing. However, these tests are more invasive, expensive, and more time consuming.
- Hair testing uses the same technology as a urinalysis, but has advantages for detecting use. Using hair testing, drugs can be detected in hair for weeks to months, as opposed to 2-3 days with blood or urine testing.