Overdosing on meth is possible and depends on the amount of drug used and the person’s medical and drug use history. Mission Harbor is dedicated to treating Santa Barbara County and Los Angeles County with specialized mental and behavioral health programs in a convenient outpatient environment. Our treatment facility is accredited by the Joint Commission and LegitScript Certified. Alcohol addiction is extremely difficult to overcome on your own.. Seek specialized help and let professionals guide you in your recovery.
Drastic Weight Loss
You will also want to state your location as clearly as possible so that help can find you soon. When that happens, you’re looking at something really serious – a hole in your intestines. This can cause an infection in your abdomen called peritonitis. Some people end up with lingering psychosis, where they struggle with things like paranoia or hallucinations. It’s a tough cycle, and the longer you’re in it, the harder it can be to shake those effects.
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Our state-specific resource guides offer a comprehensive overview of drug and alcohol addiction treatment options available in your area. 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. One of the most visible signs of meth abuse is extreme weight loss.
Some users combine the two or take them alternately for their different effects. Yes, meth overdoses or toxicity can occur in small doses, especially when mixed with other drugs. It’s known as “overamping” and happens when someone takes too much meth and causes excessive stimulation to the central nervous system (CNS) 3.
Recover From Meth Overdose and Addiction
It’s often a matter of what’s normalized around them, making it harder to break away from those behaviors later. This type is more dangerous because even a small amount can have a stronger effect. This raises the risk of overdose, toxicity, and other health problems. Additionally, street meth can be mixed with other drugs, which can change its strength and risks. A methamphetamine overdose happens when you take too much of the drug. This can occur all at once or over time, leading to a harmful reaction.
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. This disrupts vital bodily functions, such as regulating breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, and cognitive abilities. So, it is easy to ingest a dose that is too high for your body to handle. This puts you at serious risk of organ damage, heart attack, stroke, or even death.
This can assist the medical professionals in reversing the drugs’ effects. Practice general first aid basics such as making sure the person is lying down in a safe place in the rescue position (on their side). These include the high risk of impurities orother substanceshidden in meth, likefentanyl, which also increases the risk of afentanyl overdose. Because it is impossible to know how much actual meth is present when you take the substance, it is nearly impossible to gauge the amount of meth in each dose. A meth overdose overstimulates the body and brain, which can be fatal.When you overdose on meth, your body can become severely overheated, causing organ failure.
Unfortunately, high levels of dopamine can cause asignificant impact on your cardiovascular system, increasing your temperature, heart rate and blood pressure. If someone suspects a loved one is overdosing on meth, they mustn’t leave the person unattended. Call 911 and wait with the individual for medical personnel to arrive. If they appear unconscious, do not leave them lying on their back. People who go into a coma from a drug overdose can vomit and asphyxiate while unconscious. 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.
A common side effect of meth use is formication, a sensation that feels like insects crawling on or under the skin. This leads individuals to pick at their skin excessively, resulting in sores, scars, and infections. About 2.5 million people over the age of twelve have used methamphetamine in the past year, per the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. 13 1.6 million of those users have met the criteria of having a methamphetamine use disorder in the past year. Meth is sold in the form of pills, liquid, or crystal form (known as crystal meth) and often injected, snorted, swallowed, or smoked. It can range in color from clear to white, off-yellow, or even blue.
Substances
A weaker form of the drug, often prescribed by signs of a meth overdose and finding treatment medical professionals, is called amphetamine, and treats symptoms of ADHD, narcolepsy, and weight loss. Meth overdoses cause a sudden increase in blood pressure that can lead to internal bleeding and liver failure from contaminants in the drug. In a meth overdose, multiple organ failure can occur from a deadly combination of high blood pressure and chemical contamination.
- Therefore, they can assist in reducing serious harm from occurring when timely actions are taken.
- Practice general first aid basics such as making sure the person is lying down in a safe place in the rescue position (on their side).
- Meth overdose treatment options range from cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for addiction, to the Matrix Model and more – based on the individual’s circumstances and needs.
- For loved ones, recognizing the signs and symptoms of a meth overdose and how to help is critical.
- When someone overdoses on meth, they require immediate medical attention.
Get professional help from an online addiction and mental health counselor from BetterHelp. This might result in paranoid thoughts leading to unsafe actions, like becoming violent toward others or attempting to run or hide unnecessarily. Others may exhibit hallucinations of seeing figures or hearing voices, which can also result in potential harm from engaging in those hallucinations. The effects of meth typically last 2-6 hours if smoked, and 6-8 hours if injected, longer than cocaine.
Mental Health Treatment
Doctors may prescribe it for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or for short-term weight loss. Additionally, the doses prescribed are much smaller than what people typically abuse. Methamphetamine is a Schedule 2 controlled drug in the United States. However, we believe those who do should be able to access information to reduce harm and experience these substances as safely as possible. Avenues Recovery is a community-based drug and alcohol rehabilitation center with locations across the United States.
- Many users also mix meth with downers such as opioids or benzodiazepines, which greatly increases the risk of a deadly overdose.
- But if you or someone you know is already using it, the goal is to reduce the risk and recognize the warning signs early on.
- The goal is to get the person the help they need and prevent an overdose death.
Jennie Stanford, MD, FAAFP, DipABOM is a dual board-certified physician in both family medicine and obesity medicine. She has a wide range of clinical experiences, ranging from years of traditional clinic practice to hospitalist care to performing peer quality review to ensure optimal patient care. Meth use often leads to impaired judgment, resulting in high-risk behaviors such as unsafe driving, neglect of responsibilities, reckless spending, or dangerous social interactions. Meth disrupts normal sleep cycles, often leading to long periods of wakefulness (sometimes lasting days) followed by extended periods of exhaustion or “crash” sleep.
Drug overdoses can impact a person in different ways, depending on the substance they’ve taken. Acute meth overdose symptoms can be physical, psychological, and even deadly. It is important to seek professional medical treatment when experiencing or witnessing a meth overdose.