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Home | Meth Facts | Last Updated: 12/05/05
 What are common names for meth? What does meth look/smell like? What does it feel like to use meth? What are the immediate after effects of meth use? What are the short-term effects of meth use? What are the health risks of a meth overdose? What are the long-term effects of meth use?
What are methamphetamines?
They are powerful central nervous system stimulants that are highly addictive.
Meth is made in illicit labs with often toxic or flammable inexpensive ingredients.
Chalk, Crank, Croak, Crypto,
What does meth look/smell like?
White, odourless, bitter-tasting crystalline powder.
It smells like cat urine. How is meth used? It can be swallowed, snorted, smoked or injected. Is meth legal? Meth is illegal. Possession may result in criminal charges. What does it feel like to use meth? If smoked or injected, the high is immediately felt and lasts 12 hours or more (longer than a cocaine high). Snorting produces effects within three to five minutes; swallowing after 15-20 minutes.
Different forms of meth vary in their effects. A high from speed lasts from 2-4 hours. A high from crystal meth lasts from 4-14 hours.
Users feel an intense surge of euphoria (a "rush" or a "flash"). They then feel alert and energetic, confident and talkative. They lose their appetite and do not feel the need to sleep. What are the immediate aftereffects of meth use? When coming down from a meth high, users often have extremely low energy levels, exhaustion and disturbed sleep (normal sleep patterns do not return for many weeks). They often experience loss of motivation, depression and suicidal tendencies. Anxiety; becoming extremely talkative and energetic; bizarre, erratic and violent behaviour; blurred vision; chest pain; confusion; convulsions; decreased appetite; delusions of parasites or insects under the skin; diarrhea; dizziness; dryness of mouth; feeling of power; hallucinations; increased blood pressure and heart rate; increased sex drive; insomnia; irritability; itchy skin; nausea; oral fixations; paranoia/paranoid delusions; physical tension; restlessness; tremours; vomiting. What are the health risks of a meth overdose? Heart attacks/failure; increased body temperature; irregular heartbeat; seizures; strokes and/or death. What are the long-term effects of meth use? Coma; damage to inside of nose from snorting ("railing"); kidney damage; lung problems; malnutrition/rapid weight loss; methamphetamine psychosis (hallucinations, delusions, paranoia and bizarre and violent behaviour); skin sores; strokes and/or death.
Meth can also produce withdrawal symptoms in newborn infants of women who use meth.
Compiled with files from: Addiction Services of Thames Valley
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