If you or a loved one is suffering from meth addiction, treatment is needed immediately. Here’s what you need to know about addiction to methamphetamine and how it can be treated with phases of addiction, beginning with detox:
Addiction To Methamphetamine
What Are The Dangers Of Meth Addiction?
Meth can cause an overdose, and long-term use of the drug can result in heart problems due to its stimulant effects. Meth has a profound effect on one’s psychiatric health, and it can cause long-term sleep deprivation, sometimes even leading to a psychotic episode. In rare cases, this psychosis can be long lasting after an individual stops using the drug, and this can result in the need for ongoing psychiatric treatment.
How Long Does It Take To Develop An Addiction To Meth?
There are cases where individuals have become psychologically addicted to the drug after a single use, but in other cases, addiction develops far more gradually and can take many months or even years for some users who initially do not take the drug daily.
Is Meth Physically Addictive?
While meth has powerful effects on the body and is intensely psychologically addictive, it’s not as physically addictive as some drugs of abuse, such as opiates or benzodiazepines.
How Common Is Meth Addiction?
Meth addiction is extremely common, and hundreds of thousands of individuals in the United States have used the drug in the last month. Addiction to meth is more common in some regions of the country than others, and this is especially true in the southeastern part of the United States.
What Are Some Signs That Someone Is Suffering From A Methamphetamine Addiction?
Methamphetamine addiction often causes severe insomnia, and some individuals who are addicted to the drug will often stay up for many days at a time. Furthermore, the drug causes the pupils to be dilated. Rapid weight loss and lack of appetite are also commonplace, and it also can result in psychiatric symptoms.
Many individuals who are addicted to the drug display nervousness, anxiety, and paranoia. Some individuals become irritable, and it can even cause suicidal ideation in some users.
What Is Methamphetamine Withdrawal?
Unlike opiate withdrawal, there aren’t any drugs that are specifically designed to combat the symptoms of meth withdrawal directly. However, medications can be given to help manage specific symptoms, such as anxiety.
Methamphetamine Withdrawal Symptoms
The withdrawal symptoms are both psychiatric and physical, and they vary significantly from one individual to another. In addition, the amount of methamphetamine that an individual was using and the duration of time that they used plays a significant role in the symptoms that you might experience. Here are some examples of meth withdrawal symptoms that you can expect:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Difficulty Focusing On Tasks
- Fatigue (that can be severe for many individuals)
- Problems Sleeping Despite Being Extremely Tired
- Shaking
- Tremors
- Insomnia
- Intense Craving For Meth
- Fever And Chills
- Nausea And Vomiting
Methamphetamine Detox
What Happens When You Begin To Detox?
The acute effects of the drug itself wear off after 8-24 hours, but withdrawal effects almost always last far longer than this. Here’s what you can expect during withdrawal from this drug in terms of a timeline:
- 24-72 Hours After Last Use: The user will suffer from the peak of withdrawals and may become very fatigued, hallucinate, become paranoid, and suffer from panic attacks.
- One Week After Quitting: While symptoms typically will have decreased significantly by this point, individuals may still find that they have serious cravings, a headache, are still quite irritable, and may be suffering from a variety of other symptoms of withdrawal.
- Two Weeks After Quitting: While withdrawal will be dissipating, cravings and mild withdrawal symptoms may still be present.
- Three To Four Weeks After Quitting: Normal energy levels, sleeping patterns, and mental state begin to return gradually.
However, it is important to note that some individuals have symptoms that last beyond the initial withdrawal, and this is also known as PAWS or post-acute withdrawal syndrome. The syndrome typically consists of a lack of pleasure, depression, and symptoms that may be mistaken for a mental health condition.
Where Should You Detox?
It’s best to choose an inpatient facility to get clean from this highly dangerous and addictive drug. Inpatient facilities focus on ensuring that your withdrawal symptoms from methamphetamine are treated effectively. In addition, individuals who go to an inpatient rehab facility have a lower risk of relapse. Contact Novo Detox today and get your life on the right track.
