Rodriguez-Hernandez1

Fabiola Rodriguez- Hernandez

HLTH 1050
Professor Joanne Robinson
April 6, 2021
The dangerous of methamphetamine
For over decades, the world has struggled with many issues involving drug intake inside
their country, the drug war occurring with many countries, and the addiction many people have
suffered. Methamphetamine is a substance also known as meth, crystal, or ice was reported to
originally be used for medical practice only. After some years, many people learn another use for
methamphetamine, learning how this small drug could give many people a euphoria feeling,
along with feeling “more alive” as some users may say. Euphoria as some may know is the
experience of pleasure or intense excitement. for many using methamphetamine for the first time
get hooked onto this Euphoria feeling, the need to feel that same excitement. which has sadly led
many people around the world with a new problem being addiction.
Since this is such a high on demand drug that many people around the world are
inducing, the negative factors are that since the drug is such a high on demand substance, those
inducing the substance create their own version or use unsanitary tools to induce the drug.
Methamphetamine can be taken in three ways, being either smoking it, snorting it up one’s nose,
or injected the substance. The most commonly seen one that cause more concern will be those
who inject the substance. Many of those who are strongly addicted to methamphetamine don’t
see the dangers of injecting the substance. The hazardous being that many people are known to
use the same the same needle to inject the substance with others. Or some people simply find an
old used needle and still use it for themselves. Which bring another issue to those addicted to
drug being that they now run into the possibility of transmitting HIV or hepatitis c.
Those individuals that do seek help or those who have a close friend or family that is
suffering from addiction of methamphetamine. Need to be aware of the risk of recovering from
this substance, to many who have been using this substance for a longer time, their body now
basically requires the intake of the drug to actual feel alive. One can not simply just stop taking
methamphetamine one day and be recovered. Those who try have gone through horrible
withdrawals that can be very deadly, you have side effects such as depression, fatigue, anxiety,
and the drug craving. Even so there are places around the world that specialize on helping those
fighting their addiction with providing them a safe sanitary area to consume the drug and offer
the help to stop the addiction.
Along with that we have other options for those who seek help, like pharmacotherapy
(Minařík) studied showed another from to help those addicted to methamphetamine overcome
their addiction. The study showed “Treatment started on a recommended starting daily dose of
20 mg of MPH with each patient. Patients received medication with instructions to ‘‘begin with 1
tablet (10 mg MPH HCl) in the morning, then add one tablet at noon. The dose was titrated
individually in collaboration with the patient’s self-report of cravings between 2-1-0 and 3-2-1.
The highest daily dose was 60 mg of MPH (with a short-term dose of 80 mg with one patient).
Mean daily dose was 37.6 mg (SD 20.38). Standard parts of treatment included psychiatric
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pharmacotherapy for co-occurring disorders, individual psychotherapy, and social counseling.

Interventions were provided individually according to the needs of the patient, i.e., these were
not standardized and not controlled.” Which is a great way to slowly help those addicted
overcome the issue, without forcing withdraw symptoms for them.
The withdraws aren’t the only risk of having severe health issue studies have shown from
(C. Hamel) “health consequences including a significant rise in the risk of adverse mental health
symptoms (e.g., psychosis, paranoia, depression, insomnia, and cognitive impairment [8–11]),
increased likelihood of risky behaviors (e.g., illicit drug consumption, criminal behaviors, and
sexual behaviors with increased risk of sexually transmitted infections [12–19]), and other
physiologic effects (e.g., “meth mouth” [20, 21]; brain abnormalities such as reductions in white
matter integrity and hippocampal volumes, cardiovascular problems, hyperthermia, seizures [6,
22–24]), infections (e.g., human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis, methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus), endocarditis [25, 26], and risk of death from overdose [1, 2]” which can
occur while taking the substance over sometime.
Seeing how this is such a great issue around the world, we have the united states, Czech
Republic, Europe, and Asia. Suffering from being one of the few countries that produces a
majority of meth but also the majority that consumes it as well. Which is a huge issue if we have
major countries like united states, Europe, and Asia now suffering from drug business industry.
Being that this now has the country suffering from violence from the drug business. Along with
more gang activity, and not seeing a decrease of consumption of the drug.
Hopefully in the future we have more studies to help prove a way to decrease the amount
of methamphetamine flowing into our countries. And a way to help those addicted to overcome
the issue in a healthy manner, that won’t affect them on the long run. I believe stop the drug flow
from occurring within the country will be the ideal way to stop the drug from increase its amount
of people consuming it. We see this before with another drug, once marijuana became legal and
properly grown within the country the country saw a decrease of cartel activity since marijuana
was now available to the public in a safe form. Without involving gangs or cartels, making it
accessible for those who need the cannabis. Although in this case its different since we do not
want to make methamphetamine an accessible drug, and we want to stop both intake of the drug
and the flow of the drug as well.
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Citation

(American Psychological Assoc.)

References
C. Hamel, K. Corace, M. Hersi, D. Rice, M. Willows, P. Macpherson, B. Sproule,
J. Flores-Aranda, G. Garber, L. Esmaeilisaraji, B. Skidmore, A. Porath, R.
Ortiz Nunez, & B. Hutton. (2020). Psychosocial and pharmacologic
interventions for methamphetamine addiction: protocol for a scoping
review of the literature. Systematic Reviews, 9(1), 1–10. https://doi-
org.libprox1.slcc.edu/10.1186/s13643-020-01499-z

(American Psychological Assoc.)

References
Minařík, J., Gabrhelík, R., Malcolm, R., Pavlovská, A., & Miller, P. (2016).
Methylphenidate substitution for methamphetamine addiction and
implications for future randomized clinical trials: a unique case
series. Journal of Substance Use, 21(4), 435–438. https://doi-
org.libprox1.slcc.edu/10.3109/14659891.2015.1045047

(American Psychological Assoc.)

References
Farhadian, M., Akbarfahimi, M., Abharian, P. H., Hosseini, S. G., & Shokri, S.
(2017). Assessment of Executive Functions in Methamphetamine-
addicted Individuals: Emphasis on Duration of Addiction and
Abstinence. Basic & Clinical Neuroscience, 8(2), 147–153. https://doi-
org.libprox1.slcc.edu/10.18869/nirp.bcn.8.2.147