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Methamphetamine
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Methamphetamine is a member of the amphetamine class of drugs that are widely known for their central nervous system stimulation effects. These drugs are generally used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and were once widely used as appetite suppressants. They are ... useful in the treatment of narcolepsy, a disease that leaves patients prone to sudden attacks of deep sleep. Unfortunately, amphetamines are among the most abused of all prescription drugs. Methamphetamine ranks at top of the list for abused amphetamines, and current trends to use this drug as a free base (ice) are leading to new problems in combating the war on drugs. Side effects of the amphetamines include irregular heartbeat, chest pain, fever, difficulty in breathing, dizziness, and increased blood pressure.
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Methamphetamine, a derivative of amphetamine, is a powerful stimulant that affects the central nervous system. Amphetamines were originally intended for use in nasal decongestants and bronchial inhalers and have limited medical applications, which include the treatment of narcolepsy, weight control, and attention deficit disorder. Methamphetamine can be smoked, snorted, orally ingested, and injected. It is accessible in many different forms and may be identified by color, which ranges from white to yellow to darker colors such as red and brown. Methamphetamine comes in a powder form that resembles granulated crystals and in a rock form known as "ice," which is the smokeable version of methamphetamine that came into use during the 1980s.
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Methamphetamine has many names on the street such as "speed", "ice", "meth", "crystal" and "crank". Much of the explosive rise in the use of this drug is due to the simplicity of its synthesis in clandestine labs using inexpensive readily available ingredients. This drug is readily obtainable on the street and is often sold through networks. Abusers of methamphetamine range widely in age, educational level, socioeconomic status, and economic background. This drug has become the growing illicit drug of choice among young women because it is affordable, readily available, is an effective appetite suppressant, libido increaser, energy enhancer and mood elevator.
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Methamphetamine has toxic effects. In animals, a single high dose of the drug has been shown to damage nerve terminals in the dopamine-containing regions of the brain. The large release of dopamine produced by methamphetamine is thought to contribute to the drug’s toxic effects on nerve terminals in the brain. High doses can elevate body temperature to dangerous, sometimes lethal, levels, as well as cause convulsions.(5)
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As Methamphetamine was quite popular in Japan after World War II, the nickname Shabu has seemed to stick with this drug for quite a while. While some street folk may now call it just "Shabs" the origins of this nickname come from the Japanese word for "swish". Either the Japanese commonly smoked it, or the name swish came from the behaviour of the people under the influence. St Vitus Dance is quite commonly seen as the symptoms of prolonged use, and in Japan ... now seems to be quite taboo (people say that the person who shakes their leg makes the other people around them 'lose their fortune' and sometimes elder Japanese folk will hold your leg completely still until you have stopped shaking). A rather large percentage of Japanese had became dependant on the drug for either profit, motivation or entertainment soon after the second world war. The Japanese banned the drug soon after the second world war and by doing this gave birth to many of the yakuza clans that remain today.
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Methamphetamine sends a message to the brain to fire more dopamine, a feel good chemical that is critical to normal brain functioning. Hours after ingestion, cell receptors begin to turn off the flow of dopamine, methamphetamine does not! Instead, the brain cells respond by releasing an enzyme that diminishes the dopamine cells. With repeated meth use, the dopamine cells are killed off leading to a chemical change in the brain that lasts a long time. This lack of dopamine creates a cranky, violent person incapable of feeling happiness or having fun, even months after stopping methamphetamine usage.
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Methamphetamine