Methamphetamine
Methamphetamine (meth) is a powerful, highly addictive stimulant that can cause heart attack, stroke, and psychosis. Effects, risks, and treatment.
Also known as: Meth · Crystal · Ice · Speed · Crank
Effects
- Intense rush of energy, alertness, and euphoria
- Decreased appetite and need for sleep
- Fast or irregular heartbeat and raised blood pressure
- Raised body temperature
- Agitation, paranoia, and staying awake for long stretches
Risks
- Strong, fast-developing addiction
- Heart attack, stroke, and dangerous heart rhythms
- Overdose, increasingly worsened by fentanyl contamination
- Severe dental decay ("meth mouth"), skin sores, and weight loss
- Paranoia, hallucinations, and lasting changes to mood and memory
Overdose signs
- Chest pain
- Trouble breathing
- Seizures or convulsions
- Very high body temperature
- Severe agitation, confusion, or psychosis
- Stroke-like symptoms or loss of consciousness
Treatment
There are no FDA-approved medications for methamphetamine use disorder, but it is treatable. The strongest evidence is for contingency management; other behavioral approaches like cognitive behavioral therapy and the Matrix Model help too, supporting people to stop using and rebuild their health.
Methamphetamine is a powerful, highly addictive stimulant that revs up the brain and body for hours at a time. Known as meth, crystal, or ice, it produces a long, intense high - and a hard comedown that drives compulsive use. Addiction can take hold fast.
In an emergency
Like a cocaine overdose, a meth overdose is the body pushed past its limits - not slowed down the way it is with opioids. Call 911 for chest pain, a seizure, trouble breathing, a very high temperature, or stroke-like symptoms. No medicine reverses meth, so speed matters. Because meth is increasingly mixed with fentanyl, give naloxone (Narcan) if an opioid might be involved - and still call 911. Naloxone reverses opioids only, not meth.
What meth does to the body
Methamphetamine releases a large surge of dopamine in the brain, which is what makes it so reinforcing - and so hard to stop. It races the heart and drives up blood pressure and body temperature, straining the cardiovascular system enough to cause a heart attack or stroke. Over time it can damage the brain’s dopamine system, sometimes leaving lasting problems with mood, memory, and motor skills.
The longer-term toll
Heavy use is often visible: severe tooth decay (“meth mouth”), skin sores from picking, and dramatic weight loss. It can also bring on paranoia, hallucinations, and a meth-induced psychosis that sometimes lingers after a person stops. Sharing needles adds the risk of HIV and hepatitis C.
Treatment works
There are no FDA-approved medications for methamphetamine addiction - but it is treatable. The strongest evidence is for contingency management, which rewards staying drug-free; other behavioral approaches like the Matrix Model and cognitive behavioral therapy help too. Recovery is real, and the brain can recover some function with sustained time off the drug.
If you or someone you love is struggling with meth, call or text 988 (US) anytime, or contact SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) for free, confidential treatment referrals.