Meth Comedown: Symptoms & Timeline

People with a high metabolism tend to process and excrete meth quicker than those with a slower metabolism. Activity level, age, and general overall health can all play a part in your metabolic rate. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 100,000 people died of drug overdose in the United States in 2021, a figure that is increasing significantly every year. Listed below are the short-term and long-term effects of using meth.

Using meth triggers the release of large amounts of the chemical dopamine in the brain, resulting in feelings of extreme happiness and pleasure. This high is addictive and causes people to crave the drug repeatedly in order to achieve it. However, recreational use of meth is illegal because it is a highly addictive drug that impairs brain function and changes the person’s thoughts and actions.

Causes of Meth Addiction

As such, the need for mental health professionals becomes imperative. Tweaking occurs when a crystal meth user binges on the drug in attempts to keep recreating that initial feeling of euphoria. While tweaking, the crystal meth user may 5 Tips to Consider When Choosing a Sober Living House not sleep for a period of 3-15 days. Due to this lack of sleep, the user can enter a state of temporary psychosis. In this place, the crystal meth user may become aggressive or violent and suffer from intense paranoia or hallucinations.

Withdrawal symptoms are more likely to occur based on how long and how much of the substance has been used. It usually does not matter whether the drug has been snorted, smoked or injected because of how profoundly meth affects the brain. Methamphetamine, or meth, is easy to become addicted to and difficult to quit. Meth is a stimulant, which means it speeds up functioning in areas of the brain related to energy, focus, and pleasure. Meth forces your brain to release dopamine, the “feel good” chemical. Yes, quetiapine, a type of antipsychotic medicine, can be taken as part of treatment for meth addiction.

Do I Need Medical Detox from Meth?

Meth abuse can cause irreversible damage to blood vessels in the brain. Addiction to methamphetamine introduces its own dangers and exacerbates many others. Today’s regularity of crystal meth addiction can be traced back to the creation of amphetamine and methamphetamine drugs more than a century ago. Amphetamine was first synthesized in Germany in 1887, when ephedrine was isolated from the ephedra shrub.

• But there are a variety of alternative approaches that can also be effective in treating addiction.
• This causes many rehab clients to leave treatment and continue using alcohol or other drugs.
• This step should be made toward the tail end of your recovery since moving can be an incredibly stressful experience, rife with psychological triggers that may bring cravings.
• Some people who use methamphetamine undergo the detox process at home.

Signs of meth addiction can include lying, stealing or criminal activities done to support the habit, becoming deceitful or withdrawing from friends or family, and becoming entirely preoccupied with meth use. When the drug wears off, your brain is sapped of dopamine and serotonin, leaving you feeling anxious and depressed. During this crash, a person may have strong cravings to take more meth. This cycle of binging and crashing, paired with meth’s triggers to the brain’s reward system, can lead to addiction. People who use meth can experience side effects like extreme aggression and psychotic episodes.

Side Effects of Meth

These symptoms can escalate and become more pronounced with continued use, leading very quickly to dependence and/or addiction. It’s not uncommon for a meth abuser to stay awake for days and keep odd hours. This kind of binge, known as tweaking, is usually followed by a crash that can last for a day or two as the mind and body lose their ability to handle further stimulation.

There are also medical risks to quitting meth without medical care, depending on the level and length of addiction. Another thing to consider is the support system you have at home. Are there people at home who can be your accountability partners as you recover? Meth withdrawal symptoms can be physical, mental or behavioral. They can be intense, lasting for days and, in some cases, weeks. Many factors determine the length of withdrawal symptoms, including the amount of time the person has been addicted.

The NIDA reports some of the effects on the brain from chronic meth misuse appear to be at least partially reversible, but it can take over a year or more to reach recovery from meth. On average, patients first admitted to treatment had moderate depression. By weeks two and three, patients had progressed to having minimal depression. Methamphetamine or “meth” is a street drug commonly used by those struggling with addiction.

During this final phase, the worst of the withdrawal symptoms have typically subsided. But psychological symptoms like depression and anxiety may be in full effect because the body’s dopamine levels have not had enough time to return to normal functioning. The symptoms of depression and anxiety can last for many months or even years after the last use of the drug. Typically, depression and anxiety are worse for individuals who engage in prolonged use of the drug. Ultimately, phase four in the crystal meth withdrawal timeline is where recovery from addiction truly begins.

Over 1 Month

Many people who quit using meth experience this condition, called anhedonia. Anhedonia can continue for years after a person stops the drug. As we discussed, meth withdrawal (the effects of stopping or reducing use) can be very difficult for a person. The acute phase lasts 7 to 10 days following the cessation of methamphetamine use. The severity of withdrawal symptoms declines from an initial high peak. During the acute phase, patients getting an inpatient level of care had withdrawal symptoms such as increased sleeping and eating.