Most people are wondering if someone can overdose while using methamphetamine. And the answer is quite clear, yes. Too much of the powerful drug can kill you and any drug for that matter. But how exactly methamphetamine kills?
Methamphetamine or crystal meth is a form of powdered crystalline drug which can be smoked, snorted, injected or taken orally. According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse or NIDA, when users ingested the drug, it affects the central nervous system. The brain can release a huge amount of dopamine level causing a ‘rush’ of euphoric feeling, a sensation which most users sought after.
There is only one-way method exists to prevent drug overdose from happening. That is to prevent addiction before it can further damage the user’s life. You can do this if you observe closely your loved one’s sudden change of behavior and strange habits.
Initially, users will feel a false sense of happiness and increased confidence but meth can instigate detrimental effects on both the physical and psychological aspect of the user. Once, they got deeper into addiction, it is more difficult for them to stop. The sooner the intervention comes, the better chance of recovery for the user.
Here are the common signs and symptoms of meth abuse:
- High body temperature
- Erratic mood changes like depression
- Anxiety
- Paranoia
- Delusions
- Hallucinations.
- Repetitive motor activity
- Impaired thinking
- Incoordination of motor skills
- Memory problems
- Skin sores
- Appetite loss
- Malnutrition.
- Severe dental problems like tooth loss
- Weight loss
Aside from the physical problems, meth can also produce emotional and cognitive complications because the drug can change the brain’s structures and functions. This is particularly true for chronic long-term meth users, which may suffer from insufficient dopamine level in the brain. Dopamine is a chemical that controls emotions and memory. However, these symptoms are not permanent. Studies show that abstinence from meth can greatly help the brain to return back to its healthy state.
Most users sought after the euphoric feeling that the drug produces. Meth is known for its ‘rush’ feel good sensation that can last for about 12 hours. However, there are other health problems which accompanied this feeling.
In higher doses, meth can produce the following:
- Increased risk of contracting blood borne diseases like Hepatitis B or C, Aids because of risky behavior
- Acne because the drug can restricts blood flow; damaging blood vessels and preventing the body to naturally heal itself. Because of this, meth can make the user look older.
- Irregular or stopped heartbeat
- Difficulty breathing
- Seizures
- Severe stomach pain
- Very high body temperature
- Agitation
- Chest pain
- Heart attack
- Paranoia
- Stroke
- Kidney damage and possibly kidney failure
- Coma or unresponsiveness
Prolonged expose of meth abuse can generate substantial psychological problems like:
- Major mood swings
- Insomnia
- Extreme paranoia
- Delusional behavior
- Missing and rotted teeth
- Skin sores like abscesses or boils
- Repeated infections
- Severe weight loss
Methamphetamine overdose
Drug overdose is very common occurrence in illegal drugs. Because the body builds up a tolerance to the drug, which makes the user take more of the drug. The higher the doses the more deadly the drug becomes.
In a meth overdose, the body need circulate blood to the heart, which makes the heart overworked. This condition results in elevated heart rate and blood pressure dramatically increases, possibly causing a stroke or a heart attack. When this happens, the body can go into shock and coma which may lead to death.
It is important to look for signs of drug overdose. If users show this signs and symptoms seek medical help immediately.
Signs of a drug overdose:
- Convulsions, tremors or seizures
- Excessive sweating
- Muscle pain
- Stomach cramps
- Agitation
- Confusion
- Dilated pupils
- Difficulty breathing
Although not all drug overdose cases are lethal, the unpredictability of drug makes it dangerous. Ingesting too much meth can immediately kill the user. The drug is highly addictive and damaging, so seeking medical help and strengthening the Marketing For Rehab Centers is important in these scenarios.
Before calling emergency hotline
When meth overdose does happen, it is important to have several of this information ready. This would greatly help medical practitioner on what to expect upon arriving on the scene.
- The approximate weight and age of the user
- How much meth was taken
- How did the user take the drug (smoked, snorted, injected or ingested)
- The estimated time of the last drug intake
During emergency room admission
Upon arriving at the emergency room, the medical practitioner will carefully monitor the vital signs of the users. This includes:
- body temperature
- pulse
- breathing rate
- blood pressure
All other symptoms arising from the event will be treated appropriately. Doctors may also perform additional test such as:
- Laxative and activated charcoal if the user ingested the drug
- Blood and urine tests
- Chest x-ray
- CT scan (computerized tomography) for suspected head injury
- EKG (electrocardiogram, or heart tracing)
- Poison and Drug (toxicology) screening
In some cases, doctors may administer the following:
- Breathing support, including oxygen and breathing machine
- Intravenous fluids of medicines to treat symptoms like
- pain
- anxiety
- agitation
- nausea
- seizure
- high blood pressure
since the drug causes extreme damage to internal organs, doctors may need to use medicines for heart, brain, muscle and kidney complications
Other complications
The psychological problems may last up to 1 year even when users seek medical treatment after the meth overdose incident. Unfortunately, some permanent effects can arise because of a drug overdose. These include the following:
- skin changes
- tooth loss
- memory loss
- difficulty in sleeping
Several permanent long-term effects may occur such as:
- seizure
- stroke
- paralysis
- chronic anxiety
- severe psychosis
- decreased mental performance
- heart problems
- kidney complications which may require dialysis
- muscle damage that may need amputation
- in extreme cases, methamphetamine overdose can lead to death