Signs and symptoms of crystal meth addiction

Crystal meth is abused by smoking it in a glass pipe, or it can also be crushed and snorted or injected. Either mode of administration can quickly lead to the formation of compulsive drug use and obsessive drug seeking behavior, despite knowledge of negative consequences.

Is your friends, loved one, or family member acting strange? Do you suspect they might have a crystal meth problem? Here, we cover the signs and symptoms of crystal meth addiction. You are welcome to ask us question by posting them in the comments section below. We appreciate your feedback and try to provide personal and prompt answers to all legitimate enquiries.

Crystal meth addiction signs

Some of the first signs of a crystal meth addiction are behavioral changes, which are easily noticeable. You can usually tell that something is wrong just by observing the person’s behavior. Here are some signs that can signal when someone is struggling with an addiction problem to crystal meth:

• Becoming secretive and withdrawn.
• Being caught in lies about everything and nothing.
• Decreased school or work performance due to crystal meth use.
• Display of withdrawal symptoms (nausea, dry mouth, sweating, depression, anxiety, shaking, etc.) whenever they not use crystal meth.
• Getting into legal trouble due to possession or use of crystal meth, or performing other illegal activities to be able to purchase meth.
• Loss of interest in social life, hobbies, and once enjoyable activities.
• Staying up for days and then sleeping for a long period of time.
• Spending a great deal of time hungover and recovering from the effects of crystal meth use.
• Unable to explain where money (or other possessions) go missing.

If you are looking for the signs of crystal meth addiction in yourself, it may be harder to notice these behavioral changes. You might be in denial about your substance use problem, which is normal because nobody wants to view themselves as an “addict”. But, there are some tell-tale signs that may suggest your use has gotten out of hand and you need to seek medical help. These signs include:

• Being unable to feel the wanted effects from crystal meth at lower doses.
• Being unable to function ‘normally’ in every day life without crystal meth.
• Experiencing crystal meth withdrawal symptoms when you stop using or significantly reduce regular doses.
• Feeling a number of physical and/or psychological side effects because of crystal meth.
• Having a difficulty stopping or controlling crystal meth use once you start.
• Neglecting work, school, or family obligations because of crystal meth.
• Obsessively thinking of using or finding ways to obtain the drug.
• Taking higher doses of crystal meth than when you started using it.
• Trying to quit crystal meth but always relapsing.
• Using crystal meth several times a week.

Symptoms of crystal meth addiction

Crystal meth addiction can be characterized by physical and psychological symptoms.

Physical symptoms of crystal meth addiction, include:

• dilated pupils
• extreme weight loss due to an affected immune system and loss of appetite
• eye twitching
• rotten teeth
• sores on the mouth and face
• seizures
• skin abscesses (that may become infected)

Psychological symptoms of addiction to crystal meth, include:

• aggressive behavior
• delusions
• hyperactivity
• manic phase
• mood instability
• obsessive need for cleaning
• paranoia
• repetitious behavior
• sleep deprivation
• suicidal thoughts

Crystal meth addiction symptoms: Can they be treated?

Crystal meth addiction symptoms can be best addressed by a mix of medications, psychotherapy and behavioral therapies.

At the moment there are no medications demonstrated to be effective for the treatment of crystal meth addiction, though research suggests bupropion and naltrexone have a high potential for addressing crystal meth cravings.

Crystal meth abuse can produce significant psychiatric and medical consequences which need to be medically managed. Cognitive behavioral therapy and contingency management are among the most promising approaches for treatment of crystal meth abuse and dependence.

Both inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation programs for crystal meth addiction can be helpful in treating crystal meth addiction. However there are differences in the activities and the structure of each program.

1. Inpatient crystal meth addiction treatment tends to be more intense, and allows the patients to access therapy on a daily basis, interact with other patients, consume healthy and recommended food and beverages. Statistics report that residential addiction rehab programs have over 30% higher success rates than outpatient programs.

2. Outpatient crystal meth rehabilitation, on the other hand, allows the person to enrol in daily rehabilitation activities while still living at home and continuing with everyday obligations.

Signs of crystal meth addiction questions

In case you have any question feel free to contact us, under the form of a question or a personal comment in the section bellow. We will do our best in delivering you a prompt and personal answer.

Reference Sources: The US Department of Justice

National Institute of Drug Abuse

Illinois attorney General Lisa Madigan

---

Copyright © 2011
This feed is for personal, non-commercial use only.
The use of this feed on other websites breaches copyright. If this content is not in your news reader, it makes the page you are viewing an infringement of the copyright. (Digital Fingerprint:
f7a6e0cc3471137b83805a08cd727b99)

from
http://drug.addictionblog.org/signs-and-symptoms-of-crystal-meth-addiction/