Because addiction can affect so many aspects of a person’s life, treatment should address the needs of the whole person to be successful. Counselors may select from a menu of services that meet the specific medical, mental, social, occupational, family, and legal needs of their patients to help in their recovery. Medications are also available to help treat addiction to alcohol and nicotine. Like treatment for other chronic diseases such as heart disease or asthma, addiction treatment is not a cure, but a way of managing the condition. Treatment enables people to counteract addiction’s disruptive effects on their brain and behavior and regain control of their lives.
Changes in the brain
- NIDA is a biomedical research organization and does not provide personalized medical advice, treatment, counseling, or legal consultation.
- Methamphetamine addiction is primarily caused by repeated use of the drug, leading to changes in brain chemistry that drive compulsive use.
- While no specific medication is yet approved for meth addiction, medications like Bupropion and Naltrexone have shown promise in reducing cravings and improving recovery rates.
- Meth addiction is a serious condition that can have devastating consequences.
Depending on how a person uses it, it may keep someone awake and alert for many hours. Pseudoephedrine, an marijuana addiction ingredient in over-the-counter cold medicines, is usually the main ingredient used in illicit methamphetamine. However, meth can contain other ingredients, including solvents, gasoline, starter fluid, acids, rubbing alcohol, metals, and salts, making it extremely dangerous to digest. Application of CBT in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) communitie consistently showed positive results. Thus, CBT either alone or combined with CM reduced METH use, cravings or relapse during treatment in this population 74, 92.
What is the most effective treatment for meth addiction?
Treatment approaches tailored to each patient’s drug use patterns and any co-occurring medical, mental, and social problems can lead to continued recovery. Inpatient treatment is always the best option for addicts, especially long-term users who will have more severe withdrawal symptoms. Inpatient treatment allows for close medical oversight, in a safe environment that can prevent triggers, and relapse from occurring. Alongside inpatient treatment, patients can also be involved in therapy programs to help address the underlying causes of their addiction, such problems with their mental health. The withdrawal symptoms of meth addiction are anxiety, intense cravings, irritability, and muscle aches. Withdrawal occurs because meth alters the brain’s dopamine production, leaving users unable to experience normal pleasure or function without the drug.
Mental Health Complications Due to Meth Use
During this period, the body is deprived of the dopamine that meth was previously supplying and causes extreme exhaustion. A crash can last anywhere from 1 to 3 days and is characterized by long periods of sleep, intense drug cravings, and depression. This crawling feeling is due to an increased body temperature, leading to sweating and oily skin, combined with the fact that the body is dehydrated. Some of these effects will naturally subside on their own within a few hours while others could take days or more to go away even after the last dose of crystal meth was administered. One of the largest and fastest growing epidemics in the nation that is crippling Americans at an alarmingly fast rate is crystal meth addiction. It is estimated that more than 1.5 million people are addicted to crystal meth in the United States alone, and this number seems to be growing.
According to Courtney KE et al., 2014, developing effective pharmacological treatments for methamphetamine addiction remains an important area of focus. Yes, you can die from long-term addiction to meth due to severe health complications and overdose risks. Meth use damages the heart, leading to cardiac arrest and other cardiovascular problems. It also causes neurological issues, such as seizures and permanent cognitive decline, which increase https://candramaquinaria.com/alcohol-night-sweats-understanding-alcohol-2/ the likelihood of fatal complications. Social impacts further isolate individuals struggling with methamphetamine addiction.
- Cannabinoid CB1 receptors modulate the dopamine-releasing effects of drugs of abuse and are involved in relapse to drug seeking for many addictive drugs 130.
- Meth is more dangerous than other stimulants because a larger percentage of the drug remains unchanged in the body and stays present in the brain longer.
- Tweaking from meth can also cause people to experience hallucinations and become prone to violent behavior.
Medical Detox
An interim analysis showed that aripiprazole-treated subjects had significantly more amphetamine-positive urines than those meth dependence treated with placebo 67. As with most other chronic diseases, such as diabetes, asthma, or heart disease, treatment for drug addiction generally isn’t a cure. People who are recovering from an addiction will be at risk for relapse for years and possibly for their whole lives. Research shows that combining addiction treatment medicines with behavioral therapy ensures the best chance of success for most patients.
Behavioral Signs and Symptoms of Meth Addiction
Monoamine transporter ligands have been tested for their inhibition of monoamine uptake. Both types of medications, agonists and uptake blockers, increase monoaminergic neurotransmission. Some medications tested in clinical trials had dual actions, e.g., as monoamine stimulators and antidepressants. They included medications targeting opioid, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) or the cholinergic system. As aforementioned, the glutamatergic system plays a key role in MUD; consequently, several glutamatergic ligands have been evaluated for their efficacy to treat MUD as well.