Author: Gary Jackson

Signs of a Meth Overdose and Finding Treatment

Another challenge related to the current wave of methamphetamine-related deaths is that medications to treat methamphetamine use disorder (especially among people with opioid use disorder) are still under development in the clinical trial pipeline [68]. Behavioral interventions such as contingency management and cognitive behavioral therapy show some promise but concerns about their durability and sustainability remain [69,70,71,72,73,74]. Therefore, there is an urgent need for expanded options for those desiring treatment for methamphetamine use disorder.

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Additional Overdose Factors

This can sometimes be difficult if the individual is also struggling with hallucinations or paranoia; however, the priority must remain on the safety of the individual experiencing an overdose. Overdosing on Meth is a very serious event that can be life-threatening. It can also lead to potential chronic medical events such as heart failure, high blood pressure, bleeding in the brain, seizures, strokes, long-term impact on cognitive functioning (including psychosis), and potentially entering a coma.

• You should call if you have any questions about poisoning or poison prevention.
• Seeking treatment for meth addiction can mean the beginning of a new life.
• The primary effects of opioid agonists such as heroin include analgesia, euphoria, and respiratory depression [46].
• The health, weight, and tolerance of the person taking meth are also factors that can determine if a person overdoses on the drug.
• This can assist the medical professionals in reversing the drugs’ effects.
• The UNM IRB deferred oversight to UNR IRB under a single IRB agreement.

Injuries during illegal methamphetamine production or police raids include exposure to dangerous chemicals, as well as burns and explosions. All of these can cause serious, life threatening injuries and conditions. Read this page to learn more about the signs of a meth overdose, what to do if someone overdoses on meth, and where to get help for meth addiction. Our interview guide did not systematically ask participants about alcohol consumption. However, of the four respondents who mentioned memory lapses, only two said they consumed alcohol and one of them said they had cut back on alcohol use because it interfered with the effects of other drugs. It is impossible to know for sure how much meth it takes to overdose.

How To Recognize A Meth Overdose

Methamphetamine-related deaths increased almost five-fold, from 0.8 per 100,000 in 2012 to 3.9 per 100,000 in 2018 [24]. Notably, a meaningful share of drug overdose deaths now includes combinations of opioids and stimulants and, particularly in the Western USA, opioids and methamphetamine are frequently consumed together [25, 26]. However, while opioid overdose has been clinically defined and death is understood to result from opioid-induced respiratory depression, methamphetamine-related fatalities are not as amenable to easy identification. Specifically, the toxicity of methamphetamine, levels of fatal blood concentrations, and the contribution of other substances and underlying comorbidities create a less straightforward picture when trying to understand methamphetamine-related deaths. Importantly, among the 1649 descendants in the Australian study, causes of death other than toxicity (e.g., coronary disease, cardiovascular injury, suicide, or injury) accounted for a large share of deaths. This suggests that effects other than acute methamphetamine toxicity from an overdose could explain many methamphetamine-related deaths.

The experience of an overdose can serve as a wake-up call for the person struggling with meth. For this reason, once stabilized, it’s important to think about long-term recovery from meth. The person’s prognosis can depend on multiple factors, including if there was any permanent organ or cardiovascular damage from the overdose. Seeking help from a rehab facility can help improve a person’s prognosis, providing support against relapses.

Dealing With an Emergency

To guard against perceptions of coercion, participants were compensated $40 immediately upon providing consent and were reminded that they could end the interview at any time without question or consequences. If you notice any other effects, check with your healthcare professional. If you are not dealing with an immediate drug overdose but seeking help for yourself or a loved one regarding drug addiction, please contact us. Get professional help from an online addiction and mental health counselor from BetterHelp. Join the thousands of people that have called a treatment provider for rehab information. If you or someone you know is using meth or other substances and is exhibiting any of the above-mentioned signs, call immediately.

All local poison control centers in the United States use this national number. You should call if you have any questions about poisoning or poison prevention. Seeking treatment for meth addiction can mean the beginning of a new life. American Addiction Centers (AAC) is a leading treatment provider for substance use disorder, with facilities across the country. The drug then crosses into your brain, where it causes the release of the brain’s feel-good chemical dopamine. Unfortunately, high levels of dopamine can cause a significant impact on your cardiovascular system, increasing your temperature, heart rate and blood pressure.

Before Calling Emergency

Between December 2019 and February 2020, we recruited people utilizing a combination of street and agency-based outreach in both locations. Inclusion criteria were age 18 years and older and self-reported methamphetamine use in the past 3 months. Recruitment included providing flyers and conducting one-on-one outreach in locations known to be frequented by people who use methamphetamine, including encampments of people experiencing homelessness, syringe service programs, and bars. We also conducted chain-referral recruitment through existing participants.

• Auditory and visual delusions and hallucinations have been experienced by individuals suffering extreme sleep deprivation [49], and lack of sleep is a risk factor for anxiety, and major depression [50, 51].
• Practice general first aid basics such as making sure the person is lying down in a safe place in the rescue position (on their side).
• Notably, a meaningful share of drug overdose deaths now includes combinations of opioids and stimulants and, particularly in the Western USA, opioids and methamphetamine are frequently consumed together [25, 26].
• Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using qualitative thematic analysis.
• The analyst developed a set of thematic codes, arranged into a hierarchical categorization scheme, which they applied systematically to all the transcripts.

Following earlier trends in opioid-related morbidity and mortality, where initial increases were most dramatic in smaller rural communities, rural and non-metro counties have also seen the largest increases in methamphetamine use per capita [7,8,9]. In the USA, rural and non-metro counties typically have far fewer substance use disorder treatment, harm reduction, and healthcare services, making adequate response to drug-related morbidity and mortality more difficult. The Recovery Village aims to improve the quality of life for people struggling with substance use or mental health disorder with fact-based content about the nature of behavioral health conditions, treatment options and their related outcomes.