Consequences of Methamphetamine Abuse

The consequences of methamphetamine abuse include many different phsyical conditions. 

These include inflammation of the heart lining and, for injecting drug users, damaged blood vessels and skin abscesses. Social and occupational connections progressively deteriorate for chronic methamphetamine users. Acute lead poisoning is another potential risk for methamphetamine abusers because of a common method of production that uses lead acetate as a reagent.

Medical consequences of methamphetamine use can include cardiovascular problems such as rapid heart rate, irregular heartbeat, increased blood pressure, and stroke-producing damage to small blood vessels in the brain. Hyperthermia and convulsions can occur when a user overdoses and, if not treated immediately, can result in death. Research has shown that as much as 50% of the dopamine-producing cells in the brain can be damaged by prolonged exposure to relatively low levels of methamphetamine and that serotonin-containing nerve cells may be damaged even more extensively.

Methamphetamine abuse during pregnancy can cause prenatal complications such as increased rates of premature delivery and altered neonatal behavior patterns, such as abnormal reflexes and extreme irritability, and may be linked to congenital deformities. Methamphetamine abuse, particularly by those who inject the drug and share needles, can increase users\ risks of contracting HIV/AIDS and hepatitis B and C.

During 1995, hospitals participating in the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) reported 15,933 mentions of methamphetamine (see table 4). A drug mention refers to a substance that was recorded (mentioned) during a drug-related visit to the emergency department (ED). By 1999, the number of methamphetamine ED mentions decreased to 10,447. This number increased to 17,696 in 2002.

In 2001, DAWN\'s mortality data for methamphetamine abuse mentions to medical examiners remained concentrated in the Midwest and West regions of the United States. The metropolitan areas reporting the most methamphetamine abuse mentions were Phoenix (122), San Diego (94), and Las Vegas (53). The East Coast area that reported the highest number of methamphetamine mentions was Long Island (49). Out of 42 metropolitan areas studied, 15 areas reported fewer than 5 methamphetamine mentions.

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