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Summary
Methamphetamine - meth for short - is a very addictive stimulant drug. It is a powder that can be made into a pill or a shiny rock (called a crystal). The powder can be eaten or snorted up the nose. It can also be mixed with liquid and injected into your body with a needle. Crystal meth is smoked in a small glass pipe.
Meth at first causes a rush of good feelings, but then users feel edgy, overly excited, angry, or afraid. Meth use can quickly lead to addiction. It causes medical problems including:
- Making your body temperature so high that you pass out
- Severe itching
- "Meth mouth" - broken teeth and dry mouth
- Thinking and emotional problems
NIH: National Institute on Drug Abuse
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Methamphetamine
(National Institute on Drug Abuse)
Diagnosis and Tests
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Drug Testing
(National Library of Medicine)
Also in Spanish
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Drug Use Screening Tests
(National Library of Medicine)
Also in Spanish
Specifics
- Crystal Meth (Methamphetamine) (Partnership to End Addiction)
Images
- Methamphetamine (Drug Enforcement Administration)
Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Methamphetamine
(National Institutes of Health)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
Find an Expert
- Drug Enforcement Administration
- FindTreatment.gov (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) Also in Spanish
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National Institute on Drug Abuse
Also in Spanish
- Partnership to End Addiction
Teenagers
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Mind Matters: The Body's Response to Methamphetamine
(National Institute on Drug Abuse)
Also in Spanish
- What Is Methamphetamine (Meth)? (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Women
- Dextroamphetamine and Pregnancy (Organization of Teratology Information Specialists) - PDF Also in Spanish
Patient Handouts
- Methamphetamine overdose (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Substance use -- amphetamines (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish