Drug Fact Sheet
Meth
High doses of methamphetamines can elevate body temperature to dangerous and sometimes lethal levels, as well as cause convulsions.
Trends & Statistics
In 2017 2.5 percent of high school students reported ever using meth in their lifetime, compared to 4.4
percent in 2007. 6.4 percent of adults ages 26 and older have tried meth in their lifetime.
(U.S. Centers for Disease Control Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2017; National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2017)
Methamphetamines are most often used in a “binge and crash” pattern where users repeatedly take more to try
to maintain the high. Dependence occurs swiftly. There are more than 300 street names for Meth, including Crank, Chalk, Crystal, Ice, and Speed.
Trends & Statistics
In 2017 2.5 percent of high school students reported ever using meth in their lifetime, compared to 4.4
percent in 2007. 6.4 percent of adults ages 26 and older have tried meth in their lifetime.
(U.S. Centers for Disease Control Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2017; National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2017)
Class of drug:
Psychostimulant
Active ingredient:
It is a derivative of amphetamine. Over-the-counter drugs containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine and other materials are cooked in clandestine laboratories inexpensively to produce the drug.
What it looks like:
White powder, pills or a rock which resembles a block. The white powder is odorless, bitter-tasting, and dissolves in water or alcohol.
How it's used:
Orally, injected, inhaled or smoked. It is also a Schedule II stimulant. There are few accepted medical reasons for its use.
Duration of high:
An initial, intense rush lasts from five to30 minutes for most methamphetamines smoked or injected. Oral ingestion or snorting produces effects in three to 15 minutes. The effects of methamphetamines can last 12 hours or more.
Effects:
Immediate—increased activity, decreased appetite, euphoria, increased respiration, elevated body temperature
Long-term—addiction, violent behavior, anxiety, insomnia, stroke, weight loss, paranoia, delusions
hallucinations, heart and kidney failure, brain damage, coma, death
Withdrawal symptoms:
Depression, fatigue, aggression and paranoia
Detection in the body:
Up to five days
Sources: American Medical Association, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Drug Abuse Warning Network, National Intelligence Center, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Office of National Drug Policy