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Methamphetamine is a white, odourless, bitter-tasting crystalline powder that dissolves easily in water or alcohol and may be snorted, swallowed, smoked or injected. In its smokable form, methamphetamine is called “ice,” “crystal,” “crank” or “glass” because of its transparent, sheet-like crystals. It is smoked in a pipe like crack cocaine. Methamphetamine (meth) is a synthetic stimulant that is addictive and can cause considerable health adversities that can sometimes result in death.

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Meth can be smoked, snorted, injected, or taken orally and is often used with other substances.

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How does this drug impact the state of consciousness?

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How does this drug impact the state of consciousness?

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Meth that changes our state of consciousness. They work by influencing neurotransmitters in the CNS. Using psychoactive drugs may create tolerance and, when they are no longer used, withdrawal. Addiction may result from tolerance and the difficulty of withdrawal.

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Instead of a simple, pleasurable surge of dopamine,meth causes dopamine to flood the reward pathway, 10 times more than a natural reward. The brain remembers this surge and associates it with the addictive substance. Well-supported scientific evidence shows that disruptions in three areas of the brain are particularly important in the onset, development, and maintenance of substance use disorders: the basal ganglia, the extended amygdala, and the prefrontal cortex.

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Meth isn’t just one thing; it comes in different forms and can look very different depending on how it’s made and used. Meth comes in several forms, each with its own distinct appearance, which can vary depending on how it’s manufactured and the additives mixed with it.

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Changes in brain structure and function, deficits in thinking and motor skills, mood disturbances, extreme weight loss, aggressive or violent behavior, severe dental problems, skin sores from intense itching, rapid or irregular heart rate,anxiety,addiction, sleep disorders, confusion, memory loss, increased blood pressure

Long-term effects;paranoia, visual and auditory hallucinations, delusions (insects crawling on the skin),

repetitive behaviors

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In the world many people take meth because of their anxiety about their daily life and people who take meth they are thinking make them more relaxed. However it can really be dangerous in so many ways. This drug, which can even lead to death, should not be used. It endangers the health of the user and also harms others.

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Methamphetamine (meth) is a synthetic stimulant that is addictive and can cause considerable health adversities that can sometimes result in death. Meth can be smoked, snorted, injected, or taken orally and is often used with other substances.

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Methamphetamine: Facts, effects, and health risks

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Methamphetamine is a highly addictive and illegal drug that is known for its euphoric effects. Learn more about the hazards of this drug.

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What Does Meth Look Like? - Recovery Services of Connecticut

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Discover the different types of meth with our visual guide. Click to see images that help identify meth forms and learn key info for safety.

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Official Name

​Methamphetamines

Street Name

speed, meth, chalk, ice, crystal, crystal meth, jib

What is it?

Methamphetamine belongs to a family of drugs called amphetamines-powerful stimulants that speed up the body's central nervous system. It has been used medically as a treatment for obesity and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). While still available for medical use in the United States, its use is limited by the severity of its adverse effects, and by its high addictive potential. Methamphetamine is not legally available in Canada.

Where does it come from?

Street methamphetamine is made in illegal labs with fairly inexpensive, and often toxic or flammable, ingredients. The chemicals and processes used vary from lab to lab, affecting the strength, purity and effect of the final product.

What does it look like?

Methamphetamine is a white, odourless, bitter-tasting crystalline powder that dissolves easily in water or alcohol and may be snorted, swallowed, smoked or injected. In its smokable form, methamphetamine is called "ice," "crystal," "crank" or "glass" because of its transparent, sheet-like crystals. It is smoked in a pipe like crack cocaine.

Who uses it?

In the past, illegal methamphetamine use was most closely associated with biker gangs, and also had a spell of popularity in the hippie culture of the 1960s. More recently, the low cost, ease of manufacture and availability of methamphetamine has led to a rise in use among a variety of people. These users include young people at nightclubs and parties, and cocaine users who substitute methamphetamine for its cocaine-like effects.

A 2011 survey of Ontario students in grades 7 to 12 reported that one per cent had used methamphetamine at least once in the past year. A 2012 study estimated that there are roughly 52,000 methamphetamine users in Canada. This same study went on to say that the actual number of users may be much higher.

How does it make you feel?

The way methamphetamine-or any other drug-affects you depends on many factors, including:

your age and your body weight

how much you take and how often you take it

how long you've been taking it

the method you use to take the drug

the environment you're in

whether or not you have certain pre-existing medical or psychiatric conditions

if you've taken any alcohol or other drugs (illegal, prescription, over-the-counter or herbal).

Immediately after smoking methamphetamine or injecting it into a vein, the user experiences an intense surge of euphoria, called a "rush" or "flash." Snorting methamphetamine produces effects within three to five minutes; swallowing in about 15-20 minutes.

Methamphetamine makes people feel alert and energetic, confident and talkative. They feel little need for food or sleep. On the other hand, users are also likely to feel the many unwanted effects of the drug, including racing of the heart, chest pain, dryness of the mouth, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea and physical tension. Many report an anxious "wired" feeling of restlessness and irritability. The negative effects of methamphetamine can be extreme and alarming, including paranoid delusions, hallucinations, aggressive behaviour and impulsive violence.

How long does the feeling last?

When methamphetamine is injected or taken by mouth, the effects of the drug last about six to eight hours. Smoking methamphetamine may produce effects that last from 10-12 hours. After the effects of the drug have worn off, users are left feeling tired and depressed. Some use the drug continuously over a period of days or weeks in a "binge and crash" pattern, inviting serious health risks and leading to drug addiction.

Is it addictive?

Yes. Tolerance to the effects of methamphetamine builds up quickly in regular users, meaning they need more and more of the drug to achieve the desired effect. When addicted users stop taking methamphetamine, they have strong cravings for the drug, and within a few days will experience withdrawal symptoms, including stomach pain, hunger, headaches, shortness of breath, tiredness and depression.

Is it dangerous?

Yes. Methamphetamine causes the heart to beat faster and blood pressure to rise. Since what is sold as methamphetamine varies widely in terms of content and purity, users can't know how much they are taking. An overdose of methamphetamine can result in seizures, high body temperature, irregular heartbeat, heart attack, stroke and death. The risk of overdose is highest when the drug is injected. Injecting methamphetamine also puts the user at risk of infections from used needles or impurities in the drug, and of hepatitis or HIV if they share needles with others.

Using methamphetamine during pregnancy can cause the baby to be born prematurely and to have a low birth weight.

Driving or operating machinery while under the influence of methamphetamine, or any drug, increases the risk of physical injury to the user, and increases the risk of injury to others.

What are the long-term effects of using it?

When methamphetamine is used regularly over a long period of time, people can develop amphetamine psychosis. The symptoms of amphetamine psychosis include hallucinations, delusions, paranoia and bizarre and violent behaviour.

Regular use of methamphetamine can also result in:

severe tooth decay (meth mouth)

meth "bugs," or the feeling of bugs under the skin, leading to skin-picking and sores

loss of appetite, weight loss

difficulty sleeping

increased risk of heart disease and stroke

increased risk of Parkinson's disease.

Research in animals and humans suggests that methamphetamine may cause long-term damage to cells in those areas of the brain associated with thinking, memory and movement. Further research is needed to determine if these effects are permanent.

Copyright © 2003, 2012 Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Where can I find help, treatment and support?

Where can I find more information?

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​Methamphetamines speed, meth, chalk, ice, crystal, crystal meth, jib Methamphetamine belongs to a family of drugs called amphetamines-powerful stimulants that speed up the body's central nervous system. It has been used medically as a treatment for obesity and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

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Street methamphetamine is made in illegal labs with fairly inexpensive, and often toxic or flammable, ingredients. The chemicals and processes used vary from lab to lab, affecting the strength, purity and effect of the final product.

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Methamphetamine makes people feel alert and energetic, confident and talkative. They feel little need for food or sleep.

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Methamphetamine, or meth, is a powerful and addictive stimulant drug.

The National Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) reports that in 2014 approximately 53 people per 100,000 were receiving care at a specialized addiction treatment facility for issues involving methamphetamine.

As of 2021, around 6 percent of the American population (aged 12 and older) had tried it at least once, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) reports.

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 According to data collected by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 608 deaths were attributed to methamphetamine use in 1999.  That number increased to 52,397 in 2021. Hoopsick and R. Andrew Yockey at the University of Texas, Fort Worth, found that 61.2% of the methamphetamine overdose deaths in 2021 co-involved heroin or fentanyl. Much of the increase in methamphetamine-related mortality occurred between 2010 and 2021 and is showing no sign of abating. 

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These public health and arrests trends highlight rapidly growing use of methamphetamine. Pew analysis of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), a large representative survey, found that self-reported use of meth in the past year increased by about 22%—from approximately 1.66 million adults (age 18 or older) in 2015 to more than 2 million in 2019.

State level data is not available on meth-related SUD. National data, however, shows that more than half (54%) of those using meth in the past year met the criteria for meth-related SUD, an indication that for many, meth use significantly impaired their health and ability to manage life's responsibilities.

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Works Cited