Speed

What is Speed?

Speed (methamphetamine) is a dangerous and unpredictable drug, sometimes lethal, representing the fastest growing drug abuse threat in America today.

Speed (methamphetamine)is a potent and addictive central nervous system stimulant, closely related chemically to amphetamine, but with greater central nervous system effects.Typically, it is a white, odorless, bitter-tasting powder that easily dissolves in water, which is snorted, injected, or taken orally. Another common form of the drug is Crystal Speed (methamphetamine)(clear, large chunky crystals resembling ice), which is smoked in a manner similar to crack cocaine. The street names for Methamphetamine include Meth, Speed, Chalk, Crystal Meth, Ice and Glass.

Effects of Speed Use

Speed (methamphetamine)releases high levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which stimulates brain cells, enhancing mood and body movement. Immediately after smoking or intravenous injection, the Speed (methamphetamine)user experiences an intense sensation, called a "rush" or "flash", which lasts only a few minutes and is described as extremely pleasurable. Oral or intranasal use produces euphoria - a high, but not a rush. Users may become addicted quickly, and use it with increasing frequency and in increasing doses.

Speed (methamphetamine)use also increases the heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, breathing rate and dilates the pupils. Other effects include temporary hyperactivity, insomnia, anorexia and tremors. High doses or chronic use have been associated with increased nervousness, irritability, paranoia, confusion, anxiety and aggressiveness. Withdrawal from high doses produces severe depression.

Speed Health Hazards

Speed (methamphetamine)can cause irreversible damage to blood vessels in the brain, producing strokes. Death can result from hyperthermia, convulsions and cardiovascular collapse.

Chronic, high-dose Speed (methamphetamine)abusers are susceptible to violent and erratic behavior, and a psychosis similar to schizophrenia. The neurotoxic effect of Speed (methamphetamine)causes damage to brain cells that contain dopamine and serotonin. Over time, reduced levels of dopamine can result in symptoms like those of Parkinson's disease, a severe movement disorder.

The injecting drug user is at risk for transmitting or acquiring HIV infection/AIDS if needles or other injection equipment are shared.

Extent of Use

The 1999 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse estimated that 9.4 million Americans (aged 12 and older) had tried Speed (methamphetamine)in their lifetime. This figure shows a marked increase from the 1994 estimate of 3.8 million.

The 1999 Monitoring the Future survey asked twelfth graders about the use of Crystal Methamphetamine and found that use has been rising since 1990, peaking in 1998 before leveling off in 1999. In 1999, 4.8 percent of high school seniors used the drug in their lifetime (compared to 2.7 percent in 1990), and 1.9 percent reported using the drug within the past year (compared to 1.3 percent in 1990).

According to the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), Methamphetamine-related emergency department episodes more than tripled between 1991 and 1994, rising from roughly 4,900 to 17,700. Possibly due to a shortage of Speed (methamphetamine)between 1995 and 1996, there was a decrease in incidents between those years before rising to 17,154 in 1997.
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