

The symptoms include a really bad tremor. “In Parkinson’s disease, your body stops making dopamine. “The weird thing caused by meth is Parkinson’s disease,” Bednarczyk said. Regular exposure to the drug also causes the brain’s natural defense system to attack healthy brain cells. These changes cause coordination, learning and speech problems, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Repeated use of meth also changes the structure of the brain. Strokes caused by meth can be deadly or cause permanent health problems. Without blood, cells in the brain die within minutes. A meth overdose can cause strokes, or interruptions to the blood and oxygen supply to the brain.


Brain DamageĪ person doesn’t have to use meth for weeks or months to develop long-term brain damage. The drug’s effects on the brain and heart are usually the most significant.

It can cause long-term damage to the brain, heart, liver, lungs and skin. In addition to the drug’s effects on mental health, meth damages several organs in the body. According to the Methamphetamine and Other Illicit Drug Education Project from the University of Arizona, symptoms of meth psychosis include seeing hallucinations, hearing voices and harming yourself. Psychosis is another most common side effect of meth use. That’s how a lot of people end their lives as they try to come off the meth - by suicide.” They start having feelings of wanting to commit suicide. “Part of the problem is when you’re trying to stop using meth. “The death rate is exceedingly high with meth,” Bednarczyk said. As a result, many people experience mental health problems. With repeated meth use, the brain’s chemical balance becomes disrupted. These chemicals, including dopamine, affect how the brain functions. Meth causes euphoria by changing the balance of chemicals in the brain that regulate mood. Months of meth use can change a person’s body forever. But a person doesn’t have to overdose to develop lifelong problems. So you see things where people start getting heart attacks and things like that much younger than they’d be expected to.”Ī meth overdose can cause permanent damage. Repeated meth use has an additive effect on the organs. Edward Bednarczyk of the University at Buffalo told. “There’s not a lot of long-term data on the people who use meth for decades,” Dr. Some effects of meth continue for years after last use. However, the long-term effects don’t go away as quickly. Short-term side effects of meth, such as rapid heartbeat, high blood pressure and increased body temperature, usually fade when meth leaves the body. Kevin Wandler of Advanced Recovery Systems describes the long-term impact meth has on the body.
