History and Prevalence of Methamphetamine Abuse - Essay Example

Methamphetamine Introduction Methamphetamine is a psycho stimulant that has very addictive characteristics and abused by many people especially college students. During processing in the concealed laboratories, the drug’s components are majorly over-the-counter ingredients. When addicted to methamphetamine, recovery is very difficult because the relapse rate is very high; in some cases, the rate is as high as 90 percent. The National Institute on Drug Abuse claims that the best treatments for methamphetamine addiction are the combination of consistency management and cognitive interventions (Foster, 1). This paper will discuss the history and occurrence of abuse of the drug, its synthesis and characteristics of abuse, effects of its abuse as well as recommended treatments. In addition to these, the paper will give brief descriptions of the physiological characteristics of its abuse. History and Prevalence of Methamphetamine abuse Methamphetamine is a derivative of the stimulant amphetamine. In 1893, a Japanese pharmacologist, Nagayoshi Nagai first manufactured the drug from ephedrine. However, it did not become popular until 1940s, when American, German, and Japanese military personal used it to fight fatigue and boost performance, Japanese factory workers also used it during World War II. When the war ended, the remaining military stocks flooded the Japanese market, resulting to an epidemic of abuse. Because of the abuse, studies indicate that probably 5% of the population abused methamphetamine, with one-tenth of them thought to have suffered MA-induced psychotic symptoms (Meredith et al, 142). Studies indicate variant prevalence in abuse of the drug. For instance, several studies indicate that in 2004, about 1.4 million persons with 0.6 percent aged 12 or older had used methamphetamine in the past year, 0.2 percent about 583,000 people had used in the past month, and approximately 318,000 used methamphetamine for the first time in the past year. Between 2002 and 2004, there was a balance between the number of methamphetamine users and the number of new methamphetamine users. However, during the same 2002 to 2004 period, there was an increase in the number of past month methamphetamine users who met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual criteria for substance abuse or dependence in the past year. In this regard, there was about 164,000 that is 27.5 percent of past month methamphetamine users in 2002 compared to 346,000 about 59.3 percent in 2004 (Otero et al, 2). Synthesis of Methamphetamine The primary components for manufacturing methamphetamine are precursor chemicals. The ways of production are usually available on the internet or in underground journals and anyone can perform it so long as they have some high school chemistry experience. It is also difficult to regulate most of the chemicals because many of them are household products (Hunt et al, 7). Administration of Methamphetamine There are different routes of methamphetamine administration. Generally, there is a progression following the start of use, from oral ingestion regularly in gelatin capsules or presently in small wads of toilet tissue, or nasal insufflations, to intravenous use. In the 1980s, smoking of methamphetamine became widely popular in Asia and Hawaii, and occurred as “Ice”, which was smoking of larger crystals of methamphetamine in a pipe, similar to that of crack cocaine. Although this phenomenon attracted media coverage, it never achieved extensive popularity as a means of administration, and in comparison to others it remains minor (Logan, 137). Distribution of Methamphetamine Although methamphetamine distribution occurs throughout the human body, it is higher for some organs than for brain. This distribution of methamphetamine in the human body and in the organs is similar to the one in non-human primates and rats. In the human body, the uptake of methamphetamine is highest in lungs and kidneys, transitional in stomach, liver, spleen and pancreas and lowest in brain and heart (Volkow et al, 1). Absorption of Methamphetamine The common groups of people that exhibit complications of intestinal absorption to methamphetamine are the body packers and the stuffers. The “mules” or body packers swallow packets containing large quantities of drugs as a means of transport with the hope that they will later release the packets whole and unbroken. On the other hand, the reason why the stuffers swallow drugs is to evade arrest while in possession of drugs. In some cases, the body packers suffer toxicity when transport routes fail and accidentally discharge drugs into the gastrointestinal tract. The stuffers in addition, absorb drugs due to rapid consumption of the drug and haphazard packaging (Gupta et al, 3). Metabolism of Methamphetamine The first phase of methamphetamine metabolism involves the conversion of N-demethylation to amphetamine through the cytochrome P4502D6 isoenzyme system. In addition, amphetamine itself is widely metabolized to different metabolites, including p-hydroxyamphetamine and norephedrine, which are both pharmacologically active, and could be glucuronidated before excretion (Logan, 138). Excretion of Methamphetamine Various studies indicate that the standard half-life of methamphetamine is approximately 12 hours. The implication here is that, for elimination or excretion of half the amount of administered methamphetamine to occur through the normal body excretion ways, it takes approximately 12 hours. The major means through which excretion of methamphetamine occurs is through urination. However, the acidity or alkalinity of the urine of the user determines the speed with which the excretion of methamphetamine will occur. In this regard, if the urine is more acidic, then excretion of methamphetamine from the body will occur faster and the more the alkalinity of the urine, the slower the excretion. Acidic urine can increase the excretion process for up to seven hours rather than the normal 12 hours (Mehling & Triggle, 39). Effects of Methamphetamine abuse In general, methamphetamine use has many negative effects mainly to the primary abuser of the drug. Methamphetamine addiction could lead to anxiety, memory loss, aggression, confusion, paranoia, insomnia, hallucinations, delusions, dental problems, malnutrition, psychotic behavior and heart damage. In addition, chronic abuse of the drug could cause alteration of the brain structure and functions. It also causes the spread of infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS and hepatitis. A methamphetamine overdose can cause hyperthermia and convulsions. Methamphetamine addiction also causes social issues like unemployment, child neglect, crime, and child abuse (Foster, 3). Among teenagers, one of the major effects of methamphetamine usage is weight loss, which can be severe in some instances. Teenagers taking methamphetamine on a regular basis experience a severely lowered appetite, which causes to the user experiencing a considerable weight loss over a short period. Adolescents may turn to the drug as a way of controlling their body weight since the weight loss is frequently appealing especially if they feel pressure to get to a certain weight (Fuller, 2). Apart from negative effects to the user, methamphetamine has adverse effects to public health especially in the United States. There can be pollution of water supplies, housing and agricultural land due to use of phosphorous-based solvents. In 2001, the effect of methamphetamine on the environment cost California $5.5 million to clear out. Many children found at in-home labs during drug seizures in Washington, Missouri, Oregon, and California the same year, had lethal levels of precursors and byproducts in their bloodstreams, requiring treatment or hospitalization (Meredith et al, 143). Interventions and treatment of Methamphetamine abuse It is clear that cognitive behavioral intervention is the most efficient treatment for methamphetamine addiction. The goal of cognitive behavioral intervention is to change the addict's behaviors, beliefs and thinking while training the person on skills to deal with stress (Foster, 4). The combination of this type of therapy and drug treatment challenges the judgment of continued use for addicts. In addition, the counselors’ works with clients to assist them comprehend the nature of addiction and particularly the reason why they become addicted to methamphetamine (Carrella, 2). Although cognitive interventions are the best in treating and handling people abusing this drug, there are various challenges affecting the implementation of these interventions. For instance, clients can experience complexities in handling and successfully going through the cognitive therapies. This is majorly because of the severity of the psychological impairments owing to prolonged methamphetamine use (Meredith et al, 147). In addition to lack of data, there lacks precise medications endorsed by the FDA to treat methamphetamine dependence. However, there are continuing clinical examinations and trials for development of probable medications to help in methamphetamine dependence recovery (Foster, 6). Conclusion Methamphetamine is one of the most abused drugs especially in the United States. Use of the drug causes extreme addiction due to its stimulating effects. The occurrence of its abuse starts as early as twelve years with high prevalence in college students. Due to its high stimulating effects, it becomes very hard to treat its addiction. Abuse of the drug also causes several negative effects including brain damage, anxiety, violence cognitive problems as well as weight loss. Cognitive approaches are the best interventions in dealing with addiction of methamphetamine even though they present some challenges. Works Cited Carrella, Viktoria. What Are the Treatments for Methamphetamines? 2011. Web. Foster, Bethney. Methamphetamine Abuse Treatment. 2011. Web. Fuller, Simon. The Effects of Crystal Meth on Teenagers. 2011. Web. Gupta, Malkeet. et al. Bottoms Up: Methamphetamine Toxicity from an Unusual Route. 2011. Web. < http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/588076_3> Logan, B. K. Methamphetamine: Effects on Human Performance and Behavior. 2002. Web. Mehling, Randi & Triggle, David. Methamphetamine. New York: InfoBase Publishing, 2007. Print. Meredith, Charles. et al. “Implications of Chronic Methamphetamine Use: A Literature Review.” Harvard Review Psychiatry 13.3 (2005): 141-154. Otero, Cathleen. et al. Methamphetamine Addiction, Treatment, and Outcomes: Implications for Child Welfare Workers. 2006. Web. Volkow, Nora. et al. Distribution and Pharmacokinetics of Methamphetamine in the Human Body: Clinical Implications. 2010. Web. Read More