What are the Symptoms of Meth Withdrawal?

There are a number of reasons you might want to know more about the symptoms of meth withdrawal. Maybe someone you love has a meth addiction and you want them to find help. Perhaps you struggle with addiction yourself and want to know what lies in store for you during the first few days after you quit.

12 million people, or 4.7 percent of the US population, tried meth at least once in their life according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Of those 12 million, 1.2 million used methamphetamine at least once in the last year alone. Although the number isn’t as alarming as the rates of opioid use, a million people is still huge amount of people.

Regardless of why you came here, knowing the symptoms of meth withdrawal can give you the understanding you need to help yourself or someone else. Methamphetamine use is not as common as other substances, such as opioids, but it still sees use. Making yourself aware of what to look for may change the course of someone’s entire life. Continue reading to learn more.

Methamphetamine is an “upper,” a stimulant drug with a high potential for addiction. Meth produces incredible amounts of energy by sharply increasing dopamine levels in your brain. This results in the drug keeping you awake for long periods of time, decreasing your appetite, and causing you to behave erratically.

Meth goes by a few different slang names including:

A few of the names refer to the form that meth comes in: clear crystals. More often than not, though, the crystals usually come broken down into smaller shards or crushed into powder. You can ingest this powder a few different ways, either by snorting it, smoking it, or cooking it down and injecting it.

The massive bursts of energy followed by a depressing crash often cause people to go on meth binges. They stay awake and active for days at a time, some for more than a week. Eventually they hit a point where they hit a wall and need to sleep but the cycle often starts again once they get up.

As with nearly every drug, heavy meth use usually leads to addiction. These binge cycles become routine and difficult to escape once the addiction grabs ahold of them. The only way out of addiction is to quit entirely but you must go through meth withdrawal symptoms first.

Your body develops a dependence on substances you use regularly and meth is no different. After getting high for weeks, months, or years, you become mainly psychologically dependent on the drug. Once you reach this point of addiction, meth withdrawal symptoms are an inevitable part of getting clean.

Meth addiction affects you both physically and psychologically, but the majority of meth withdrawal symptoms are psychological. Although the drug has a horrible impact on your physical health, the detox process doesn’t have as much of a physical impact.

Methamphetamine interacts with your brain chemistry over time. This results in a number of different meth withdrawal symptoms experienced when you quit using the drug.

Depression is the most common symptom of meth withdrawal. After living with a massive releases of dopamine on a regular basis, your brain chemistry shifts. Your dopamine threshold skyrockets and regular dopamine production has no way of keeping up with what you’re used to. This results in waves of depression where you have extended periods of feeling down.

Anxiety is another common symptom of experienced when coming off of meth. You feel agitated and on edge because your body is used to the feeling of being high. It’s difficult to cope with everyday life after removing your main coping skill. The anxiety lessens after a while but it’s very much a consistent part of early recovery.

After running off the massive energy spikes of methamphetamine, the term “crash” accurately describes the end result. Your body experiences fatigue during the early stages of your clean time as you recover from being high most of the time. You’ll experience exhaustion, low mood, and likely physical weakness from the fatigue.

Drug cravings are strongest during early meth withdrawal. You used meth to rid yourself of the above symptoms up until quitting so it’s only natural that you’ll crave your usual solution. By putting time between you and your last high, as well as developing new coping skills, your cravings decrease after a while.

Psychosis is one of the most dangerous meth withdrawal symptoms. The paranoia and hallucinations that you experience while high on methamphetamine may carry over after you stop using. This results in psychosis, a symptom that refers to someone who has lost touch with reality. They cannot tell what is real and what is a part of their psychosis.

During a meth-induced psychosis you often see, hear, or feel things that aren’t really there. People coming off of meth often refer to seeing “shadow people,” hazy, shadowy hallucinations in their peripheral vision. They also feel physical sensations, such as bugs crawling over their skin, when there isn’t anything on them.

People in a meth withdrawal psychosis also hold onto paranoid delusions. They create scenarios in their head that they believe are entirely true. Common paranoid delusions include the idea that the government is after them, keeping tabs on where they go, and listening in on their conversations.

You are at the highest risk of relapse during the first few days and weeks of recovery. If you tried getting clean on your own before and found it didn’t work, addiction treatment can help. Addiction treatment facilities, such as Hawaii Island Recovery, offer a place for you to put space between you and your access to meth.

Treatment manages your meth withdrawal symptoms then launches you into programs to teach you how to avoid slipping back. Each treatment facility offers a variety of groups, programs, and activities to keep you occupied. For example, Hawaii Island Recovery offers alternative methods of care such as animal therapy,

It’s difficult to get clean on your own. Give yourself the best chance at staying clean by calling Hawaii Island Recovery today at 877-721-3556.