DJHJD

DJHJD

Monday, November 21, 2005

Terms and definitions

So, if you got a rambling email from a meth user telling you that you were a whore and a prostitute (four separate times) but told that you would now be accepted (the whore that you are) .. would you put any weight into it?

pros·ti·tute Pronunciation Key (prst-tt, -tyt) n.

1. One who solicits and accepts payment for sex acts.
2. One who sells one's abilities, talent, or name for an unworthy purpose.

whore Pronunciation Key (hôr, hr) n.

1. A prostitute.
2. A person considered sexually promiscuous.
3. A person considered as having compromised principles for personal gain.

Methamphetamine is a synthetic stimulant drug that induces a strong feeling of euphoria and is highly addictive. Pure methamphetamine, a colorless crystalline solid or a paste, is sold on the streets as crystal, crystal meth, glass, shards/shardz, ice, P or Tina. It is also sold as less-pure crystalline powder called crank or speed, or in rock formation termed dope, raw or tweak. It has become one of the world's most significant illicit drugs.
Methamphetamine's chemical structure

Methamphetamine

(S)-N-methyl-1-phenyl-propan-2-amine

CAS number
537-46-2

ATC code
N06BA03
Chemical formula C10H15N
SMILES CC(CC1=CC=CC=C1)NC
Molecular weight 149.24
Melting Point 175
Bioavailability Depends upon method of administration
Metabolism hepatic
Elimination half life 4-12 hours, 8 hours on average
Excretion renal
Pregnancy category C (USA)
Legal status

Schedule II (USA)
Class B (oral) (UK)
Class A (injectable) (UK)
Schedule I (Canada)
Delivery 5mg and 10mg tablets
Indicated for:

* attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
* narcolepsy
* obesity

Recreational uses:

* euphoria
* stimulant

Other uses:

* anorectic

Contraindications:

* Must not be taken within 14 days of taking a MAOI
* glaucoma
* moderate to severe hypertension
* cardiovascular disease

Side effects:

Severe: (with chronic use)

* amphetamine psychosis
* clinical depression
* kidney damage
* liver damage

Cardiovascular:

* hypertension

Endocrinal:

* elevated body temperature

Eye:

* dilated pupils

Gastrointestinal:

* diarrhea
* nausea
* vomiting

Neurological:

* altered brain chemistry

Psychological:

* euphoria

Skin:

* rash

Miscellaneous:

* anorexia
* insomnia
* restlessness
* weight loss

Methamphetamine found on the street may be pure, or diluted with the chemicals that were used to synthesize it; in some instances, it may be diluted or cut with inert substances like inositol.

Amphetamine psychosis is a form of psychosis which can result from amphetamine or methamphetamine use. Typically it appears after large doses or chronic use, although in rare cases some people may become psychotic after relatively small doses. Other chemicals or drugs which similarly increase dopamine function (such as cocaine and L-DOPA) can produce similar psychotic states. Because of this, the term stimulant psychosis is sometimes used in preference.

Amphetamine psychosis can include delusions, hallucinations and thought disorder. This is thought to be largely due to the increase in dopamine activity in the mesolimbic pathway of the brain caused by amphetamine-like drugs, although other factors such as chronic sleep deprivation may also play a part. The link between amphetamine and psychosis is one of the major sources of evidence for the dopamine hypothesis of psychosis.

Delusions, paranoia, fears about persecution, hyperactivity and panic are also reported as the most common features.

Methamphetamine is a potent central nervous system stimulant that affects the brain by acting on the mechanisms responsible for regulating a class of neurotransmitters known as the biogenic amines or monoamine neurotransmitters. This broad class of neurotransmitters is generally responsible for regulating heart rate, body temperature, blood pressure, appetite, attention, mood and responses associated with alertness or alarm conditions. Although the exact mechanism of action is unknown, it is generally believed that methamphetamine causes the monoamine transporter to reverse it's direction of flow. This releases monamines from the vesicles to the cytoplasm and from the cytoplasm to the synapse and blocks the reuptake of these neurotransmitters, causing them to remain in the synaptic cleft longer. As in most neurotransmitter chemistry, the effected neuron decreases it's production of the neurotransmitters being blocked from re-uptake, leading to the tolerance and withdrawal effects. In medicine it is used as an appetite suppressant in treating obesity, treating anesthetic overdose and narcolepsy.

The acute effects of the drug closely resemble the physiological and psychological effects of the fight-or-flight response including increased heart rate and blood pressure, vasoconstriction (constriction of the arterial walls), pupil dilation, bronchodilation, and hyperglycemia (increased blood sugar). The person who ingests meth will experience an increased focus and mental alertness, and the elimination of the subjective effects of fatigue, as well as a decrease in appetite. Many of these effects are broadly interpreted as euphoria or a sense of well-being, intelligence and power.

The 17th edition of The Merck Manual (1999) describes the effects of heavy methamphetamine use in these terms:

Continued high doses of methamphetamine produce anxiety reactions during which the person is fearful, tremulous, and concerned about his physical well-being; an amphetamine psychosis in which the person misinterprets others' actions, hallucinates, and becomes unrealistically suspicious; an exhaustion syndrome, involving intense fatigue and need for sleep, after the stimulation phase; and a prolonged depression, during which suicide is possible (p. 1593 - ch. 195).

The acute effects decline as the brain chemistry starts to adapt to the chemical conditions and as the body metabolizes the chemical, leading to a rapid loss of the initial effect and a significant rebound effect as the previously-saturated synaptic cleft becomes depleted of the same neurotransmitters that had previously been elevated. Many users then compensate by administering more of the drug to maintain their current state of euphoria and alertness. This process can be repeated many times, often leading to the user remaining awake for days, after which secondary sleep deprivation effects manifest in the user. Classic sleep deprivation effects include irritability, blurred vision, memory lapses, confusion, paranoia, hallucinations, nausea, and (in extreme cases) death. After prolonged use, the meth user will begin to become irritable, most likely due to lack of sleep.

Adverse effects

* Compulsive fascination with useless repetitive tasks (see Punding)
* Severe psychological addiction
* Depression
* Amphetamine psychosis
* Erectile dysfunction (see "crystal dick")
* Long-term cognitive impairment due to neurotoxicity
* Tooth decay ("meth mouth")
* Damage to immune system
* Persistent anhedonia with chronic use
* Death

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