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| What is Methamphetamine? |  Methamphetamine is a stimulating drug usually known as "speed," "chalk" and "meth." In its smoked form, it is often named as "crank," "ice," "crystal" and "glass." Ithas a form of a white crystalline powder which have a bitter taste. This substance may easily dissolve in water or alcohol. The drug was developed in the beginning of this century from its parent drug, amphetamine, and was firstly used in nasal decongestants and bronchial inhalers.
Methamphetamine has a similar chemical structure as amphetamine, but it has more noticeable effects on the central nervous system. It causes increased activity like amphetamine. It decreased appetite and a general sense of well-being. The effects of methamphetamine can last 6 to 8 hours. After the original "high," there is typically a state of high agitation that in some individuals can lead to violent behavior.
How Is Methamphetamine Used?
Methamphetamine has many forms of using. It can be smoked, orally ingested, snorted, or injected. The drug changes a mood in different ways, depending on how it is taken.
After smoking the drug or injecting it intravenously, the user experiences an intense rush. This high lasts just a few minutes and is described as extremely pleasant. Snorting or oral ingestion produces a high euphoria. Snorting produces effects within 3 to 5 minutes, and oral ingestion produces effects within 15 to 20 minutes.
Methamphetamine is used very often in a "binge and crash" pattern. Tolerance for methamphetamine occurs within minutes - meaning that the pleasurable effects disappear even before the drug concentration in the blood falls significantly - users try to maintain the high by binging on the drug.
In the 1980's a smokable form of methamphetamine called "ice," came into use. Ice is a large, usually clear crystal of high purity that is smoked in a glass pipe like crack cocaine. The smoke is odorless, leaves a residue that can be resmoked and produces effects that may continue for 12 hours or more.
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