METH ~ LONG TERM EFFECTS
What are the long-term effects of taking meth?
Meth is addictive, and users can develop a tolerance quickly, needing larger amounts to get high. In some cases, users forego food and sleep and take more meth every few hours for days, “binging” until they run out of the drug or become too disorganized to continue using.
Chronic use can cause delusions of parasites or insects crawling under the skin. Users can obsessively scratch their skin to get rid of these imagined insects.
Long-term use, high dosages, or both can bring on full-blown toxic psychosis. This violent, aggressive behavior is usually coupled with extreme paranoia. Other long-term effects include:
Decreased motor skills (loss of movement)
Anxiety
Impaired judgement
Rapid speech
Increased aggression
Hallucinations and delusions
Low body weight/malnutrition
Rotting teeth (see meth mouth photo to the right)
Open Sores
Chronic depression
Deficient immune system
Paranoia
Restless behaviors
Repetitive behavior (such as compulsively cleaning, grooming or disassembling and assembling objects)