How Is Withdrawal from Meth Treated?

Meth is a powerful synthetic stimulant that can be highly addictive. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), about 2 million people use meth in any given year.

When someone is addicted to meth, withdrawal is not a pleasant experience, leading many people to relapse. It’s not a good idea to quit on your own. In an inpatient treatment setting, you’ll have continuous support and receive medications that can ease some of the withdrawal symptoms.

Health Effects of Meth

If you are addicted to meth, understanding how meth affects your health should motivate you to seek treatment. Meth can have serious health consequences both in the short and long term.

In the short term, even taking a small amount of meth can cause increased blood pressure, a rapid or irregular heartbeat, fast breathing, and erratic or even violent behavior. In the long term, chronic use can cause serious health problems, including:

• Heart, liver, kidney, lung and brain damage
• High blood pressure that can lead to heart attack or stroke
• Dental issues
• Psychosis, including hallucinations, delusions, and violent behavior
• Intense itching that can cause sores

These effects can happen even after you stop using meth if you were a chronic user for a long period of time.

Understanding Meth Withdrawal

When someone uses meth, their brain releases dopamine, which brings on feelings of pleasure. With repeated meth use, the brain changes, and essentially expects the dopamine. The body begins to think that it needs meth to function, so when meth use stops, withdrawal symptoms occur. These symptoms can be so severe that the user takes meth again to stop the symptoms.

Meth Withdrawal Symptoms and Timeline

Acute withdrawal symptoms usually start within 24 hours of the last meth use and can last up to two weeks. These include:

• Anxiety and irritability
• Fatigue or lack of energy
• Weight gain
• Chills
• Insomnia
• Severe drug cravings
• Body aches and shaking
• Confusion
• Hallucinations
• Paranoia
• Seizures

Persistent withdrawal symptoms typically last for another two to three weeks and are similar to acute symptoms, but milder. Other symptoms may also occur, including:

• Depression
• Mood swings
• Psychosis
• Suicidal thoughts
• Excessive sleepiness

Meth Withdrawal Treatment

When you are detoxing in a treatment facility, the goal is to keep you safe and to make you comfortable. You’ll first be evaluated to determine the best course of treatment for you. There are no medications that can treat withdrawal, but you’ll likely receive medications that can alleviate or reduce some of your withdrawal symptoms.

Some of these medications may include:

• Wellbutrin – an antidepressant
• Provigil – a mild stimulant to help with energy and sleep patterns
• Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) – another type of antidepressant
• Anti-psychotic medications
• Ativan and/or Librium – anti-anxiety medications with a calming effect
• Phenobarbital – prevents seizures
• Clonidine – for high blood pressure

During your withdrawal, you’ll be closely monitored by medical professionals who may adjust your medications based on their effectiveness.

However, it’s important to understand that withdrawal treatment is just the first phase, and that treatment to address your addiction is also necessary for your recovery.

Meth Addiction Treatment

The goal of meth addiction treatment is to teach you strategies to avoid relapse, to help you find ways to cope with life without using drugs, and to treat any underlying mental health disorders that may have contributed to your addiction.

Cognitive behavioral therapy is a common therapy used in addiction treatment and has shown much success in preventing relapse. It involves teaching you strategies to change your thinking patterns. You’ll learn to recognize your own distorted thinking so that you can reason through it to come to better conclusions.

For example, if you find yourself thinking “my life is better when I’m high”, you’ll learn to stop and logically rethink that thought. You might consider the problems that your addiction has led to and the effects that meth has had on your health. You might also think about positive things you can do after your treatment.

You’ll also learn problem solving skills that can help you to cope with life, and gain confidence in your own coping abilities. Additionally, you may learn methods to stay calm and control your emotions in the face of adversity.

In essence, you’re learning how to move forward in a better way, which will lead to a significantly better quality of life.
Another type of therapy generally used when you have transitioned from inpatient to outpatient treatment is positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement means being rewarded for good behavior. For example, when you show up for your appointments or have negative drug tests, you receive some kind of reward for those behaviors.

Ongoing Treatment

After inpatient treatment, the process of recovery will continue, possibly for the rest of your life. The longer you stay in treatment, the better your chances of avoiding relapse.

Sometimes the next step in treatment is a partial hospitalization program (PHP), which is treatment that you’ll attend for several hours each day for four to six weeks. It generally includes individual therapy and group therapy. Next, you might attend an intensive outpatient program (IOP) for several hours per week for ten to twelve weeks. This also may involve both individual and group therapy.

Sometimes people find it helpful to live in a sober living house while in outpatient treatment. Doing so keeps you in a sober environment rather than returning to the environment where you used drugs.

Longer term treatment can involve regular therapy appointments and attending support groups for those in recovery. Peer support can be a significant factor in recovery success. Most people find comfort in interacting with and talking to people who understand what they are going through. Peers can also share their strategies to avoid relapse and to cope.

You may also want to try a peer support network that connects you to someone in recovery that you can interact with on a one-on-one basis.

Additionally, peer support is a two-way street. You’ll have the chance to help others in recovery, which can be a very positive factor in your own recovery.

Help Is Available

The process of recovery can certainly seem frightening, but the sooner you seek help, the better your chances of success. Help is available, and it can save your life. It may be a long process, but it can lead to better relationships with your loved ones, success in education or a career path, personal fulfillment, and better health.

There is hope. All you have to do to start is reach out and ask for help.