Updated March 2010 Page 1 of 4

Methamphetamine is a central nervous 

system stimulant drug that is similar in 

structure to amphetamine. Due to its high 

potential for abuse, methamphetamine 

is classified as a Schedule II drug and 

is available only through a prescription 

that cannot be refilled. Although 

methamphetamine can be prescribed by a 

doctor, its medical uses are limited, and the 

doses that are prescribed are much lower 

than those typically abused. Most of the 

methamphetamine abused in this country 

comes from foreign or domestic superlabs, 

although it can also be made in small, illegal 

laboratories, where its production endangers 

the people in the labs, neighbors, and the 

environment.

How Is Methamphetamine 

Abused?

Methamphetamine is a white, odorless, 

bitter-tasting crystalline powder that easily 

dissolves in water or alcohol and is taken 

orally, intranasally (snorting the powder), by 

needle injection, or by smoking.

How Does Methamphetamine 

Affect the Brain?

Methamphetamine increases the release and 

blocks the reuptake of the brain chemical (or 

neurotransmitter) dopamine, leading to high 

levels of the chemical in the brain—a common 

mechanism of action for most drugs of abuse. 

Dopamine is involved in reward, motivation, 

the experience of pleasure, and motor 

function. Methamphetamine’s ability to release 

dopamine rapidly in reward regions of the 

brain produces the intense euphoria, or “rush,” 

that many users feel after snorting, smoking, or 

injecting the drug.

Chronic methamphetamine abuse significantly 

changes how the brain functions. Noninvasive 

human brain imaging studies have shown 

alterations in the activity of the dopamine 

system that are associated with reduced 

motor skills and impaired verbal learning.1

Recent studies in chronic methamphetamine 

abusers have also revealed severe structural 

and functional changes in areas of the brain 

associated with emotion and memory,2,3

which may account for many of the emotional 

and cognitive problems observed in chronic 

methamphetamine abusers.

Methamphetamine
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Repeated methamphetamine abuse can 

also lead to addiction—a chronic, relapsing 

disease characterized by compulsive drug 

seeking and use, which is accompanied 

by chemical and molecular changes in the 

brain. Some of these changes persist long 

after methamphetamine abuse is stopped. 

Reversal of some of the changes, however, 

may be observed after sustained periods of 

abstinence (e.g., more than 1 year).4

What Other 

Adverse Effects Does 

Methamphetamine 

Have on Health?

Taking even small amounts of 

methamphetamine can result in many 

of the same physical effects as those 

of other stimulants, such as cocaine or 

amphetamines, including increased 

wakefulness, increased physical 

activity, decreased appetite, increased 

respiration, rapid heart rate, irregular 

heartbeat, increased blood pressure, and 

hyperthermia.

Long-term methamphetamine abuse has 

many negative health consequences, 

including extreme weight loss, severe 

dental problems (“meth mouth”), 

anxiety, confusion, insomnia, mood 

disturbances, and violent behavior. Chronic 

methamphetamine abusers can also 

display a number of psychotic features, 

including paranoia, visual and auditory 

hallucinations, and delusions (for example, 

the sensation of insects crawling under the 

skin).

Transmission of HIV and hepatitis B and C 

can be consequences of methamphetamine 

abuse. The intoxicating effects of 

methamphetamine, regardless of how it is 

taken, can also alter judgment and inhibition 

and can lead people to engage in unsafe 

behaviors, including risky sexual behavior. 

Among abusers who inject the drug, HIV/

AIDS and other infectious diseases can 

be spread through contaminated needles, 

syringes, and other injection equipment 

that is used by more than one person. 

Methamphetamine abuse may also worsen 

the progression of HIV/AIDS and its 

consequences. Studies of methamphetamine 

abusers who are HIV-positive indicate that 

HIV causes greater neuronal injury and 

cognitive impairment for individuals in this 

group compared with HIV-positive people 

who do not use the drug.5,6

What Treatment Options 

Exist?

Currently, the most effective treatments 

for methamphetamine addiction are 

comprehensive cognitive-behavioral 

interventions. For example, the Matrix 
Updated March 2010 Page 3 of 4

Model—a behavioral treatment approach 

that combines behavioral therapy, family 

education, individual counseling, 12-step 

support, drug testing, and encouragement 

for nondrug-related activities—has 

been shown to be effective in reducing 

methamphetamine abuse.7 Contingency 

management interventions, which provide 

tangible incentives in exchange for 

engaging in treatment and maintaining 

abstinence, have also been shown to be 

effective.8 There are no medications at this 

time approved to treat methamphetamine 

addiction; however, this is an active area of 

research for NIDA.

How Widespread Is 

Methamphetamine Abuse?

Monitoring the Future Survey†

Methamphetamine use among teens 

appears to have dropped significantly in 

recent years, according to data revealed 

by the 2009 Monitoring the Future survey. 

The number of high-school seniors reporting 

past-year†† use is now only at 1.2 percent, 

which is the lowest since questions about 

methamphetamine were added to the survey 

in 1999; at that time, it was reported at 4.7 

percent. Lifetime use among 8th-graders 

was reported at 1.6 percent in 2009, down 

significantly from 2.3 percent in 2008. In 

addition, the proportion of 10th-graders 

reporting that crystal methamphetamine was 

easy to obtain has dropped to 14 percent, 

down from 19.5 percent 5 years ago.

Use of Methamphetamine by Students 

2009 Monitoring the Future Survey

8th Grade 10th Grade 12th Grade 

Lifetime 1.6% 2.8% 2.4% 

Past Year 1.0% 1.6% 1.2% 

Past Month 0.5% 0.6% 0.5% 

National Survey on Drug Use and 

Health (NSDUH)†††

According to the 2008 National Survey on 

Drug Use and Health, the number of pastmonth methamphetamine users age 12 and 

older decreased by over half between 2006 

and 2008. Current (past-month) users were 

numbered at 731,000 in 2006, 529,000 

in 2007, and 314,000 in 2008. Significant 

declines from 2002 and 2008 also were 

noted for lifetime and past-year use in this 

age group. 

From 2002 to 2008, past-month use of 

methamphetamine declined significantly 

among youths aged 12 to 17, from 0.3 

percent to 0.1 percent, and young adults 

aged 18 to 25 also reported significant 

declines in past-month use, from 0.6 percent 

in 2002 to 0.2 percent in 2008.
Updated March 2010 Page 4 of 4

Other Information Sources

For more information on the effects of 

methamphetamine abuse and addiction, 

visit www.drugabuse.gov/

drugpages/methamphetamine.html.

To find publicly funded treatment facilities 

by state, visit www.findtreatment.

samhsa.gov.

For street terms searchable by drug name, 

cost and quantities, drug trade, and drug 

use, visit www.whitehousedrugpolicy.

gov/streetterms/default.asp.

Data Sources

† These data are from the 2009 Monitoring the Future survey, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, National 

Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, and conducted annually by the University of Michigan’s 

Institute for Social Research. The survey has tracked 12th-graders’ illicit drug use and related attitudes since 1975; in 

1991, 8th- and 10th-graders were added to the study. Questions about crystal methamphetamine were added to the 

12th-grade and followup surveys in 1990, and questions about methamphetamine were added to the study for all three 

grades in 1999. The latest data are on line at www.drugabuse.gov. 

†† “Lifetime” refers to use at least once during a respondent’s lifetime. “Past year” refers to use at least once during 

the year preceding an individual’s response to the survey. “Past month” refers to use at least once during the 30 days 

preceding an individual’s response to the survey. 

††† NSDUH (formerly known as the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse) is an annual survey of Americans aged 

12 and older conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Department of Health 

and Human Services. This survey is available on line at www.samhsa.gov and can be ordered by phone from NIDA at 

877–643–2644. 

References

1 Volkow ND, Chang L, Wang GJ, et al. Association of dopamine transporter reduction with psychomotor impairment in 

methamphetamine abusers. Am J Psychiatry 158(3):377–382, 2001.

2 London ED, Simon SL, Berman SM, et al. Mood disturbances and regional cerebral metabolic abnormalities in recently 

abstinent methamphetamine abusers. Arch Gen Psychiatry 61(1):73–84, 2004.

3 Thompson PM, Hayashi KM, Simon SL, et al. Structural abnormalities in the brains of human subjects who use 

methamphetamine. J Neurosci 24(26):6028–6036, 2004.

4 Wang GJ, Volkow ND, Chang L, et al. Partial recovery of brain metabolism in methamphetamine abusers after 

protracted abstinence. Am J Psychiatry 161(2):242–248, 2004.

5 Chang L, Ernst T, Speck O, Grob CS. Additive effects of HIV and chronic methamphetamine use on brain metabolite 

abnormalities. Am J Psychiatry 162(2):361–369, 2005.

6 Rippeth JD, Heaton RK, Carey CL, et al. Methamphetamine dependence increases risk of neuropsychological 

impairment in HIV infected persons. J Int Neuropsychol Soc 10(1):1–14, 2004.

7 Rawson RA, Marinelli-Casey P, Anglin MD, et al. A multi-site comparison of psychosocial approaches for the treatment 

of methamphetamine dependence. Addiction 99(6):708–717, 2004.

8 Roll JM, Petry NM, Stitzer ML, et al. Contingency management for the treatment of methamphetamine use disorders. 

Am J Psychiatry 163(11):1993–1999, 2006.