The neuroinflammation that ensues from peripheral inflammation has been reported to contribute to Meth and alcohol abuse. Activation of microglia and consequently, the upregulation of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) mRNA in the brain is known to play a key role in DA nerve terminal damage observed in mice after Meth exposure (Thomas et al. 2004). In contrast, COX-2 knockout mice are protected against Meth-induced toxicity (Thomas and Kuhn 2005). Alcohol consumption also increases COX-2 through activation of the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) by LPS to produce other pro-inflammatory mediators and apoptosis in the brain. Interestingly, TLR4-deficient mice do not exhibit increased COX-2 and apoptosis after alcohol exposure (Alfonso-Loeches et al. 2010). Thus, inflammation is a common denominator in mediating the neurotoxicity to both alcohol and Meth.

If you inject meth with a needle, you also have a higher risk of contracting bloodborne viruses like hepatitis C. It’s also dangerous to combine meth with other stimulants, like cocaine. If you take more than one stimulant at a time, you have a higher risk of experiencing a stroke or heart attack, and your body may overheat. A separate, subset of rats was exposed to a 20% EtOH gavage (6g/kg) once per day for 7 days. The data used in this study were obtained from the REWHARD consortium, supported by the Swedish Research Council.

What are the long-term health risks of methamphetamine use?

In that particular scenario, the neurotoxicity might be different since inflammation is typically thought to provide a sensitizing effect. In this regard, the enhanced toxicity to Meth would require prior exposure to EtOH and its inflammatory effects rather than EtOH exposure after Meth. Intermittent EtOH drinking by itself over the 28 day period did not affect DA and 5HT content, or DAT and SERT immunoreactivities within the brain. Meth alone produced a 45% depletion of DA and 5HT in the striatum and frontal cortex as well as a 40% depletion of DAT and SERT.

The effects of these drugs can be dangerous and unpredictable, as there is no quality control and some ingredients may not be known. Drug addiction can start with experimental use of a recreational drug in social situations, and, for some people, the drug use becomes more frequent. For others, particularly with opioids, drug addiction begins when they take prescribed medicines or receive them from others who have prescriptions. However, drug tests can detect even tiny amounts of meth, so you’ll need to wait much longer before you can test negative on a drug screening. A hair test, on the other hand, could reveal meth usage up to 3 months after you last used meth. The euphoria you experience when using meth may last only a few minutes.

An intervention presents a loved one with a structured opportunity to make changes before things get liquor storage ideas for small spaces even worse and can motivate someone to seek or accept help. Substituted cathinones, also called “bath salts,” are mind-altering (psychoactive) substances similar to amphetamines such as ecstasy (MDMA) and cocaine. Signs and symptoms of drug use or intoxication may vary, depending on the type of drug.

(+) Methamphetamine-hydrochloride (Sigma, St. Louis, MO, cat# M-8750) was dissolved in 0.9% saline and administered intraperitoneally at a dose of 10 mg/kg, once every 2 hr for a total of 4 injections. Control rats received 0.9% saline injections (1 mL/kg) at the same time. This paradigm of Meth exposure is comparable to that used by human Meth users (McCann et al. 1998) and produces deficits in dopamine transmission (Volkow et al. 2001; Callaghan et al. 2012).

Other Long-Term Health Effects

The authors would like to thank Dr. Eric Engleman and Alena Sentir for their assistance in measuring blood ethanol concentrations. Methamphetamine concentrations were determined by the University of Utah Center for Human Toxicology. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process.

Combination treatment for methamphetamine use disorder shows promise in NIH study

If you do start using the drug, it’s likely you’ll lose control over its use again — even if you’ve had treatment and you haven’t used the drug for some time. Drug use can have significant and damaging short-term and long-term effects. Taking some drugs can be particularly risky, especially if you take high doses or combine them with other drugs or alcohol. Sometimes called the “opioid epidemic,” addiction to opioid prescription pain medicines has reached an alarming rate across the United States. Some people who’ve been using opioids over a long period of time may need physician-prescribed temporary or long-term drug substitution during treatment.

To learn more about alcohol treatment options and search for quality care near you, please visit the NIAAA Alcohol Treatment Navigator. Sign up for free and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips, current health topics, and expertise on managing health. If you’d like to stop using meth, you have options for confidential support and treatment.

Materials and Methods

1. Learn about other ways to lower rates of excessive alcohol use and alcohol-related injury and overdose.
2. Therefore, prior EtOH drinking causes an increase in inflammatory mediators that mediate a synergistic interaction with Meth to cause an enhanced neurotoxicity.
3. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) has information on how alcohol impacts your health.
4. Substances such as alcohol, marijuana and nicotine also are considered drugs.
5. Blood was collected in heparinized capillary tubes 15 min after the last dose of EtOH gavage or 4 hrs into the dark cycle of the drinking rats on Day 28.

Stimulants include amphetamines, meth (methamphetamine), cocaine, methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta, others) and amphetamine-dextroamphetamine (Adderall XR, Mydayis). They’re often used and misused in search of a “high,” or to boost energy, to improve performance at work or school, or to lose weight or control appetite. Methamphetamine overdose is a toxic, potentially life threatening reaction to the drug. Your risk of overdose increases if you take a large dose of meth or mix methamphetamine with other drugs.