The impact of methamphetamine use among people with ADHD is a topic that needs deeper investigation.
Methamphetamine, a highly addictive drug, can seriously impact physical health and mental wellness of users.
When it is used by someone who is already facing ADHD, severe chronic impacts emerge as a consequence.
Below we will discuss: what does meth do to someone who has ADHD and its effects on the human brain and body.
Additionally, if you need professional support and assistance, you may contact Urgent Care of Kansas.
What Is ADHD?
ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, is one of the most prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders.
It is commonly first seen in children but can persist into adulthood.
In addition, ADHD is characterized by inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity patterns that can impact quality of life.
A study published in the Journal of Global Health found that an estimated 366.33 million adults worldwide were affected by ADHD in 2020, highlighting the substantial scale of this disorder.
What Is Methamphetamine?
Methamphetamine, also known as meth, is a highly addictive stimulant that impacts the central nervous system.
As a part of the amphetamine, it shares chemical similarities to prescription stimulants like Ritalin and Adderall.
However, methamphetamine is classified as a Schedule II controlled substance due to its illegality and high abuse potential.
As an illicit drug, it is often distributed outside of medical oversight, leading to widespread misuse and addiction issues within communities.
To get better assistance from expert mental health professionals, you may contact us.
How Does Meth Affect Someone with ADHD?
What does meth do to someone who has ADHD?
Here are some key side effects that methamphetamine users have reported due to the widespread misuse of this addictive stimulant:
- Increased heart rate and elevated blood pressure.
- Decreased appetite leading to weight loss.
- Extreme fatigue.
- Impaired cognitive functioning.
- Severe dental problems.
- Development of mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and psychosis.
Additionally, methamphetamine abuse can lead to hyperactivity, confusion, elation, insomnia, increased libido, and other sensations.
Does Meth Make You Hyper?
There are some key points about how methamphetamine (meth) can make users hyper:
- Meth is a powerful stimulant drug that floods the brain with high levels of dopamine. This provides an intense rush and feelings of euphoria when first used.
- By increasing dopamine and norepinephrine, meth activates the brain’s reward system and excites the central nervous system. This leads to increased alertness, attention, energy, and hyperactivity.
- Short-term effects can include being more talkative, energetic, focused, and hyper-focused. Fine motor skills may improve for detailed tasks.
- Meth also inhibits the brain chemical GABA, which regulates motor function. This removes brakes on behaviour and makes remaining still difficult, exacerbating hyperactive effects.
- Comedowns from the drug can cause agitation, anxiety, paranoia, and compulsive/repetitive behaviours as neurotransmitters become depleted.
Difference Between Meth and Adderall
Does Adderal have meth in it? Adderall does not contain methamphetamine.
We’ll explain the difference between meth and adderall.
| Meth | Adderall |
| Highly potent synthetic stimulant made of methylamine and phenethylamine. | Combination of amphetamine and dextroamphetamine, approved for treating ADHD/narcolepsy. |
| Rapid, within 5-10 minutes when smoked/injected. | Gradual onset within 30-60 minutes when taken orally as prescribed. |
| 6-8 hours when smoked/injected, 2-4 hours for oral administration. | 4-6 hours. |
| Causes massive dopamine release, 3x more potent than cocaine. | Elevates dopamine levels more moderately for focus/motivation. |
| Anxiety, paranoia, hallucinations, memory loss, heart/lung/liver damage. | Sleep issues, appetite changes, irritability if not taken as prescribed. |
Risk Factor: What Does Meth Do to Someone Who Has ADHD?
Those who are addicted to meth with ADHD face some severe issues. These are given as follows;
Drug Tolerance
Drug tolerance means the body with ADHD gets addicted to the drugs and their use.
Drug tolerance with excessive use age can cause the following risk factors;
- Chronic disorders due to excessive intake.
- Overdose.
- Excessive use can cause death.
Co-Occurring Disorders
People with ADHD who are addicted to meth face higher risks of developing anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses compared to those without ADHD.
The emergence of co-occurring disorders can fuel meth addiction further through self-medication and substance abuse.
One study on meth addiction and ADHD found that 10.4% of those addicted to meth had coexisting ADHD.
Additionally, when ADHD and meth addiction occur together, they have profoundly negative impacts on quality of life, according to the research findings.
Hence, the interplay between meth addiction, and additional mental health problems highlights the need for comprehensive treatment approaches that address all aspects of a patient’s condition.
Risk of Addiction
Meth causes excessive activation of the brain’s natural reward pathway for those with ADHD through surges of dopamine release.
This elicits exceptionally intense feelings of pleasure that individuals with ADHD may find especially rewarding due to dopamine deficits associated with their condition.
The heightened reward response substantially increases the risk of meth.
Tolerance can build at an accelerated rate for those with ADHD. It may lead them to require progressively higher doses over shorter periods to achieve the same effects.
Why Are People with ADHD Prone to Meth Addiction?
What does meth do to someone who has ADHD? The following are some points about how ADHD-related dopamine deficiencies may increase vulnerability to meth addiction:
- People with ADHD have inherently lower dopamine levels involved in motivation and reward processing.
- Seeking the intense dopamine surge from meth use may be seen as a way to compensate for or “self-medicate” this dopamine deficit.
- Young adults with ADHD, in particular, may crave the calming effects of meth to escape exhausting hyperactive symptoms.
- Meth provides temporary relief and focus, but continued use replaces natural coping mechanisms with a dangerous chemical dependency.
- While meth initially calms hyperactivity, prolonged abuse can exacerbate ADHD symptoms long-term due to neurotoxicity.
- Relying on meth instead of developing healthy routines and lifestyle strategies increases the risk of addiction taking hold over time.
- Comprehensive ADHD treatment, including life skills training and medication management, is usually a safer alternative than self-medicating with meth.
Getting Professional Help for Meth Addiction
Some of the major long-term benefits of seeking professional treatment for meth addiction are given as:
- Improved physical and mental health as underlying issues or co-occurring conditions are addressed through a comprehensive treatment program. This enhances overall well-being.
- Stronger interpersonal relationships as counselling teach effective communication skills, allowing relationships damaged by addiction to be rebuilt and trust to be regained over time.
- Greater self-understanding and purpose come from gaining insight into the causes of addiction and developing an identity separate from the addiction through treatment’s focus on long-term recovery.
- Increased life satisfaction long-term as treatment supports goals like education, career, or other meaningful pursuits, alongside activities for enjoyment that replace meth use.
- Lower risk of relapse through skills learned in treatment to cope with triggers and cravings, supporting sustained recovery even during difficult life situations.
If you or any of your family members are addicted to any sort of drug and get depressed, you may contact us to get better treatment.
Takeaway
What does meth do to someone who has ADHD? Now that you have read the information above, you are well familiar with meth and how it is used.
When a person with ADHD is addicted to meth, the severe issues may cause due to its overuse.
Similarly, the best thing is to use every drug in a limited amount and avoid using it excessively, which damages your brain and physical health.
For further support and information, you may reach out to Urgent Care of Kansas.
FAQs
Is Adderall like meth?
Meth has no legitimate medical use, and its production and distribution are illegal due to its highly addictive nature and toxic effects on the body and brain.
Both drugs affect energy and focus, but meth poses serious health risks like neurotoxicity, cardiac damage, and psychosis that are not seen with responsible Adderall use.
How does cocaine affect people with ADHD?
Cocaine works by blocking the reabsorption of dopamine and other neurotransmitters like serotonin and norepinephrine.
For those with ADHD, dopamine deficits are implicated in executive function problems.
Cocaine may provide a temporary “fix” that improves focus.
However, the high is brief and followed by a crash, increasing the risk of addiction to chase the fleeting high.
Are meth and Adderall the same?
Methamphetamine and Adderall are not the same.
While both contain amphetamine, meth is a much stronger and more dangerous drug due to its enhanced effects on dopamine and addiction risk compared to the prescription stimulant Adderall.
Why do people get addicted to meth?
Methamphetamine triggers an intense release of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain’s reward system, producing a powerful feeling of pleasure and euphoria.
This reinforces repeat use and drives addiction.
Tolerance also builds quickly, so more is needed over time to achieve the same “high.”
Can drugs make ADHD worse?
For those with ADHD, drug use can exacerbate existing impairments and lead to new issues.
Stimulants like cocaine and meth may cause ADHD symptoms to worsen after the drug wears off due to disrupted neurotransmitter levels.
Downers like marijuana could enhance focus problems.
What drugs do people with ADHD get addicted to?
Stimulants like cocaine and methamphetamine are drugs some with ADHD misuse, as they can temporarily improve focus.
However, stimulant addiction is especially difficult to overcome, given ADHD’s inherent dopamine issues.
Prescription drugs for ADHD, specifically stimulants, also carry abuse potential if misused or taken outside of a doctor’s care.
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