Symptoms and Treatment of Meth Comedown

If you struggle with methamphetamine (meth) addiction, finding a way to stop and break the cycle of use can be extremely difficult. Meth is highly addictive and causes drastic changes in your brain chemistry, so stopping is often challenging. Here is information about the symptoms and treatment of meth comedown.

Meth stimulates the central nervous system, causing a rush of the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin, leading to euphoria, increased energy, and focus. However, the meth high comes with many costs. When the pleasurable side effects of the drug wear off, your brain becomes depleted of dopamine and serotonin, and the meth comedown sets in. Meth withdrawal has significant consequences and can be life-threatening.

Meth Comedown Symptoms

Withdrawal from meth use can be intense and make you extremely vulnerable to physical and psychological problems. Common side effects include:

  • Intense feelings of depression
  • Fatigue
  • Hunger
  • Meth cravings
  • Slowed heart rate
  • Paranoia
  • Psychosis
  • Anxiety
  • Suicidal thoughts

The severe symptoms of meth comedown often lead to more meth use and addiction. People may turn to other substances to cope with meth comedown, such as benzodiazepines like Xanax, which can also cause addiction.

Consequences of Long-term Meth Abuse and Addiction

Meth use has both short and long-term consequences. Long-term abuse can lead a person to experience hallucinations, depression, delusions, suicidal thoughts, and aggression. In addition, meth abuse can cause physical problems such as heart attacks.

Meth abuse is more common than you might think, and meth addiction can happen to anyone. In a survey of the United States, 4.7% of respondents reported having used methamphetamine (Galbraith, 2015).

Breaking the Addiction

It may take multiple attempts to achieve sobriety because meth is a highly addictive substance. While many meth users have an ongoing battle with their use, abstinence is achievable with persistence and commitment.

Factors That Lead to a Successful Recovery:

  • Social support
  • Resiliency
  • Being able to adapt to change
  • Hope
  • Persistence
  • Participation in substance abuse treatment

Research has shown that confidence in one’s ability to achieve and maintain sobriety is a strong predictor of whether substance abuse treatment will be effective. You may not yet feel confident in your ability to stop using meth. However, substance abuse treatment at CAST Centers will give you the tools you need to become successful in your recovery journey.

Cast Centers’ Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP)

Treatment for meth addiction has been shown to be effective in reducing drug use and improving functioning (Hillhouse et al., 2007). At Cast Centers, we use a combination of treatments such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), motivational interviewing, and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) to help you develop the coping skills needed to overcome your addiction.

Depression can make it harder to quit meth (Hillhouse et al., 2007). We realize the importance of treating co-occurring mental health difficulties. We treat depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, and addictions.

CAST Centers’ Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) is perfect for those who have completed an inpatient treatment program but still could benefit from continued support. This is a day treatment program that meets five days a week, offering group therapy daily and one-on-one sessions with a therapist weekly. The PHP is a great resource that can help prevent relapses following inpatient treatment.

Treatment for Meth Addiction at CAST Centers in West Hollywood

Whether you are recently sober, have been sober for years, or have recently relapsed, CAST Centers can help at every step in your journey of recovery from meth addiction. After treatment, you will feel more comfortable with yourself, confident in your recovery, and able to regain control over your life. Call us today for a free, confidential assessment: (323) 421-7892.

Sources:

●      Brecht, M. L., & Herbeck, D. (2014). Time to relapse following treatment for methamphetamine use: a long-term perspective on patterns and predictors. Drug and Alcohol Dependence139, 18–25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2014.02.702

●      Galbraith N. (2015). The methamphetamine problem: Commentary on … Psychiatric morbidity and socio-occupational dysfunction in residents of a drug rehabilitation centre. BJPsych Bulletin39(5), 218–220. https://doi.org/10.1192/pb.bp.115.050930

●      Hillhouse, M. P., Marinelli-Casey, P., Gonzales, R., Ang, A., Rawson, R. A., & Methamphetamine Treatment Project Corporate Authors (2007). Predicting in-treatment performance and post-treatment outcomes in methamphetamine users. Addiction (Abingdon, England)102 Suppl 1, 84–95. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2007.01768.x

●      Hussain, M. A., Iudicello, J. E., Morgan, E. E., Kamat, R., Heaton, R. K., Grant, I., & & the TMARC Group (2021). Apathy is associated with poorer abstinence self-efficacy in individuals with methamphetamine dependence. Addictive behaviors reports13, 100331. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.abrep.2020.100331

●      Li KX, Loshak H. Treatment for Methamphetamine Addiction: A Review of Guidelines [Internet]. Ottawa (ON): Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health; 2019 Jul 2. Available from:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK546585/


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