Overcoming Meth Withdrawal Symptoms

Meth withdrawal symptoms are a common problem with people recovering from drug abuse. Unfortunately, the methamphetamine withdrawal process can have severe symptoms, making it difficult to complete the rehabilitation process.

You can beat the symptoms, as long as you know what they are. In this article, we'll take a closer look at the crystal meth withdrawal symptoms and how to manage them, which is best done under medical supervision like you will find at a meth rehab clinic, or in some countries a local hospital.

Crystal meth is a highly addictive stimulant drug. Using it, even a relatively few times, can lead to a serious addiction which readily turns into a dependency.

But what causes meth withdrawal? Recurring use of this drug, quickly leads to a buildup of it in an individual's body.

While the body generally produces relatively small amounts of endorphins and other mood-altering chemicals, crystal meth causes massive increases of them.

When someone stops taking the drug, their body no longer knows how to cope with the naturally-occurring hormone amounts. This leads to symptoms like anxiety and depression.

Likewise, methamphetamine causes major increases in energy levels. When the body has to learn to cope on the naturally-occurring energy levels, it leads to fatigue and hypersomnia.

Essentially, crystal meth addiction affects brain chemistry balances in general. When the body no longer gets doses of the drug, it has to relearn the natural way of functioning.

From making individuals experience severe depression to messing with their appetites or causing a sharp decline in mental function. A withdrawal symptom is merely the body's attempt to keep someone alive after having been subjected to an artificially constructed state of living.

While the official ruling isn't in yet, studies are in progress. However, most doctors agree that a single use of meth is unlikely to use addiction. Even so, there can be some pretty nasty side effects from using meth, since your body wasn't built to operate under those conditions.

The range of symptoms can vary greatly among different people undergoing a crystal meth detox. Most patients recovering from methamphetamine addiction will reliably experience at least some of a fixed range of symptoms, though.

During the acute, or most severe, phase of crystal meth withdrawal, people may experience the following physical symptoms:

In addition to physical symptoms, they may also experience a range of psychological symptoms, including:

When undergoing a protracted withdrawal process, patients experience mostly psychological symptoms. These symptoms of crystal meth withdrawal may also occur at any time after the acute phase in a typical detox. They include:

In severe cases, the crystal meth withdrawal symptoms (both during and after the acute phase) may include:

As mentioned earlier, each patient reacts differently to drug abuse and crystal meth withdrawal when trying to detox.  It’s also worth noting that some symptoms may occur for the rest of the individual’s life.

This is a baseline list, and some people may suffer unusual symptoms of meth withdrawal, like arrhythmia, tachycardia, and other irregularities affecting the heartbeat or nervous system.

In most cases, when rehabilitating people with substance abuse disorders, the crystal meth withdrawal timeline is relatively set. Depending on the severity of the meth addiction or dependency, some of the stages may last slightly longer.

The acute phase of the meth withdrawal timeline occurs as three distinct phases. As the body attempts to clear the substance out of the user's system, and succeeds, the symptoms will change.

The worst symptoms will occur during the first two days that someone suffering from meth addiction doesn't use the drug. For this reason, this part of the timeline is known as the crash period.

Physical symptoms are the most severe during this timeframe, and will probably include:

As the body tries to function as it has adapted to, due to the meth addiction, the recovering addict will also experience intense drug cravings. There may be an overall decline in:

During the second phase, individuals are likely to encounter more physical symptoms, as well as some psychological ones. Severe depression and anxiety are likely, as Endorphins, Dopamine, and Serotonin levels plummet.

The body has grown used to rushes of chemically-induced endorphin increases, and has to learn to cope with their absence. Mood swings and more intense cravings are typically experienced during this time. Having medical supervision during this phase is strongly recommended.

During the third phase, individuals should start improving. The drug cravings should be significantly less, though it's unlikely that they'll ever go away entirely. This substance abuse disorder is often a lifelong condition requiring careful management.

The symptom severity should have almost subsided at this point, though the individual may still experience depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, panic attacks, and sleep disturbances. Behavioral therapies, including family therapy, may help manage these conditions.

Unfortunately, the symptoms of meth withdrawal often don't end when the acute phase of crystal meth detox does. Patients who have suffered from a meth addiction disorder may continue to experience psychological symptoms of meth withdrawal from weeks four to six.

At this point, the main symptoms will be the lingering cravings that are typical of drug addiction. There may also be lingering negative consequences as the individual's brain chemistry continues to recover. Some common symptoms at this stage include depression and anxiety.

This is the phase when most methamphetamine users start the battle to maintain sobriety.

There are two different reasons for crystal meth use. The first is addiction, where repeated meth use takes place for psychological reasons. Whether it's for the stimulant properties of the drug, or the rush of endorphins.

Meth dependency, on the other hand, is usually when someone practices repeated use to avoid the abdominal cramping and other symptoms that go with withdrawal.

Addicts are most likely to go on a meth binge, since they want the feelings or effects of meth use. Meth-dependent individuals just want to avoid the meth withdrawal process.

Meth dependency isn't always the result of an original addiction. It may also be the result of having used, and become dependent on, a legal form of amphetamine.

Outpatient treatment at a professional treatment center may incorporate the use of FDA approved medications.

These adjunctive medications can help to manage the symptoms, making detoxing from methamphetamine use much easier. However, it's worth noting that there aren't any approved medications for substance use disorder.

The best way to approach meth abuse and addiction is by starting, and completing, rehabilitation at a professional treatment center.

An accredited treatment center is typically equipped to deal with the suicidal thoughts, weight loss, and other problems that arise when dealing with a substance use disorder.

Abstinent methamphetamine dependent subjects seeking treatment for addiction to meth or other substances will do best with a detailed detox plan, and rehabs can help with that.

Support groups are a life-saver for many recovering addicts. Being susceptible to addiction is at least partially genetic, and being around other recovering drug users can help you build up your self-worth again.

A support group can also help you deal with cravings, help you treat narcolepsy, and share tips for dealing with the weight gain resulting from an increased appetite. We all need a helping hand sometimes, and a support group might be just the one you need.

Amphetamine addiction, including methamphetamine, can be a debilitating condition. Whether you became dependent on the drug after using amphetamines medically, or you developed an unfortunate addiction, there's hope for you.

You don't have to remain trapped in a downward spiral. At Miracles Asia, we can help you deal with the symptoms of the meth withdrawal process, no matter how severe.

Whether you're interested in our on-site residential rehab, or online rehab, we have the skills and knowledge needed to help you overcome meth withdrawal.

While studies are inconclusive, most doctors believe that using meth once is unlikely to cause an addiction. However, if you can't go without the drug or you start experiencing the symptoms listed above if you don't use it it's time for addiction treatment.

Feel free to contact us for the details on our crystal meth addiction treatment.