September 1, 2020

I Started Using Meth for Weight Loss

Are you thinking of taking meth for weight loss? Society’s expectations of how our bodies should look are unrealistic. Instead of teaching body positivity, shame is used as the driving motivator for unwise decisions when it comes to shaping our body. Some people turn to medications to lose weight, or worse, illegal drugs. For instance, those who are desperate enough might ask, does meth make you lose weight? And it does, but this isn’t what you should turn to.

Whether you are struggling with an eating disorder, your body image, or your health, meth weight loss is not the answer. It works in the short term, but the effects on your health will not be worth it. Perhaps you are seeing this for yourself right now: if so, we can help you heal! Call us at 623-263-7371 and we will guide you to the correct recovery facilities and treatments.

Methamphetamine 101

Methamphetamine is a man-made, highly addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system. Its nicknames include meth, crystal or crystal ice, blue or blue ice, and speed. Meth comes in the form of a crystal or powder that is odor-free and white. It can dissolve in liquid and can be drunk or an injection. Snorting and smoking the powder are also common.

Meth affects the nervous system very strongly, because it stays in the brain longer than other drugs. It activates the release of dopamine, a chemical most commonly associated with pleasure, and produces the “rush” of euphoria common to meth and many other addictive substances. But you ‘crash’ faster on meth than on cocaine or other stimulants. These high-volume releases of dopamine are more “toxic to nerve terminals in the brain” according to Medical News Today. The more you use meth, the more you begin rewiring your brain, eventually developing an addiction.

Does Meth Make You Lose Weight?

Does meth make you lose weight? Yes, but it may be the most unhealthy method there is. We all have our reasons for making the choices that we do, but if you have chosen meth to lose weight, you need to understand just how much it is hurting your body, and what you can do to stop using.

Some interesting perspectives have helped boost the wide appeal of meth. It has been painted as a miracle drug that not only helps you lose weight but can make you work harder without stopping. Making you ‘feel good’ has been displayed as its main intention. People tend to downplay the danger, but it is very real. The truth is it only helps you perform by accelerating your heart rate, and only helps you lose weight by making it possible to starve yourself without feeling it.

These false expectations appeal to people. Why wouldn’t they? Especially when you don’t know the consequences. Society puts harsh expectations on our bodies. Interestingly enough, according to the University of Rochester Medical Center, “women use meth at rates that are about equal to men. That is unlike many other illegal drugs, which are mainly used by men.” Meth seems to be a drug that appeals more to women than other drugs, and the side effect of weight loss is likely behind this.

Unhealthy Weight Loss

Meth weight loss causes many physical risks that are hurting your body rather than helping. It does create weight loss but only because you lose your appetite, your muscle mass starts to decrease, and you burn more calories.

Meth keeps you energized and awake for longer periods of time. Therefore, you burn more calories. But meth also causes you to lose your appetite. When you start skipping meals your body needs something to burn to create energy. Your body starts to burn through your fat and calories. This sounds like a positive result except for none of this is accomplished in a healthy way. When your body runs out of fat to burn, it will start to break down your muscles to burn energy. Over time your muscle mass deteriorates because your body is using anything trying to survive.

Does meth speed up your metabolism? No, but it does speed up your heart rate, breathing, and body temperature. This causes your body to need more energy to continue to stimulate you. If you are not eating then your metabolism will actually slow down to make up for it: essentially, you’ve dieted your way to malnutrition.

It is okay if you didn’t know about any of this! Meth pretends to be a miracle drug but it is very unhealthy. Even if you lose your desired amount of weight from meth, you’ve also seriously weakened your health. Loving your body is certainly easier said than done, but there are better ways to reach your goals. Talk to our specialists to discover what some of these might be. There is no shame in your previous decisions, but let’s make the decision now to change.

Effects of Meth on Lifestyle

You might believe that if you weighed less than you would be happy. It is believed once you have your desired look you will have more friends or a significant other. You might have low self-esteem or you might not love your body. These are all valid emotions to feel. But the decision to take meth to lose weight affects not only your body but also your mental and social well-being.

Academic

Meth will not help you succeed whether you are in high school, college, or graduate school. It does keep you awake, which seems advantageous for studying. But meth can damage your cognitive function and health in the long run. It interferes with your brain pathways, making it increasingly difficult to understand new material. You might feel anxious more often and confused, making it harder to learn. Therefore, it is actually a myth that meth helps you study because over time it decreases your cognitive health. According to the website ‘Very Well Mind’, “brain scans have confirmed the long-term damage done by meth.” If you struggle with paying attention or need more effective ways to study then talk to your doctor. There are safer ways to produce good grades and study habits.

Mental

If you struggle with depression, anxiety, or any kind of ailment, you might believe meth can make you feel better. And it is true that meth creates a euphoric feeling of happiness. However, this feeling is chemically made and it doesn’t last. You might feel on top of the world for a couple of hours but the minute the effects wear off, you will feel even worse than before. Over a period of excessive use, your body builds up a tolerance. This means you require a higher dosage of meth in order to achieve the same result. If you want to stop using meth, the tolerance you built up can make stopping quite difficult due to the withdrawal effects.

Social

Your social lifestyle will be affected the more you use meth. Maybe it was your social circle that caused you to turn to meth in the first place to lose weight, but meth begins to alter your personality so much that you ultimately turn into a different person. Become paranoid and anxious most of the time is common. You might have mood swings that can result in lashing out at people. You might seclude yourself, or lose friends because of your behavior. It is so scary and sad when all you wanted to do was fit in. You will be loved so much more for who you are as a person versus how you look. If you started using meth to lose weight, there is a way to heal through treatment.

Short-Term and Long-Term Side Effects of Meth

Over time as you develop an addiction to meth you will develop side effects. You will lose weight but you will actually lose too much. Meth addicts can become dangerously underweight, even 80 pounds as an adult. Your body starts to age, making you look older than you are in a sickly way. Some meth addicts are referred to as looking “gaunt” or hollow. This can be both a short term and long-term effect of using meth. It depends on how long you have been using.

Short-Term Effects

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, other short-term side effects include:

Increased attention and decreased fatigue
Increased activity and wakefulness
Decreased appetite
Euphoria and rush
Increased respiration
Rapid/irregular heartbeat
Hyperthermia

Long-Term Effects

Long-term effects are a result of the continual use of meth over a long period of time. One of the most common visual signs of skin sores. Consistently using meth can result in hallucinations. You feel as though your body is very itchy and you start to scratch it all the time. You might believe there are bugs crawling on or under your skin due to the hallucinations. This can cause you to scratch so much that you end up with open wounds that can’t heal and will probably get infected. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, other long-term effects may include:

Addiction
Psychosis, including paranoia and hallucinations
Repetitive motor activity
Changes in brain structure and function
Deficits in thinking and motor skills
Increased distractibility
Memory loss
Aggressive or violent behavior
Mood disturbances
Severe dental problems
Weight loss

A crucial item from this list is severe dental problems. Tooth decay is a common result of using meth. Your teeth will begin to decay and even rot: this is commonly called “meth mouth.” It begins with dry mouth. Seemingly this is one of the most minor side effects of meth, but it allows for tooth decay to begin. Then, over time your hygiene habits might falter and you stop brushing your teeth altogether. Addiction makes concerns like hygiene seem fairly unimportant. Finally, meth can cause teeth grinding or clenching as a side effect of feeling anxious or paranoid, and if your teeth are already rotting, this is all it takes for them to break.

Higher Risk for Diseases

Meth can cause major health risks and diseases in your body. Using meth puts you at a higher risk of developing heart problems, Parkinson’s disease, and blood-borne diseases. This is very scary information to receive especially if you were just using meth to lose weight. But it is important to know what you are doing to your body in the process.

Since meth releases large amounts of dopamine when taken, it can begin rewiring the brain. Meth can “teach” your brain to continue to take meth. This is because your brain wants to repeat activities that make you happy. We have a reward system in our brain that can be tricked into thinking that meth is good for you because of the high release of dopamine. This has created a disease called addiction. You now have little control over your body and the choices you make.

According to Medical News Today, “methamphetamine use increases the risk of heart problems, such as chest pain, abnormal heart rhythm, and high blood pressure”. This can lead to strokes or heart attacks. You are at a higher risk of Parkinson’s disease due to the fact that methamphetamine greatly affect your nervous system. If you are injecting meth into your body with a needle you pose the risk of blood-borne diseases such as hepatitis. Even if you are not injecting the drug, snorting or smoking the drug is still unsafe because the origin of the substance is unknown. Due to meth being an illegal product, there is no real way to trace how it was made or where. Meth is often made in kitchen sinks, risking toxicity for the producers or ‘cooks’ just as much as the user.

Statistics on Methamphetamine

If you started to use meth for weight loss, you are not alone. The advertisement surrounding meth is inaccurate and harmful. No matter the reason that got you here, many people suffer from methamphetamine use disorder. Due to the molecular changes in the brain that meth can cause, addiction has become widespread.

The 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health recorded data on methamphetamine usage. According to the results, “an estimated 964,000 people aged 12 or older had a methamphetamine use disorder in 2017—that is, they reported clinically significant impairment, including health problems, disability, and failure to meet responsibilities at work, school, or home as a result of their drug use. This number is significantly higher than the 684,000 people who reported having methamphetamine use disorder in 2016”.

Methamphetamine use disorder can develop no matter what your original intention with meth was. Meth weight loss is dangerous, unhealthy, and can cause severe side effects. Body positivity is hard, but even if you are able to use meth to achieve desired weight loss, you won’t be able to enjoy it for long due to the drug’s potentially devastating side effects. There are better ways to go.

If you think you might have developed an addiction to meth, call us today at the number below! We can provide you with the help and healing you need and deserve.

Written by Julia Bashaw