Signs Someone Is Using Meth: What to Look for and How to Help

Abusing alcohol or drugs can cause a wide variety of serious impacts on our mental and physical health, and the chances of dangerous problems like addiction, long-term health issues, and overdoses only increase the more that someone uses substances. One illegal stimulant is especially risky with any use, and its potency and tendency to quickly hook even casual users makes it extremely dangerous. However, it can be challenging to know what to look for in a friend or loved one to determine if their current struggles could be related to alcohol or drug addiction – and how to best get help for them to overcome their struggles with a possible addiction. If you’re wondering about the signs someone is using meth or methamphetamine, there are several side effects of meth abuse to watch out for, according to WebMD:

• Declining appearance or how they care for themself
• Severe damage to teeth and gums
• Itching or picking at hair and skin that often leads to sores
• Decreased appetite, extreme weight loss, and not sleeping normal amounts
• Pupil dilation or eye movement
• Twitches, tics, or other jerky movements
• Talking incessantly
• Mood swings, outbursts, paranoia, or hallucinations

Taking too much meth can speed up the body’s systems to dangerous levels, leading to rapid or irregular heart rates and dramatic increases in blood pressure or body temperature, in addition to mental impacts like paranoia, aggression, anxiety, or panic. This drug is extremely addictive, with as many as half of people who ever use meth becoming hooked on it. Severe withdrawal symptoms make it all too common for people to relapse if they try to quit, especially if they try to do it alone without professional help. National statistics estimate about 0.6% of Americans 12 or older could have a meth addiction. The good news is help is available, with treatments like cognitive-behavioral therapy, contingency management, and prescription medications available to help people overcome the mental and physical aspects of meth addiction.

How Does Meth Affect the Face?

Often, people who are wondering about a loved one or friend who might be addicted to meth will first notice changes to the person’s appearance – especially their face. Among the signs someone is using meth, the so-called “meth face” can be an easier warning sign to spot. A January 2020 article in the Computers in Biology and Medicine journal looked at the specific effects of meth abuse on the face and how it could change the ability of facial recognition systems to identify the person. According to this report, the use of meth can lead to several changes in the person’s face, including:

• Meth mouth, or severe tooth decay and gum problems because of the corrosive effects of meth.
• Dark circles under the user’s eyes.
• A runny nose leads to frequent nose bleeds and accompanying nasal irritation or swelling.
• Drastic acne and wound sores on the face along.
• Soft tissue and body fat losses that often lead to wrinkles.

According to the report, facial recognition systems often struggle to accurately detect people who are abusing drugs because addiction prematurely speeds up our aging processes. As we age, our facials become less symmetrical – and this can happen rapidly among meth users, as much as three to five times the normal rate of aging. Methamphetamine also tends to decrease the appetite of its users, and this can cause drastic weight loss that can give them a wrinkly appearance on the face.

What Are the Cognitive Deficits of Meth?

In addition to physical warning signs of meth addiction like “meth face,” dental problems, and skin sores or track marks, several signs someone is using meth involve how they think and behave. A 2019 article in the Neurochemistry International journal said a growing body of evidence suggests people who use meth suffer from impaired cognitive abilities, including lowered attention spans, mental flexibility, memory, decision-making, and their executive function, or the things that help us deal with daily life and adapt to changes. Because of changes to the brain from long-term meth use, people who are addicted to meth will often struggle with impulse control as well as their ability to properly understand or interpret social cues like how someone else is behaving or talking. They likely will struggle with paying attention or remembering things, and they can also slow down in the speed of their ability to process information or things they’re looking at. In addition, research suggests people who use meth can be worse at developing new cognitive abilities and learning new skills.

In addition, meth users tend to struggle with emotional and behavioral problems like impulsivity, aggression, irritability, paranoia, and anxiety because of the drug’s impact on their ability to sleep. As they continue to struggle with falling and staying asleep regularly, their emotional health can become severely disrupted.

How Can Drugs Affect a Healthy Lifestyle?

Drugs like methamphetamine can seriously affect the user’s mental and physical health, making wellness or relative good health nearly impossible while the addiction is raging. The National Institute on Drug Abuse says those who are struggling with addiction are much more likely to suffer from things like lung or heart problems, strokes, cancer, mental health disorders, and decreased cognitive ability. Meth, in particular, is strongly associated with serious dental issues.

Even beyond the actual health effects of the drug itself, addiction to mind-altering substances can put users at a much higher risk of things like sexually transmitted diseases, car accidents, mental health problems, and suicidal thoughts because of the way drugs can decrease our inhibitions or lead us to make poor decisions.

What Medication Is Used to Treat a Meth Addiction?

Meth is a highly addictive drug, with an estimated half of people who use it ending up addicted. The severe withdrawal symptoms of meth that people can feel when they try to quit all too often lead them to relapse, and this substance is notoriously difficult to stop using for many people. However, several professional treatment approaches are shown to be effective in helping people stop using methamphetamine and achieve long-lasting recovery.

A common treatment for meth addiction is cognitive-behavioral therapy, a type of psychotherapy in which a therapist helps patients identify negative, unhealthy, or incorrect ways of thinking about and seeing the world and change their perceptions to better handle the regular stresses and challenges of life without drugs. Most people who enter an addiction treatment program for meth will first start with a brief but vitally important period of medically supervised detox, with medical supervision and support as well as prescription medications given to patients to help them safely and more comfortably get through the withdrawal process.

In addition to cognitive-behavioral therapy, other types of interventions like contingency management sessions can help patients better deal with their recovery from meth addiction. Another line of treatment is prescription medications, such as a combination of injectable naltrexone and oral bupropion, which reduces cravings to use the drug and helps prevent relapse.

Call Resurgence for Help If You See the Signs Someone Is Using Meth

If you’re struggling with addiction or see the signs someone is using meth in a friend or loved one, it’s important to remember that help is available, and addiction doesn’t have to go on forever. In California, Resurgence Behavioral Health is a recognized leader in providing comprehensive addiction treatment programs and services that can help people quit using drugs or alcohol and find the way to a better, brighter future. Help is available, and we can help you get started today. Learn more by calling us at 855-458-0050 today.

External Sources

• WebMD – The Dangers of Crystal Methamphetamine
• ScienceDirect – Methamphetamine Drug Abuse and Addiction: Effects on Face Asymmetry
• ScienceDirect – Methamphetamine Use Causes Cognitive Impairment and Altered Decision-Making
• National Institute on Drug Abuse – Addiction and Health
• National Institutes of Health – Combination Treatment for Methamphetamine Use Disorder Shows Promise in NIH Study

David Rofofsky
After growing up in New York, David chose to get help with substance abuse in California because of the state's reputation for top-tier treatment. There, he found the treatment he needed to achieve more than nine years of recovery. He's been in the drug and alcohol addiction rehab industry for eight years and now serves as the Director of Admissions for Resurgence Behavioral Health. David remains passionate about the field because he understands how hard it is to pick up the phone and ask for help. However, once the call is made, someone's life can be saved.

Research | Editorial