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Breanna Plummer

Dr. Cassel

ENG-101

2 November 2018

Annotated Bibliography

The topic I will be concerned with are the components of methamphetamine that make it

addictive? What are the signs that one has become dependent on it? How does it affect the body?

What are the signs of withdraw? Is there something that can be taken to help one going through

withdraw? How many uses does it take to become dependent?

Lende, Daniel H., et al. “Functional Methamphetamine Use: The Insider’s Perspective.”

Addiction Research & Theory, vol. 15, no. 5, Oct. 2007, pp. 465–477. EBSCOhost,

doi:10.1080/16066350701284552. Accessed 29 October 29 2018.

https://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=2&sid=a7ac0e22-4edc-46f4-8d51-

1d3d05a97807%40sdc-v-

sessmgr03&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=26946275&db=a9h

In the study conducted to figure out the functional capabilities of those using

methamphetamine 40 heavy users were interviewed around Atlanta, Georgia. Methamphetamine

is known to increase energy, alertness, and decrease appetite, while its effects last for several

hours. When focusing on why people began using the drug Boys and her research team found it

was most commonly used among men who have sex with other men as a sexual enhancement. It

has been found through studies that some people have been able to control their use of heroin
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without becoming dependent or feeling the symptoms of withdraw, but no studies have been able

to confirm the same results for methamphetamine.

Some people started using methamphetamine to self-medicate themselves for a number

of mental situations such as: personality deficits, depression, stress, etc.… There is not one

specific reason as to why people use it. Of the people that partook in the study three fifths of the

heavy users were ages 18-30 and 84% of people self-identified as white. After interviewing all of

those participating they reached a conclusion that the majority felt three main feelings while

using methamphetamine: enhanced function, increased productivity, and functioning normally.

Of those respondents that said it enhanced their function they claimed that it helped them focus

and helped them to do their jobs better. Those who talked about increased productivity were

often times students who needed to stay awake to write papers or who had been awake all night

study and now had to go to class. When they took the drug they were refreshed enough to stay

awake and get through the day. For those participants that claimed they felt normal, they said

that they felt they were in control when they were on speed. It wasn’t as if they had been

drinking and were impaired, they knew they were on drugs but they were still able to function.

The results of this study could vary vastly compared to someone else using methamphetamine. It

should be taken into consideration the amount, frequency, and how long one has been a user

when considering their answers.

Through this study and the data that was acquired through it we, as an audience, can

gather a better understanding of why some might use methamphetamine and how they have

adapted to daily life. This information allows academics to further their knowledge of how one
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things while being under the influence. Each person has a different experience, and interviewing

a variety of people, as the researchers did, allows for a wider range of answers into the lives of

This study was put on by Daniel Lende, Terri Leonard, Claire Sterk, and Kirk Elifson.

Daniel Lende is a faculty member and the University of South Florida and has published

multiple articles about this topic. This particular article was published in the academic journal

from Great Britain, Addiction Research and Theory.

I will use this in my paper to talk about why one might use methamphetamine. The

participants that were interviewed in this study talked about how it made them feel and their

productivity. They did not necessarily realize the impact it was causing on their bodies, just the

benefits it was giving them at that time. These results reflect the question of how the use affects

the body. These answers are more positive compared to the negative ones I was expecting, but

they still answer the question.

Pinelli, Claire. “Signs and Symptoms of Methamphetamine Use.” Narconon, Narconon

International, https://www.narconon.org/drug-abuse/signs-symptoms-meth-use.html.

Accessed 29 October 2018.

Methamphetamine is one of the most addictive and destructive drugs there is. Its

most commonly found in a white crystalline powder, but it can also be found in a chunks

that look like pieces of glass and liquid form. It can be snorted, swallowed, injected, or

smoked, and many users use common items such as ball point pens and aluminum cans to

do so. There are some common signs of a methamphetamine abuser such as: lack of

sleep, lack of appetite, loss of weight, unusually active, acting nervous and anxious.

Depending on method of use, one might feel a high euphoria followed by a long euphoria
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of lesser intensity or if ingested a long period of high with no sense of rush. Often times

one will not sleep for long periods, or even several days, when using methamphetamine.

They will also appear to have dilated pupils and be sweaty without participating in any

physical activity.

Methamphetamine is one of the most damaging drugs on the market and can

cause effects such as: irregular heartbeat, mood disturbances, violent, paranoia,

confusion, etc. Heavy users often experience hallucinations and develop sores throughout

their body. They develop rotten teeth due to the dried of saliva from the chemicals in the

methamphetamine, which has become known as “meth mouth.” When one becomes

addicted to meth it becomes much more important for that person to obtain the drug than

to take car of his family. If one overdoses by meth it would be caused by a cardiovascular

collapse. Many people become addicted to methamphetamine after just a few uses.

This article was written to inform people what the signs of abusing

methamphetamine look like, what the harm of using methamphetamine is, and what they

should do shall they encounter someone abusing the drug. This website and article has

more of a general audience to inform people who are not aware of what these situations

look like and give them more information to help them through what could be a tough

time. It was published on a website that gives out information on drug abuse of all kinds,

not just methamphetamine. It also has multiple different resources that are offered if

someone needs more help, that being phone numbers, programs, more websites, and a

chat room with specialists if you are the one needing assistance. I think that it was

published on a site that has a lot of credible information.

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The author is Claire Pinelli and the website gives a lengthy biography of her. She

has been a teacher and counselor for over 45 years with multiple higher education

degrees. She is a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor in Oklahoma, an Internationally

certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor, a Certified Clinical Supervisor, a

Registered Addiction Specialist, and a Masters level certified Addiction Professional and

Certified Addiction Professional. She has taken the time to go through the proper training

and schooling to not only write about this topic, but to attend to those who need it.

I will be able to use this information because much of the information from this

website was about what one might look like, how they would act, and what might happen

if they were going through withdraw. All three of these topics are questions are I asked in

my research proposal and fat questions. I found adequate information to be able to not

only answer them, but I can explain them as well.

The Cabin Addiction Services Group. Methamphetamine Addiction - signs & symptoms.

YouTube, 12 February 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBMmzfQByeY. 31

October 2018.

Methamphetamine is abused by 26 million people globally. Most predominant form is

crystal meth / ice, and it will be smoked through a pipe. Behavioral indicators: chronic

wakefulness, alertness, manic, followed by a crash. Symptoms: hair loss, meth mouth, skin

elasticity, parkinsons disease is 3x more likely.

The purpose of this video is to inform people about the drug. What they should watch for

if they think one of their loved ones might be abusing the drug, and what could happen if one
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does use methamphetamine. It is for a general audience, all the terms are basic and if they are not

then he explains them. It is an easily understood video, but it is clear what to watch for.

The writer and speaker of the video is Alastair Mordey, the program director at the Cabin

Chiang Mai. He is a certified and accredited drug and alcohol profession with over 15 years of

experience. I know that he has the adequate information to write about this topic because he has

gone to school to be certified for it and he works with people dealing with these personal

struggles every day.

I can use the information in this video to talk about the signs and symptoms that are

commonly found in methamphetamine users. Some of the things Mordey talked about were not

talked about on the previous website by Pinelli. Also, one of the questions I asked was how

common methamphetamine use is in the U.S. however he gave the statistic of how common it is

around the world which could also be used to make a point.

McKetin, Rebecca, et al. “A Potential Role for N-Acetylcysteine in the Management of

Methamphetamine Dependence.” Drug & Alcohol Review, vol. 36, no. 2, Mar. 2017, pp.

153–159. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/dar.12414. Accessed 29 October 2018.

https://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=4&sid=731603f0-ab45-438c-8209-

f95555353447%40sessionmgr4009

There is no pharmacotherapy that has been approved to treat methamphetamine

dependency, however N-acetylcysteine has been proven to restore homeostasis to the brain.

There is a growing number, 160,000 dependent users, of methamphetamine in Australia.

Community based rehabilitation has produced good short term benefits, but the costs are great

and relapse rates are high. To date there has not been a drug approved for pharmacotherapies of
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methamphetamine because most of the drugs trialed mimicked the action of methamphetamine

on the brain without the craving normalizing the brain function, not helping it. Some

developments show that altering the glutamate function might help in methamphetamine

dependency. Extended use of drugs such as methamphetamine causes the body to produce less

glutamate. Administration of N-acetylcysteine has proven to restore glutamate levels in animals

that had been administered cocaine, which has similar effects to methamphetamine. N-

acetylcysteine (NAC) is a good candidate for methamphetamine withdraw because it has

multiple uses such as dietary supplements and overdose reversals. It is believed that the

properties of NAC could reduce the neurotoxic damage and cognitive damage of users. There

has only been nine studies testing NAC with drug users, all using a placebo as well. Only two

trials tested methamphetamine, and the samples were two small to get definitive answers.

However, of the results they did receive they felt it promising enough to want to try more trials

to find out more information. NAC could be used to help craving and relapse, but researchers can

not be certain without more full scale trials.

The authors purpose in this article was to review a drug that has not been approved, but

has the possibility to help millions of people if more research is done on it. Through making

people aware of its capabilities she is opening the door to more trials, funding, etc. This is for an

academic audience. There are many terms in here that the reader would have to understand

science to know what they mean or they would have to look them up. This was published in a

Drug and Alcohol Review in 2017.

The author is Rebecca McKetin and she works at Curtin University on the Health

Sciences Department. I know that the information is credible because all of the information is
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cited from where it was found and it was found in an academic journal. The author put a section

at the bottom of the article acknowledging the things involved in her article that might be

conflicts of interest.

I can use this information to answer some of my “fat” questions because one of the

questions I asked was whether or not there was anything that could be taken during withdraw or

to help with withdraw. This article explain that as of now there is nothing that helps one taking

methamphetamine, but it also explains that there has been a few trials experimenting with NAC

which could work in the future.

“Effects of Crystal Meth on the Brain and Central Nervous System.” American Addiction Centers,

American Addiction Centers, 12 October 2018, https://americanaddictioncenters.org/meth-

treatment/effects-on-the-brain-and-cns/. Accessed 8 November 2018.

Methamphetamine is a man made central nervous system stimulant. It is a highly

addictive substance. Due to the fact that it is often manufactured with battery acid, antifreeze,

and drain cleaner makes it toxic and the long and short term effects are not definitively known

but there are dangerous neurological symptoms. Long term use causes the central nervous system

to lose its ability to regenerate neurons which could affect the hippocampus, the stratium, the

parietal cortex, frontal and prefrontal cortex, and the cerebellum. Use of methamphetamine

decreases the production of glial cells. In turn white matter decreases, which decreases the

functionality of the transmitters. Serotonin and dopamine are released during the euphoria of a

high, which causes a depletion and severe mood swings as one is coming off the high. The

chemical signals are damaged from use which cause multiple issues with the cognitive and motor

functions. It also increase ones chance of blood clots and strokes. The loss of neurons in the CNS
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can never be fully recovered. A long term consequence is the loss of the ability to pay attention.

One will also become impulsive and need assistance in making decisions. The ability to recall

information is significantly decreased in methamphetamine users. Chronic users often lose

control over their emotions, whether it be through sadness, irritability, etc. Users often form

psychological problems as well as hallucinations and delusions.

This article was written to inform its audience of the different effects that

methamphetamine use has on the brain, both short and long term. I think this is more for an

academic audience. It talks a lot about specific areas of the brain and body along with how it

works, so the audience would have to have some knowledge to understand what they were

talking about. It was published on a site specific for different addictions, background information

on them, and information on treatments shall a person need it.

The website does not give information on the specific writer of the article, but the website

itself is very credible. The article cites multiple other websites of where they got their outside

information and it was recently updated. They have a page about all of their contributors to their

page and their missions. Everything is easily accessible.

I will use this information to explain the long and short term effects of methamphetamine

on not only the body but the brain as well. There are multiple effects that it has, so I will be able

to explain them in length with the information found in this article.