COMMON SLANG - crank, meth, monster, zip, speed, diet pills, ups, crystal, dexies, X-mas trees, black beauties, along with a variety of other everchanging names.

PARAPHERNALIA - cut straws, mirrors, razor blades, syringes, grains of rice (used to absorb moisture when the drug is being kept).

SYMPTOMS OF USE - excessive activity, mood swings, irritability, nervousness, paranoia, cold-like symptoms, not sleeping, talkative, dilated pupils, decreased appetite, and weight loss.

Ampetamines are a group of central nervous system (CNS) stimulants which produce a number of transitory effects which are described on this page. Illicit preparations include fine to coarse powders, crystal, and "chunks", off-white to yellow in color, supplied loose (usually in finger baggies) or in capsules or tablets of various sizes and colors.

Most experts agree that chronic, high-dose use of amphetamines results in a physical and psychological dependence. Marked psychological dependence frequently results even among regular, low-dose users. The amphetamine user will suffer from a phenomenon called "the detachment of emotions", which can be briefly described as the near-total to total disregard of the emotional levels/feelings that humans encounter throughout daily activity. Chronic use of amphetamines often generates paranoid thinking. The user's paranoia often extends to close friends, relatives, and even those who co-use the drug. Along with paranoid thinking, speed users also will experience/suffer from lowered frustration/tolerance and, as mentioned prior, a decreased emotional control which can result in habitual avoidance, abusive, bizarre, or even violent behavior. When chronic use is abruptly discontinued, the clinical picture of withdrawal does not include major observable physiological disruptions. Rather, the prominent symptoms are extreme fatigue, followed by prolonged but disturbed sleep. Irritability and psychotic symptoms may persist after the period of prolonged sleep.

The injection of amphetamines can result in such communicable diseases as viral hepatitis, bacterial endocarditis (inflammation of the membrane that lines the interior of the heart), and the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) when non-sterile needles are shared. Abscesses, phlebitis (inflammation of a vein), and infections may occur at or around sites of injection. Collapsed blood vessels are also possible. Generally, a poor state of health (sometimes not fully recognized or acknowledged) and lowered resistance to disease are common among users. The condition is usually due to such indirect effects as poor nutrition, postponement of adequate medical treatment, and insufficient sleep. Any therapeutic advantage these substances may have is short-lived and more than offset by the serious liabilities of chronic use.

CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM - overstimulation, restlessness, mild confusion, rapid flow of ideas, feelings of increased physical strength and mental capacity, agitation, possible panic, depression, reduction of appetite, increased energy, paranoid thinking, perceptual distortions, and possible assaultive behavior.

CARDIOVASCULAR - palpitations, increased heart rate, irregular heart beat, headache, excessive sweating, and fever.

RESPIRATORY - increased and irregular breathing rate.

OTHER - increased urine output, possible temporary impotence, irritation and possible collapse of nasal passages, possible collapse of circulatory veins, skin abscesses and scars, a detachment of emotions, possible toxic poisoning due to manufacture in illegal labs.

AT A VERY HIGH DOSE - these drugs can create toxic psychosis characterized by paranoid delusions, hallucinations, and violent behavior. An overdose is possible and will generally follow these stages: high fever, convulsions, coma, cerebral hemorrhage, and death may occur.

-All the short term effects in a prolonged state.

-Chronic sleeping problems including insomnia, frequent nocturnal awakening, and poor sleep quality.-Anxiety and tension states.

-Appetite suppression, which may result in disorders related to nutritional deficiency.

-High blood pressure; rapid and irregular heartbeat.

-Skin rash.

-Suspiciousness and paranoid thinking.

-Chronic amphetamine psychosis.

-Excitability of the individual is usually reduced after one gives up the substance.

In order to combat assorted drug-related effects, abusers often/usually take marijuana, alcohol, and other sedatives, hypnotics, and narcotics.

Because of the severity of the personality changes and the detachment of emotions caused by prolonged use, professional counseling is highly recommended, either on an out-patient or residential basis.

This information has been generously provided by the Alcove, West Jersey HHealth System's Addiction Treatment Program. For further information or for assistance, treatment and referral call Alcove (609) 342-4505.