Using the Crash to Rebound into Recovery at Ingrained
As a stimulant drug, methamphetamine is known for making you feel energetic, excited, and talkative. Many people compare the feelings of intense euphoria to doing cocaine, however, the effects of meth last much longer. Still, as the old adage goes, what goes up, must come down.
Fortunately, crashing from methamphetamine use doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Despite going through unpleasant withdrawal symptoms, you can use meth comedown as an opportunity to seek addiction treatment.
At Ingrained Recovery, we offer a setting that makes withdrawal more comfortable and a safe, supportive environment where you can focus on recovery and learning critical skills that will help you lead a happier, healthier life.
Understanding How Meth Affects the Brain
Methamphetamine is a stimulant that makes you feel excited, awake, and euphoric. It works by affecting neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin in the brain. People often snort it, eat it, or inject it. It can also be smoked when it is crystallized into crystal meth.
Once you stop using meth, however, your body needs time to recover. You don’t have dopamine at your disposal and until your body produces more of this hormone, you may experience low mood and anxiety. You can also feel exhausted without actually being able to rest. It’s the equivalent of a meth hangover.
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Understanding the Meth Comedown Timeline
With chronic methamphetamine use, you will eventually crash. You may develop a tolerance so high that you cannot get your fix, or you might just run out of the drug. When this happens, it’s not uncommon to feel depressed, anxious, and fatigued. Many people sleep for 24-48 hours after a meth binge. You’ll notice the earliest signs of comedown 12-24 hours after your last dose.
After waking up, you’ll likely notice more intense withdrawal symptoms including extreme hunger, irritability, paranoia, anxiety, and intense drug cravings. The most intense of these symptoms or peak occurs around day 2 and may last several days. Some people also act violently during this period.
You may no longer have pleasurable feelings from activities that were once enjoyable or you could experience extreme depression called dysphoria. Symptoms can continue for 2 weeks or possibly longer, depending on substance use habits.
What are the Most Common Meth Withdrawal Symptoms?
The unpleasant symptoms of meth comedown are worse in people who have developed a physical dependence on the drug. Some of the mental and physical symptoms to expect include:
- Slowed heart rate
- Fatigue
- Depression
- Muscle aches
- Dehydration
- Hunger
- Intense cravings for meth or crystal meth
- Trouble concentrating
- Excessive sleeping or feeling tired but struggling to rest
- Paranoia
- Hallucinations or psychosis
The intensity of comedown symptoms depends on factors like your overall health and hydration levels, methamphetamine habits, method of ingestion, use of other substances, and metabolism.
Withdrawal symptoms can be worse for a person who has been “binging.” Binging describes when you start to come down from meth, then you use it again to reduce these symptoms. Some people use meth for a period of days or weeks, taking another dose every few hours to avoid meth comedown.
Meth Crash vs Meth Comedown vs Withdrawal from Meth
Crash, comedown, and withdrawal all describe the symptoms associated with meth withdrawal. Meth crash and comedown are associated with milder symptoms. They are more likely to happen if you binge on meth occasionally.
By contrast, meth withdrawal symptoms are more severe and long-lasting. They are most likely to be experienced by long-term, habitual meth users and can last for much longer.
Is Meth Withdrawal Dangerous?
Generally speaking, the stimulant withdrawal process is not as dangerous as detoxing from depressants like opiates or alcohol. However, some people attempt to use depressants including alcohol, opiates, or marijuana to try and relax after a meth binge. This can create a dangerous cocktail of drugs in your body.
Furthermore, meth comedown can produce life-threatening mental health symptoms including hallucinations, delusions, severe depression, and suicidal thoughts or actions. Depending on the severity, you may need to seek treatment during this time. People with an existing mental illness or disorder are at the greatest risk of these problems.
Methamphetamine and Other Substance Abuse
When you’re coming down from meth, it might seem like turning to depressants to alleviate withdrawal symptoms is the answer. This can be especially tempting if you are having trouble controlling the urge to use or you cannot sleep as you come down.
Unfortunately, mixing meth with other substances can be very dangerous. This intermittent drug use becomes a vicious cycle of using meth during wakeful hours and then relying on depressants to bring you back down. This cycle creates a strong psychological dependence on crystal meth and other drugs.
You may also even begin to experience severe withdrawal symptoms and cravings for both drugs. The combination can be lethal and harder to treat.
How to Manage Meth Comedown Symptoms
As with comedown from most substances, the best way to manage your symptoms is to wait them out. However, there are some things you can do to provide your body support as it works to detoxify itself after habitual meth use. Staying hydrated with water and other fluids is a great place to begin. Water supports your body’s natural detoxification process, helping flush the drug from your system and preventing dehydration.
You should also try to sleep when you can. As you sleep, your body is hard at work healing. If you cannot sleep, try distracting yourself with music, television, or something else. This can help with managing intense drug cravings and the temptation to use again.
It can also be helpful to tell a trusted person what you are going through. The mental symptoms of meth comedown like psychosis and dysphoria are incredibly hard to handle on your own. They can make you isolate and feel like you don’t want to ask anyone for help.
If the symptoms are too intense, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Many people find relief in an inpatient treatment program as they go through meth withdrawal. Ingrained provides a safe, drug-free place to detox. You’ll also learn skills during this time that can prevent future relapse.
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What Are the Side Effects of Habitual Meth Use?
While using meth, you’ll likely feel an elated sense of well-being. It can trick you into thinking your physical and mental health are great. If you’ve ever seen before and after pictures of people struggling with meth addiction, it can quickly become apparent that this isn’t the reality.
Some signs of meth use include:
- Shortness of breath
- Periods of hyperactivity or mania
- Dilated pupils and sunken eyes (meth eyes)
- Sores on the face or body from skin picking
- Insomnia
- Tremors
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Decreased appetite
- Weight loss
Long-term stimulant use also takes a serious toll. For people who go through months or years of meth use without seeking help, it can cause symptoms including skin infections and sores, severe tooth decay (meth mouth), hair loss, increased risk of hepatitis or HIV (especially with intravenous use), cognitive decline, psychosis, and permanent brain damage.
Some people also experience cardiotoxicity, a condition that affects the cardiovascular system. It causes spasming and narrowing of the blood vessels, high blood pressure, increased heart rate, and can lead to death of your heart muscle.
Rebounding into Treatment After Meth Comedown
Meth withdrawal is uncomfortable and in some cases, even dangerous. While you might think that the answer is using again, let this be your sign to seek treatment. At Ingrained, we offer medical detox as a part of inpatient recovery to ensure safety and well-being of our clients. You’ll have medical supervision around the clock and a doctor may even prescribe medication during detox depending on withdrawal symptom severity.
As you begin craving meth, being in a treatment center makes it harder to access the substance. This gives you time to learn more about triggers, coping skills, and healthier lifestyle habits that reduce the risk of relapse. Our clients are also invited to participate in individual and group therapy, physical activity, art therapy, and music therapy as part of recovery.
During individual psychotherapy at Ingrained Recovery, you’ll work one-on-one to better understand crystal meth addiction. Your family members may also be invited for family therapy if it’s believed that could be helpful. You’ll continue with these services after rehab, providing support as you ease back into life.
Ingrained offers addiction treatment for meth and crystal meth at all levels of care. Outside of residential options, we also offer partial hospitalization programs, intensive outpatient programs, and aftercare like helping clients find support groups in their local area.
When Should I Get Help for Meth Use?
The way that stimulants affect neurotransmitters and the pleasure center of the brain makes them incredibly addictive. Chances are, even if you started using meth as an occasional party drug, it quickly became a habit.
You may have noticed cravings in between parties or that your use became more frequent between parties. This is where meth addiction begins. It’s critical to get help before it spirals out of control, causing legal problems, relationship struggles, and poor mental and physical health.
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Get Help Overcoming Meth Abuse Today at Ingrained
Let meth or crystal meth comedown be the sign you need to seek addiction treatment at Ingrained today. Chronic substance use has severe consequences, even if you feel on top of the world when you are using it. The only way to break free from this cycle, and finally gain control of your life, is to reach out for help – and Ingrained makes that easy.
Call us for more information about our recovery programs. We can answer any questions you may have, verify your insurance, and help you learn skills to prevent relapse, ensuring that this is the last time you come down from crystal meth!