About methamphetamine

What is methamphetamine? Methamphetamine is a stimulant often used as a white, bitter-tasting powder or a pill. Crystal methamphetamine is a form that looks like glass fragments or shiny, bluish-white rocks. It is chemically similar to amphetamine (a drug used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy, a sleep disorder).

Common names

Common street names for methamphetamine include chalk, crank, crystal, ice, meth and speed.

How do people use methamphetamine?

People can take methamphetamine by:

■ Inhaling/smoking

■ Snorting

■ Injecting the powder that has been dissolved in water/alcohol

Because the “high” from the drug both starts and fades quickly, people often take repeated doses in a “binge and crash” pattern. In some cases, people take methamphetamine in a form of binging known as a “run,” giving up food and sleep while continuing to take the drug every few hours for up to several days.