Crystal meth / Tina

What is crystal meth?

Methamphetamine is a chemical with a stimulant effect. It is also known by the following names: meth; speed; crystal; Tina; glass; crank; tweak; yaba; and Desoxyn® (this can be prescribed for people who suffer severely from ADD and ADHD). Methamphetamine usually comes in odorless, bitter-tasting, and white powder form, but is also available in pill form, capsules, and larger crystals.

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Effects

Crystal meth is a stimulant.

The effect of a substance is determined by the properties of the substance itself, but also by the user’s set and setting. Here we describe the effects of crystal meth in general.

Using crystal meth increases your breathing, heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature. Pupils get bigger and you get a dry mouth. You have to urinate more often, you sweat more and you have stiff jaws due to increased muscle tension. Breathing is easier because your bronchi (airways) expand. Hunger and tiredness disappear like snow in the sun. You feel cheerful and full of energy, you feel like talking a lot and quickly, you are alert and you can dance or have sex all night long. You have more stamina and muscle strength. Some become more confident. Others feel restless, anxious, paranoia, irritable, or aggressive. What is also typical are the repeated movements and the moving and putting back of objects.

Because of the energetic feeling you get from the drug, you stay awake for a long time and your feeling of hunger disappears. Eventually you become overtired and exhausted. Then there is no longer much sex because it becomes difficult to get or keep a boner. Because you can not only last a very long time, but also stay super horny, you run a high risk of tissue damage which can result in easy HIV and other STD transmission.

Crystal meth can slow you down to such an extent that you can no longer think critically. This way you can easily go beyond your own limits and do things that you wouldn’t otherwise. This can result in an unwanted sex experience and you can get a big hangover from that. It can also mean that you have unprotected sex when you would not allow it in a sober state.

Positive effects	(negative) Side effects
Energetic feeling You have feelings of being energized. Sitting still is sometimes more difficult and this energetic feeling is often expressed through the urge to dance or move.	Increase in blood pressure and heart rate Due to increased cardiac stimulation, heart rate and blood pressure rise.
Alertness This drug can make you more active than usual. You are feeling sharp, awkae and it is easy to focus your attention on the things that are happening around you.	Increased body temperature Stimulants cause increased activity in muscles, and increase the “base temperature” of the body. This causes the body temperature to increase.
Increase in self-confidence You feel more confident. It may be easier to ignore the opinions of others, and you will feel less self-conscious about yourself and your own actions.	Jaw clenching Increased muscle tension can cause the jaws to clench together. As a result, the teeth are firmly pressed together and it is possible to bite your tongue and/or cheeks.
Need for contact, conversation and intimacy Having a good conversation with someone, or cuddling, can be very pleasant and interesting.	Insomnia Some drugs keep you from falling asleep. Stimulants often have this effect, but even after using psychedelics or downers, sleep is disrupted and it is possible that you can’t sleep.
(Nederlands) Verandering in tijdsperceptie The passage of time could feel altered during drug use. Some parts of the evening fly by, while some parts feel a lot slower. When you are feeling comfortable, it can be nice that the feeling does not seem to stop. But if you feel uncomfortable, this can be a bothersome experience. So this effect can work both ways.	Decreased appetite Stimulation of the fight-or-flight response in the body can suppress appetite.
Mood swings Using this drug may cause mood swings in users. These mood changes may be either positive or negative, and often alternate between extremes.	Craving Feeling a (strong) need to take more when the effect wears off.
Increased libido Increased sexual desires. You feel more attracted to others and feel a stronger need for sexual intimacy.	Confusion and restlessness Confusion and restlessness
Accelerated thoughts Thinking seems to go faster. It’s also easier to think clearly. You can go through certain steps in your head faster and make choices faster.	Irritable You are easily irritated or agitated.
	Pressure on the chest / heart palpitations Pressure on the chest / heart palpitations
	Erection problems Problems getting an erection.
	Nausea/vomiting An uneasy and tense feeling in the abdomen, which may cause discomfort. Nausea often precedes vomiting.
	Dizziness The feeling that someone is spinning, or that the world is spinning around someone. This impairs balance.
	Head ache Head ache
	Increased sweating In response to the increased stimulation and changes in body temperature, the skin will start to secrete sweat to cool the body temperature back to normal levels.
	Dilated pupils Due to an increased noradrenaline level in the body after taking certain drugs, the pupils become larger. The pupil size is influenced by many different processes. Increase in noradrenaline plays a role in some of those processes.
	Dry mouth Stimulation of sympathetic pathways decrease saliva production, this causes the mouth to feel dry.
	Accelerated breathing The airways open further, making breathing easier and faster.
	Pain reduction You feel pain stimuli less. People sometimes use drugs to ease certain complaints they are experiencing. This can provide some relief. But because of the inhibitory effect of the drug, you will, for example, feel less of a collision or fall or of too much movement. This can cause extra physical damage, for example, because you continue to dance when you should have rested. For example, you may not realize that a bruised ankle hurts.
	Hallucinations In hallucinations you perceive things that are not there. It really is an observation that seems to be real. For example, you may hear sounds (auditory hallucinations) or see something or someone (visual hallucination). This is in contrast to a change in sensory perception where normal perception is distorted. Think of a person’s voice that sounds higher or lower or a face that seems to have a big nose. Hallucinations can be both desirable effects (with psychedelics) and unwanted side effects (with high doses of MDMA, or with being awake for too long).
	Increased muscle tension Tense muscles and jaws (biting your tongue or cheek)

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Dose and route of administration

Crystal meth can be snorted (nasally); smoked; injected (‘intravenously’ into the veins, ‘muscling’ into the muscles, ‘skin popping’ under the skin), plugged (rectal, ‘booty bumping’ without needle insertion anal) and swallowed (orally).

If you take methamphetamine orally you can dissolve a little powder in a drink, or you can put a little powder in a paper, close it and swallow (bomb). Methamphetamine also sometimes comes in pill form. In Thailand it is sold as a pill under the name Yaba.

When smoking, the methamphetamine is put in a glass pipe and heated with a lighter. Methamphetamine is also more suitable for injecting than amphetamine. This mainly happens abroad and more specifically in the US and Australia.

Dose for swallowing
Light dose	5 – 15 mg
Medium dose	10 – 30 mg
High dose	20 – 60 mg

Duration for swallowing
Effects start after	20 – 70 min
Peak effect	3 – 5 hours
Coming down	2 – 6 hours
Worn off after	12 – 24 hours

Duration for snorting
Effects start after	5 – 10 min
Peak effect	2 – 4 hours
Coming down	2 – 6 hours
Worn off after	12 – 24 hours

Duration for smoking
Effects start after	0 – 2 min
Peak effect	1 – 3 hours
Coming down	2 – 4 hours
Worn off after	12 – 24 hours

Duration for injecting
Effects start after	0 – 2 min
Peak effect	4 – 8 hours
Coming down	2 – 6 hours
Worn off after	12 – 24 hours

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Risico’s op korte termijn

Risico’s op lange termijn

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Interactions

Combining different types of drugs can be risky and unpredictable. When you combine drugs you can have a higher risk of health problems. In the following paragraphs you can read about the effects and the risks of a number of combinations that occur frequently and also a about few that are extra hazardous. Also check our theme combining drugs.

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Unity tips

There is no really safe use of meth. The risks can be limited, read the Unity tips for this:

• Only use if you feel good.
• Get your crystal meth tested!
• Are you on birth control pills or on medication? Take it a few hours before you start taking drugs. Set the alarm on your phone if you have to take medication.
• Do you take crystal meth during sex? Then use extra lubricant to reduce the risk of wounds and thus the transfer of STDs
• Do not use to counteract the adverse effects of amphetamine use (such as fatigue or depression). This is the basis for an addiction
• Rest well before and after use.
• Eat healthy before and after use. Especially a lot of foods to build your reserves (nuts, peanuts) and vitamins (oranges, kiwi, broccoli). It’s hard to eat during and after amphetamine use, but try anyway. Eating well clearly reduces the hangover! If it works; eat a salty cookie or some salty chips. If you don’t eat solid foods, think of juices, breakfast drinks, smoothies and soups. Check out our nutrition page for recipes.
• You can use extra multivitamins with C1000 and antioxidants such as omega-3 before and after amphetamine use.
• Make sure you don’t get too hot during use: rest occasionally, do not wear warm clothes, no headgear, and drink water or soft drinks every now and then.
• Drink plenty of fresh water to prevent dehydration. Crystal meth draws moisture from your body.
• Drink salty broths/boosters/ORS with water to replenish your salts; especially if you have sex on drugs, you lose a lot of salt through sweating.
• If you’ve snorted meth, clean your nose before going to sleep. You can do this by removing the remains that are still in your nose with a damp cotton swab, a nasal douche or spray with water and salt or while showering with your fingers.
• Do not use with: diabetes, weak heart, high blood pressure, epilepsy and psychological complaints or in combination with medication.
• Do not combine with alcohol or other substances.
• Do not participate in traffic.
• Amphetamine use can give you a dry mouth, which in combination with gritted teeth increases the risk of damage to your teeth. It is important to stimulate your saliva production. You can do this by chewing sugar-free gum. Saliva substitutes or artificial saliva (such as Saliva Orthana, Xialine and Oral Balance) can be purchased without a prescription.
• Provide your own personal snuff tubes and do not share them with others.
• Bring your own needle when you slammed Tina.
• Do you feel, or does one of your friends not feel well? Keep an eye on each other, take care of each other and visit the first aid.
• Do you have any questions or are you looking for more tips? Then check out Pink Unity.

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FAQ

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