An East-Coaster's Perspective On a Mid-West Epidemic: Crystal Meth Use Among the Middle Class
What I am about to talk about may be controversial, but since I am currently living in the Mid-West, I feel I must make some sort of comment on the current epidemic that we face here in the Mid-Western states, that of crystal meth use among middle class people. This epidemic is strikingly prevalent in the state of Minnesota, and particularly in Missouri and surrounding states. Since I am from New York, I will give my views on this drug that seems to be taking this area by storm, and I will also be particularly focusing on my perception as to the reasons why this drug is so popular around here. As well, I will also comment upon the government's attempt to curb crystal meth production, and I will also discuss use of other amphetamines. Again, do not read unless your mind is absolutely wide-open.
Speed would not be my drug of choice. I never understood why stimulants were so popular, as they did not seem to be that fun to do. In fact, I had never even tried caffeine until this year, as I don't like pop or coffee. It wasn't until I began to become worn down from my intern year of residency that I started to drink those ice-frappuccino things from StarBucks (only the mocha kind). I couldn't believe what caffeine could do! I can't even believe I had taken all of these tests all my life without drinking coffee before-hand (and I subsequently felt as if my colleagues somehow had some sort of added advantage with their coffee mugs next to them taking these loooooonnngggg, 8-hour tests). My mind had always been so cloudy when I took my boards from such fatigue. Last week, I had a little bottle of frappuccino before my in-service examination (a grueling ~8 hour test with 340 questions, some a page long each). I couldn't believe the utter concentration and stamina I had as I tore through that test. Still, to avoid addiction (contrary to pop belief, caffeine is addictive), I try to only drink frappuccinos approximately 3-4 times a month.
As I began to understand the power of caffeine, which millions of people rely upon each and every day, I started to ponder and understand why crystal meth use is so popular out here in the Mid-West, particularly among the middle class. On the East Coast, we don't have crystal meth, we have crack. So when I started to watch the local news out here and hearing about so many clandestine crystal meth labs busted, along with increasing media attention nation-wide, I started to realize why crystal meth use is so prevalent.
The media seems to focus upon the "meth moms." Why are so many moms attracted to this substance? Well, I honestly feel it is due to all of the pressures to get things done in this current society. A lot of these moms have to tackle both busy jobs and raising a family. Nowadays, there is barely enough time in the day to get everything done. College kids can relate to this, and I will also discuss the popularity of Adderall among this particular sub-set of the population.
Imagine a substance which allows you to get all of your required tasks done in less than half the time it would normally take you to do. Imagine that taking this substance also allows you to "add" time to your day by reducing the need for sleep, even allowing you to be able to stay awake for days on end. That is why crystal meth and other amphetamines are so attractive to people with busy busy lives. I have read stories about people being able to clean their entire house in less than an hour after smoking or snorting meth, because they are so wired.
Another popular reason for taking crystal meth and other amphetamines is its ability to curb appetite. With the current obesity epidemic, and America's obsession with "thin is beautiful" (I never understood this one, I like a little meat and some curves on women, and prefer not to see their skeleton on the outside), it is no wonder that moms in particular are attracted to amphetamines. Many "meth moms" will relay that they loved the weight loss associated with crystal meth use.
Do you all remember the weight-loss drug Dexedrine (also known as Dextro-amphetamine)? I remember that it was over-the-counter in the 80's, and commercials for this substance were on all the time. Later it became prescription-only, and is now only used for treatment of ADHD and narcolepsy.
As well, another amphetamine-like substance, ephedra (ephedrine), was also available over-the-counter as a diet supplement until it was banned by the FDA less than 3 years ago, after it was found to be associated with development of stroke and heart attacks. In fact, ephedra is an "all-natural" alkaloid derived from the chinese Ma Huang plant. In addition to the FDA's warning, the DEA was happy this substance was outlawed, as it can easily be converted to crystal meth.
With ephedra outlawed, nowadays most crystal meth is synthesized from a stereoisomer of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine (trade name Sudafed), a common over-the-counter decongestant medicine. Pseudoephedrine has no central-nervous system effects by itself.
Now, local governments, particularly in the Mid-Western states, are trying to regulate the sales of pseudoephedrine by limiting the amount a person can buy at one time. Other pharmacies make you sign a log when you buy pseudoephedrine. My question is why? I obviously do not agree with these measures at all. It is the governments' way of "controlling" everything as they usually do, instead of addressing the underlying problems that lead to crystal meth use, namely the aforementioned problem with the "busy" attitude of this current society. Now, just to get some cold relief, I have to give my name to the government so they can watch me like a criminal. Of course, I would not buy 20 packets of Sudafed at a time, but that is not the point.
I predict that, as the crystal meth epidemic grows, we will soon see the end of pseudoephedrine, similar to the ban of ephedrine (although respectively their effects and dangers are very different, the bottom line is that they are both precursors to crystal methamphetamine). That will be the end of a perfectly good medicine to relieve stuffy noses. We will be told that there are other alternatives for decongestants, such as phenylephrine (which, by the way, literally sucks in efficacy to Sudafed, and when used as a nasal spray repeatedly, can actually cause rebound congestion, thus leading to increased phenylephrine use which of course only exacerbates the problem).
The utter hypocrisy is that we as doctors prescribe these amphetamines and other sympathomimetic amines such as methylphenidate (aka Ritalin) for treatment of ADHD (which seems to occur in just about every kid nowadays). This includes none other than methamphetamine, in oral form, also known pharmaceutically as Desoxyn. But in defense of this, amphetamines have a paradoxical effect on kids, and thus are used as a treatment for hyperactivity. However, many kids continue to use amphetamines into their teenage years, which brings me to Adderall use among college students, as the reasons for the attraction to this particular drug are similar to the reasons for crystal meth use by "meth moms".
Adderall (the trade name for amphetamine itself), is being increasingly used by college kids as an adjunct for study purposes. It allows them to stay up longer to study for the increasing number of simultaneous examinations that they face (ESPECIALLY during finals week). The knowledge that they must acquire and the pressure that they face to perform well on these exams is nevertheless driving this concurrent epidemic.
But many people seem to try to differentiate these "medications" from the illicit substances like crystal meth. They are all amphetamines people, just as oxycodone, morphine, and heroin are all opiates/opioids. It is true that methylating amphetamine as in the case of crystal meth allows it to get to the brain faster, just as acetylating morphine to form heroin allows that particular substance to get to the brain faster. And yes, the route of administration being snorted, smoked, or injected also allows meth and heroin to cross into the brain faster. But in the end, the ultimate effects are the same.
What I have described here is nothing new. But nobody seems to be addressing the underlying causes for the popularity of crystal meth and other amphetamines. They simply want to attack the people who seek this at-first seemingly magical substance (which later, ultimately ends up destroying their lives). Why don't we just realize that society needs to chill a little? Then maybe we wouldn't need to seek stimulants such as caffeine and crystal meth to get jacked in.
Speed would not be my drug of choice. I never understood why stimulants were so popular, as they did not seem to be that fun to do. In fact, I had never even tried caffeine until this year, as I don't like pop or coffee. It wasn't until I began to become worn down from my intern year of residency that I started to drink those ice-frappuccino things from StarBucks (only the mocha kind). I couldn't believe what caffeine could do! I can't even believe I had taken all of these tests all my life without drinking coffee before-hand (and I subsequently felt as if my colleagues somehow had some sort of added advantage with their coffee mugs next to them taking these loooooonnngggg, 8-hour tests). My mind had always been so cloudy when I took my boards from such fatigue. Last week, I had a little bottle of frappuccino before my in-service examination (a grueling ~8 hour test with 340 questions, some a page long each). I couldn't believe the utter concentration and stamina I had as I tore through that test. Still, to avoid addiction (contrary to pop belief, caffeine is addictive), I try to only drink frappuccinos approximately 3-4 times a month.
As I began to understand the power of caffeine, which millions of people rely upon each and every day, I started to ponder and understand why crystal meth use is so popular out here in the Mid-West, particularly among the middle class. On the East Coast, we don't have crystal meth, we have crack. So when I started to watch the local news out here and hearing about so many clandestine crystal meth labs busted, along with increasing media attention nation-wide, I started to realize why crystal meth use is so prevalent.
The media seems to focus upon the "meth moms." Why are so many moms attracted to this substance? Well, I honestly feel it is due to all of the pressures to get things done in this current society. A lot of these moms have to tackle both busy jobs and raising a family. Nowadays, there is barely enough time in the day to get everything done. College kids can relate to this, and I will also discuss the popularity of Adderall among this particular sub-set of the population.
Imagine a substance which allows you to get all of your required tasks done in less than half the time it would normally take you to do. Imagine that taking this substance also allows you to "add" time to your day by reducing the need for sleep, even allowing you to be able to stay awake for days on end. That is why crystal meth and other amphetamines are so attractive to people with busy busy lives. I have read stories about people being able to clean their entire house in less than an hour after smoking or snorting meth, because they are so wired.
Another popular reason for taking crystal meth and other amphetamines is its ability to curb appetite. With the current obesity epidemic, and America's obsession with "thin is beautiful" (I never understood this one, I like a little meat and some curves on women, and prefer not to see their skeleton on the outside), it is no wonder that moms in particular are attracted to amphetamines. Many "meth moms" will relay that they loved the weight loss associated with crystal meth use.
Do you all remember the weight-loss drug Dexedrine (also known as Dextro-amphetamine)? I remember that it was over-the-counter in the 80's, and commercials for this substance were on all the time. Later it became prescription-only, and is now only used for treatment of ADHD and narcolepsy.
As well, another amphetamine-like substance, ephedra (ephedrine), was also available over-the-counter as a diet supplement until it was banned by the FDA less than 3 years ago, after it was found to be associated with development of stroke and heart attacks. In fact, ephedra is an "all-natural" alkaloid derived from the chinese Ma Huang plant. In addition to the FDA's warning, the DEA was happy this substance was outlawed, as it can easily be converted to crystal meth.
With ephedra outlawed, nowadays most crystal meth is synthesized from a stereoisomer of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine (trade name Sudafed), a common over-the-counter decongestant medicine. Pseudoephedrine has no central-nervous system effects by itself.
Now, local governments, particularly in the Mid-Western states, are trying to regulate the sales of pseudoephedrine by limiting the amount a person can buy at one time. Other pharmacies make you sign a log when you buy pseudoephedrine. My question is why? I obviously do not agree with these measures at all. It is the governments' way of "controlling" everything as they usually do, instead of addressing the underlying problems that lead to crystal meth use, namely the aforementioned problem with the "busy" attitude of this current society. Now, just to get some cold relief, I have to give my name to the government so they can watch me like a criminal. Of course, I would not buy 20 packets of Sudafed at a time, but that is not the point.
I predict that, as the crystal meth epidemic grows, we will soon see the end of pseudoephedrine, similar to the ban of ephedrine (although respectively their effects and dangers are very different, the bottom line is that they are both precursors to crystal methamphetamine). That will be the end of a perfectly good medicine to relieve stuffy noses. We will be told that there are other alternatives for decongestants, such as phenylephrine (which, by the way, literally sucks in efficacy to Sudafed, and when used as a nasal spray repeatedly, can actually cause rebound congestion, thus leading to increased phenylephrine use which of course only exacerbates the problem).
The utter hypocrisy is that we as doctors prescribe these amphetamines and other sympathomimetic amines such as methylphenidate (aka Ritalin) for treatment of ADHD (which seems to occur in just about every kid nowadays). This includes none other than methamphetamine, in oral form, also known pharmaceutically as Desoxyn. But in defense of this, amphetamines have a paradoxical effect on kids, and thus are used as a treatment for hyperactivity. However, many kids continue to use amphetamines into their teenage years, which brings me to Adderall use among college students, as the reasons for the attraction to this particular drug are similar to the reasons for crystal meth use by "meth moms".
Adderall (the trade name for amphetamine itself), is being increasingly used by college kids as an adjunct for study purposes. It allows them to stay up longer to study for the increasing number of simultaneous examinations that they face (ESPECIALLY during finals week). The knowledge that they must acquire and the pressure that they face to perform well on these exams is nevertheless driving this concurrent epidemic.
But many people seem to try to differentiate these "medications" from the illicit substances like crystal meth. They are all amphetamines people, just as oxycodone, morphine, and heroin are all opiates/opioids. It is true that methylating amphetamine as in the case of crystal meth allows it to get to the brain faster, just as acetylating morphine to form heroin allows that particular substance to get to the brain faster. And yes, the route of administration being snorted, smoked, or injected also allows meth and heroin to cross into the brain faster. But in the end, the ultimate effects are the same.
What I have described here is nothing new. But nobody seems to be addressing the underlying causes for the popularity of crystal meth and other amphetamines. They simply want to attack the people who seek this at-first seemingly magical substance (which later, ultimately ends up destroying their lives). Why don't we just realize that society needs to chill a little? Then maybe we wouldn't need to seek stimulants such as caffeine and crystal meth to get jacked in.