Is it possible SWIM has fucked his head up?

[izzy31]

SWIM did meth and adderall everyday for like 2 years, and has since quit, with the exeption of the occasion dabbling (like once every couple of months). He STILL doesnt feel normal like he did before he started using everyday though. It's been over a year since he quit doing it daily, but still has chronic fatigue and is unable to enjoy much of anything in life. He's tried anti-depressants, but in all honesty, he thinks he's better off without them. They don't help any of his depression symptoms, and just make him feel really uncomfortable. Is it possible SWIM has fucked his head up entirely?

[DecoyPencil]

Most data on extremely long lasting (hesitant to use the word “permanent”) changes to the brain shows that significant changes are usually observed in users who abused methamphetamine for much longer than 2 years. However, there is some evidence for the possibility of neurotoxicity being caused by very high doses. How heavy was SWIY’s use during this 2 year period in terms of dosage and frequency? In some cases it appears that short-term, high-dose use may play a role in certain long-term brain changes.

Source: Wada K, Fukui S. [Relationship between years of methamphetamine use and symptoms of methamphetamine psychosis]. Arukoru Kenkyuto Yakubutsu Ison 1990; 25 (3) :143-58.

With these symptoms, there is a possibility that five years of methamphetamine use is the turning point in terms of the frequency of symptoms occurrence. It was suggested that affective and perceptual disorders depend on the dose of methamphetamine.

Source: Sekine Y, Ouchi Y, Takei N, Yoshikawa E, Nakamura K, Futatsubashi M, Okada H, Minabe Y, Suzuki K, Iwata Y, Tsuchiya KJ, Tsukada H, Iyo M, Mori N. Brain serotonin transporter density and aggression in abstinent methamphetamine abusers. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2006; 63 (1) :90-100.

This is compatible with the results of animal experiments demonstrating dose-dependent methamphetamine-induced serotonin transporter reduction.

So SWIM thinks that the answer to whether or not SWIY has caused long-term damage depends partially on dosage and frequency. The exact type of damage and its severity would also depend on this factor. Amphetamine abuse (meth in particular) causes changes in several different areas of the brain. Some of these changes appear to correct themselves at least partially within a few weeks or months (depending on several factors) while other changes are still present after a year or more of abstinence.

Source: Nwanze E, Jonsson G. Amphetamine neurotoxicity on dopamine nerve terminals in the caudate nucleus of mice. Neurosci Lett 1981; 26 (2) :163-8.
The dopamine levels were still significantly reduced (-37%) after two months, while the [3H]noradrenaline uptake had at this time-point reached almost normal values.

Source: Sekine Y, Ouchi Y, Takei N, Yoshikawa E, Nakamura K, Futatsubashi M, Okada H, Minabe Y, Suzuki K, Iwata Y, Tsuchiya KJ, Tsukada H, Iyo M, Mori N. Brain serotonin transporter density and aggression in abstinent methamphetamine abusers. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2006; 63 (1) :90-100.
Along with this finding, the result showing that even individuals who had been abstinent for more than 1 year (n=9) had a substantial decrease in serotonin transporter density (approximately a 30% decrease compared with controls) (Figure 3B) suggests that reductions in the density of the serotonin transporter in the brain associated with habitual methamphetamine abuse could persist long after methamphetamine use ceases.

So all in all there is a bit of evidence for short-term methamphetamine usage causing long-term brain chemistry changes. This does seem to be the exception rather than the rule however as most documented cases of long-term neurotoxicity were the result of long-term use. SWIM suspects that it would have to be some pretty heavy doses to induce this so quickly. Dose-dependency has a huge impact on the manifestation and severity of these longer-term changes as well as their potential for repair. So to say that SWIY has "fucked his head up entirely" seems to be less likely. SWIY probably did some damage that might take a while to get back to (mostly) normal. When SWIM quit from his 5 - 7 year amphetamine obsession he was afraid he would never feel "normal" again. It has taken a year and a half to 2 years for SWIM to feel somewhat normal again.

As for the depression, keep in mind that a lot of anti-depressants are SSRI's. As the study above points out, a change in serotonin transporter density is possible even long after quitting methamphetamine. SWIM is just guessing here but that might have something to do with SWIY's less than desirable results with anti-depressants. Bupropion (Wellbutrin) is often more effective than traditional anti-depressants in treating patients with fatigue and sleepiness. It is a rather atypical anti-depressant in that it targets dopamine and norepinephrine. It has shown some effectiveness in treating patients with a history of amphetamine abuse. Maybe something to ask SWIY's healthcare professional about?

DecoyPencil

Reputation Comments on this post:

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