Street Names, Nicknames, & Slang Names for Meth

Slang Names for Meth – What is Meth?

Meth vs Crystal Meth

By the 1950s, stimulants became a regular part of the American routine, and a flourishing black market in diverted pharmaceuticals soon developed. This supply began to shrink in the 1960s as law enforcement prosecuted over-prescribing doctors and pressured pharmaceutical companies to withdraw certain products. Many believe the first clandestine labs originated in the California bay area from this environment around 1962.

From the 1960s to the mid-1980s, enterprising biker gangs who dominated the trade mostly ran clandestine methamphetamine production and operation. One of the crystal meth slang terms “crank” for methamphetamine allegedly originated from Biker transporting meth in the crankshafts of their bikes.

Slang Names for Meth – Common Street Names for Meth

Many users will talk about meth using what are called street slang for meth or meth slang names to cover up their drug use or addiction. As the effects of meth use are severe, it’s crucial to stay educated on the latest meth names slang and street names for meth, particularly if you’re concerned that a family member or a friend may be using or abusing this drug. Understanding how to spot the signs can also help in decision-making if you are considering seeking treatment for them.

As many meth users try to hide their drug use, one way that you can clue yourself into a loved one’s meth use is by being aware of commonmeth street names, slang for being high on meth or for meth users, and meth slang names in combination with other drugs.

Common Meth Slangs or Street Names for Meth:

Common Names for Meth in Combination With Other Drugs

Slang Names for Meth – Crystal Meth Slang Names

Crystal meth – also known as ice – is a form of methamphetamine or, to give it its technical name, n-methyl-1-phenyl-propane-2-amine. Instead of being produced as a powder (amphetamine or speed), it’s made as large chunks that look like crystals. Producing it as a solid lump can change how our bodies absorb methamphetamine.

The popular TV show Breaking Bad has put crystal meth use at the front and center of TV watching the public. The show pulls a few punches and is extremely graphic in its portrayal of drug addiction—specifically crystal meth addiction. This begs the question, does the TV show glamorize the use and sale of crystal meth? Or does the show provide a proper deterrent for young people considering taking drugs? The answer can be a mixture of both.

TV shows like Breaking Bad give us ideas on how street drugs like crystal meth are traded and why slang names are given to illicit drugs. Slang names exist for all types of drugs, from prescription medications to illegal substances. Knowing street names for various drugs, particularly meth slang and crystal meth street names, can help people identify substance abuse and prevent it from becoming an addiction.

Slang Names for Crystal Meth or Methamphetamine Slang:

Slang for Smoking Meth, Slang Names for Meth Use, Being High, or Meth Users

In addition to street names for crystal meth – names of methamphetamine, meth users typically have a variety of slang used to describe being high, getting high, the effects of meth, etc.

• Hot Railing: Heating crystal meth in a tube and then using the tube to inhale the drug.
• Box or Rolling Labs: Small, mobile laboratories used to manufacture meth.
• Hot Rolling: Liquifying meth inside an eyedropper to inhale the drug.
• Tweaking: Typically happens at the end of high when the user engages in compulsive behaviors and may be irritable, paranoid, and violent.
• Meth Mites: Sensation where meth users feel bugs are crawling under their skin.
• Crank Craters or Meth Sores: Sores on the body and face are caused when meth users pick at skin due to tweaking or feeling of meth mites.
• Tweaker, Meth Head, or Speed Freak: A regular meth user or addict.
• Getting Glassed: Snorting meth.
• Chicken Flippin’: Smoking crystal meth.

Slang Names for Meth – Health Effects of Meth Use 

The exact mechanism whereby illegal stimulants like meth produce euphoria (the pleasurable high) are still poorly understood. But along with euphoria, meth use releases very high levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the reward circuit, which “teaches” the brain to repeat the pleasurable activity of abusing the illegal drug. Dopamine is involved in motivation and motor function. Its release in the reward circuit is a defining characteristic of addictive drugs. The release of dopamine produced by meth is also thought to contribute to the harmful meth effects on nerve terminals in the brain.

Health Effects of Meth Use on the Brain

Chronic and long-term use of meth can alter brain functioning, leading to memory loss, altered moods, poor decision-making, and impulsivity. It can potentially damage the central nervous system. Crystal meth use disorder is a complex brain disease affecting a person’s well-being and the entire family. Treatment for crystal meth addiction is possible with active engagement, incentive-based approaches, and timely access to appropriate and structured treatment, including family-centered treatment.

Meth often causes neuropsychiatric symptoms like psychosis, anxiety, and hallucinations. Meth’s effects on brain cells can further lead to psychosis, with symptoms such as paranoia and hallucinations very similar to schizophrenia. Although these symptoms may resolve over 1–6 months after quitting, some crystal meth users find that they persist in the long term, and relapse of psychotic symptoms can occur even after a long period of abstinence. 

Health Effects of Meth Use on the Lungs

Meth addiction has various effects on the respiratory system and the lungs. The stimulant effects of meth lead to accelerated breathing, potentially causing fainting and lightheadedness. Smoking this drug can also result in coughing up blood due to bleeding in the alveoli, the portion of the lungs responsible for gas exchange with the blood supply.

Crystal meth use is more associated with pulmonary hypertension because of the destruction of small pulmonary blood vessels and pulmonary edema. Snorting this drug can lead to severe coughing and respiratory trauma, such as a collapsed lung (pneumothorax) and air release into the body outside the lungs (pneumomediastinum). When meth is inhaled, its contaminants can be collected in the lungs, forming granulomas and leading to interstitial lung disease.

Health Effects of Meth Use on the Heart

Meth’s stimulant effects can heavily raise the person’s heart rate; over time, chronic and excessive use of this drug can result in heart palpitations. This alarming symptom is usually experienced as a powerful pounding in the neck or chest. Crystal meth use can also lead to arrhythmia and an irregular heartbeat.

These can feel like a “skipped” heartbeat, and if the arrhythmia becomes severe, it can lead to collapse, lightheadedness, or even cardiac arrest. In addition, overuse of meth can raise blood pressure, and over time, chronic high blood pressure can damage arteries, causing them to harden and block blood flow to various organs. Unfortunately, the symptoms can be silent as the damage transpires, and meth users may not be aware of the harm to their bodies until it’s too late.

Slang Names for Meth – Effects of Meth Use on your Physical Appearance

Meth Face

Meth face is the name for the decline in physical appearance in the face of many meth addicts, especially those with a long history of abuse. Meth face usually includes dental problems, skin issues, sores, false aging, and an overall deterioration of the face. The adverse effects of meth on the face typically get worse with heavier and more frequent use. When meth use stops, many of these effects can be reversed, but these changes often take time, effort, and professional help.

Meth Premature Aging

Chronic meth use causes people to age beyond their years. People may look haggard as their skin becomes leathery and takes on a grey cast. As an individual’s skin loses its elasticity, they may have more wrinkles than a person typically should at their age.

Meth has also been linked to the development of certain aging-related diseases, including coronary artery atherosclerosis, pulmonary fibrosis, and liver steatosis (fatty liver disease). Recent research has found that meth can cause cellular aging and inflammation, factors that may contribute to these problems.

• Cellulitis is a bacterial skin infection that appears red and swollen. Untreated meth sores can develop into cellulitis, a bacterial skin infection. Cellulitis is common but can cause dangerous health complications if left untreated.  
• Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections are more likely to occur in people who use meth than non-drug users. The infection starts as painful red bumps that become abscessed and require medical care to be drained. 
• Abscesses are pus-filled sores caused by a bacterial infection. They usually appear red, raised, and painful to touch. Abscesses can be treated with antibiotics and by draining the infected area.

Meth Mites and Crank Bugs

Meth can cause tactile hallucinations when a person feels something that doesn’t exist. Long-term meth abuse may make a person feel as if they have insects crawling on or burrowing beneath their skin. Referred to as “crank bugs” or “meth mites,” the scientific term for this is formication. The sensation is most commonly experienced on the face and neck.

People pick at the skin to relieve the sensation or eliminate the perceived bugs. This skin picking can become an obsessive behavior and render the skin scaly, dry, irritated, and covered in sores. The more someone picks at sores, the longer it will take to heal, and there is an increased risk of infection.

Skin Picking Disorder

When someone finds an imperfection on their skin, such as a scar or scab, they may develop skin-picking disorders. They begin picking at the spot, causing more damage to the area and preventing healing. This leads to a vicious cycle in which the skin-picking addiction wins. Skin picking is particularly dangerous for those suffering from meth mites (also known as meth sores) or heroin itching. 

Irritation from meth mites can cause skin sores to worsen, and someone with a skin-picking disorder will continue to pick at them. Worse yet, the stress of withdrawal may cause someone to pick at their sores, scabs, or skin even more, especially if they have anxiety or skin-picking disorders.

Meth Rash on Face

Because crystal meth weakens the immune system, the body has difficulty fighting infections. Someone with low immunity and poor personal hygiene is perfect for meth rash on the face. Meth rash can occur on the face, but it usually develops under the arms, on the back and shoulders, and between the legs. This is because the sweat filled with the drug’s toxins sits on the skin and festers. When friction (like under the arms) helps grind bacteria back into the skin, producing a bright red, itchy, bumpy, burning rash.

Slang Name for Meth – Dual Diagnosis Treatment for Meth Addiction

First and foremost, if you think that a loved one is abusing meth, you should first research meth and its associated addiction, including the slang term for meth or meth slang names and how the drug impacts the body so that you can better understand what your loved one needs. Next, you must plan an intervention to provide your loved ones with options to battle their addiction in a safe and supportive environment. During this intervention, offer compassion and support instead of judgment. 

Lastly, offer your support throughout the entire treatment process. In addition, prolonged meth use can have severe physical and psychological effects, so seeking treatment as soon as possible is essential. Inpatient drug rehab offers intensive care that can help you promptly get through the early stages of withdrawal. We Level Up treatment rehab & detox center can provide you, or someone you love, the tools to recover from Meth addiction with professional and safe treatment. 

Medically-Assisted Detox

Detox is often considered the first stage of treatment. It will help you navigate the complicated withdrawal process but doesn’t address patterns of thought and behavior contributing to drug use. Various treatment approaches and settings can help provide the ongoing support necessary to maintain long-term sobriety after you complete detox.

Dual Diagnosis Treatment

Drug abuse and mental health disorders often co-occur. In many cases, traumatic experiences can result in a mental health disorders and substance abuse. Dual-diagnosis rehabilitation treats both of these issues together. The best approach for the treatment of dual diagnosis is an integrated system. This strategy treats both the substance abuse problem and the mental disorder simultaneously. Regardless of which diagnosis (mental health or substance abuse problem) came first, long-term recovery will depend largely on the treatment for both disorders done by the same team or provider.

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