Stimulants How does the brain recover from meth - does it recover?

[Byzek]

Hello.
I smoked meth in the first and second week of january after 10months of abstinence.
I dont know if this is placebo or i think too much but i think i am much more lazier now then before.
Is this possible? Its now 3 weeks since i smoked it and i have the feeling it harmed me.
I read that the brain needs 12 months to recover so i was abstinence for 10 months do i havd to start from the beginning?
In the moment i have low energy, low sex drive and low motivation.
I think i had much more 1 month ago.
Or is this just in my head?
I guess i smoked like 0,5g per 2 weeks on different days....
Im a lil bit worried about my cogmitive function i mean i dont know why but i have 0 motivation for studies and my sleep is bad.
I think i was much more happier and more energetic before 1 month.
I have 000000 cravings for meth but in the months before i had from time to time lil bit cravings
I dont know i feel shitty like a fat man who is cutting diet and suddenly he has a cheat day and ate a bunch of junkfood and then he also regrets it.
In the moment i hate my self that i abused meth 1 and a half year ago and i feel like i damaged my brain forever i dont know

 

[negrogesic]

You'll recover. I recommend getting some l-tyrosine for neurotransmitter support. 500mg, 3x a day should help a bit. Other than that, its just a matter of time.

Very heavy, long term meth use can have some more persistent long-lasting effects. Additionally a small percentage (about 1 in 10) don't fully recover from stimulant psychosis (particularly methamphetamine induced) but these individuals are likely prone to psychiatric disease.

Time heals most wounds however.

 

[Hugs For Drugs]

I too had low energy after quitting meth.

And had to sleep for 16 hours a day for some reason

If that happens to you don't worry about it.

For me that went away in like 3 weeks tops.

The I was able to only get 7 hours of sleep and do more things during the day

 

[Specified]

get some Mucuna Pruriens or its called L dopa i think......dunno if it will work though

 

[Byzek]

I too had low energy after quitting meth.

And had to sleep for 16 hours a day for some reason

If that happens to you don't worry about it.

For me that went away in like 3 weeks tops.

The I was able to only get 7 hours of sleep and do more things during the day

get some Mucuna Pruriens or its called L dopa i think......dunno if it will work though

Maybe i get some adhd medications to combat dopamine deficiency?

 

[Keif' Richards]

You'll recover. I recommend getting some l-tyrosine for neurotransmitter support. 500mg, 3x a day should help a bit. Other than that, its just a matter of time.

Very heavy, long term meth use can have some more persistent long-lasting effects. Additionally a small percentage (about 1 in 10) don't fully recover from stimulant psychosis (particularly methamphetamine induced) but these individuals are likely prone to psychiatric disease.

Time heals most wounds however.

Negrogesic and I are on the same page here. Obviously, abstinence is your first step. You would have to stop using Methamphetamine and either do the hibernation thing or attempt to slowly taper your usage, however, the latter is pretty unlikely to happen. If it's there, it's generally too hard to resist.

Like others have hinted at, the cure as it were, is pretty simple. Just treat your body right. Eat healthy, stay hydrated and exercise. Exercise has been demonstrated to help reduce the negative psychological symptoms of Methamphetamine withdrawal. It will get your endorphins going and when dealing with a difficult situation like this, who wouldn't want some all-natural endogenous Morphine.

There are lots of supplements out there between Wal Mart, head shops and dedicated vitamin places. I agree with Negrogesic that Tyrosine could be a good option. There are other supplements that might help you. Like with everything else, it will take some trial and error to find what truly works best for you, but I think it's probably worth doing. Here is a list of some stuff that might potentially help you while you are in your withdrawal state and after as well.

Ashwagandha

The roots and Berries of this plant are used to make a medication. It is commonly used and touted as an anti-anxiety supplement and one that actually seems to work for that matter

Theanine

The etymology is related to the fact that it was originally found and isolated from the Green Tea plant. Also known for its anxiolytic effects and to a lesser extent, positive effects upon depression

Valerian

A flowering herb is the source of the substance. It's used for its anxiolytic and sedative effects. I have tried it and it works great before bed.

Cannabis

Everyone knows how I feel about Cannabis. That everyone should smoke it and people who don't like it... to the gulags. Seriously though. Cannabis does straddle a line in terms of its addictive and/or dependence producing issues. Generally, a heavy smoker will experience some comparatively light symptoms like not being able to go to sleep or not having a great appetite for a few days. My point is, it's not hard to quit, especially if one has experienced serious withdrawal.

Cannabis is a powerful drug really. I would call it a good powerful. Cannabis is not a "centralized" industry. We are still using the whole plant which leads to broad differences from strain to strain. If you can find one that works, it could help you recover. It can help with both the mental and physical symptoms in most people. It can stimulate your appetite. It can make things a lot easier and reduce your chances of acquiring more drugs. To get real, when you feel like you've just gotta have some speed, smoke some weed. Do a little bit of "training" on yourself.

When I quit Heroin, I can say with confidence that Cannabis really helped me stay clean. I still craved constantly. There was the desire for Heroin and the ever-present feeling of just not being right physically and mentally. There is the desire to just say fuck-it. That is when you smoke and put on Ren and Stimpy. It must be Ren and Stimpy or the spell won't work.

If you become extremely dependent upon Marijuana, it's really nothing. Compared to the physical/emotional roller coaster of Methamphetamine use and withdrawal, it ain't shit.

 

[Byzek]

What about lexapro?

 

[tweakerguy]

What about lexapro?

NO.
I would suggest 5HTP but you've been down that road. SSRI's aren't going to do anything to speed up recovery time, they just don't have the fast action you're looking for. Plus if you take them "as needed" every time you use meth, they will likely worsen your whole situation. You have to be on them regularly for a while to notice the benefits. Zoloft basically cancels out the crash for me, but the cost is a reduced euphoria during the high.
As others have said, TIME heals almost all wounds. Give it time with plenty of protein-rich food and drink a lot of water. Vitamin C also speeds things up.

 

[Trillium]

NO.
I would suggest 5HTP but you've been down that road. SSRI's aren't going to do anything to speed up recovery time, they just don't have the fast action you're looking for. Plus if you take them "as needed" every time you use meth, they will likely worsen your whole situation. You have to be on them regularly for a while to notice the benefits. Zoloft basically cancels out the crash for me, but the cost is a reduced euphoria during the high.
As others have said, TIME heals almost all wounds. Give it time with plenty of protein-rich food and drink a lot of water. Vitamin C also speeds things up.

I be been on lexapro for 8 years now I take 10mg a night. This past week I’ve been snorting meth. Started Saturday afternoon and going until this Saturday. So 1 week of meth use but I have slept every night and ate with the help of some other things to keep my mind right. Just wondering what’s wrong with taking lexapro on meth

 

[tweakerguy]

As far as I can tell, SSRIs just cancel out much of the seratogenic effects (the "glow"/euphoria) but leaves all the speedy, peripheral effects intact. This let's you skip all the worst parts of the amp crash.
Not a horrible trade off and the buzz is still enjoyably long.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Lexapro is considered to be very dangerous with meth for several different reasons. You can read the interaction information here: https://www.drugs.com/drug-interactions/lexapro-with-methamphetamine-1013-565-1579-0.html

A consulting psychyatrist with 20 years experience in addiction advised me recently that the best pharmaceutical treatment for recovery from meth was Abilify. It’s not helpful for cravings or withdrawal but beneficial for restoring the dompaminergic and serotonergic systems by balancing levels in the short term and inducing structural change in the long term.

 

[dragonix]

Brother it's a long hard road outta hell but I believe even those in the hells can find a way out one day

 

[TheUltimateFixx]

The brain absolutely does recover. However it can take up to 14 - 18 months of total abstinence for your dopamine levels to go back to normal.

The reason being the brain will downregulate dopamine production in response to constant artificial stimulation. That doesn't happen overnight, and it's an equally lengthy process for it to readjust back to normal equilibrium. So once you stop you will have several months of dopamine depletion to look forward to. You might wish to get a prescription for some anti - depressants to tide you over this period.
Rest assured though that this state is not permanent.