Rush - The rush is the immediate effects of a hit, when smoking or IV'ing meth. Physiologically it's characterised by an increased heart rate, metabolism and blood pressure due to a flood of dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain. Users also become more energetic, confident, sociable, and talkative. Unlike the rush from crack cocaine, which is very brief, the rush from methamphetamine can last up to half an hour.
High - The high follows the rush, and basically consists of the same effects but to a lesser extent. The effects continue to diminish as time goes on. The high can last from 8 to 12 hours.
Tweaking - Tweaking happens when a user has been binging on large amounts of meth, and often staying awake for one or more nights. The high is no longer pleasurable, and the user tends to withdraw socially and become more introverted. While tweaking, a user often feels very dysphonic and empty. Repetitive motions and activities such as scratching, searching, tidying, and so on, tend to occur while a user is tweaking. Psychosis is also most common in this stage.
Crash - Once a binge is over, the user needs to rest and catch up on large amounts of sleep. The body's dopamine has been depleted, so the crash is often accompanied by depression. The crash generally lasts between 1 and 3 days, depending on how long the user was binging for.
Withdrawal - After the crash, and once the drug has completely left the body, regular heavy users will tend to enter methamphetamine withdrawals. They'll become depressed, anxious, irritable, unsociable, and will constantly crave more meth. Most of these symptoms are psychological, but physical symptoms such as nausea and aches aren't uncommon.
PAWS (Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome) - Occurs in many recovering meth addicts, once they've past the worst of the withdrawals. Depression, apathy, and anhedonia (the lack of ability to feel pleasure) are the most common symptoms. PAWS can last from a couple of months to a year or more, and is essentially the result of damage to the brain's dopamine pathways.
High - The high follows the rush, and basically consists of the same effects but to a lesser extent. The effects continue to diminish as time goes on. The high can last from 8 to 12 hours.
Tweaking - Tweaking happens when a user has been binging on large amounts of meth, and often staying awake for one or more nights. The high is no longer pleasurable, and the user tends to withdraw socially and become more introverted. While tweaking, a user often feels very dysphonic and empty. Repetitive motions and activities such as scratching, searching, tidying, and so on, tend to occur while a user is tweaking. Psychosis is also most common in this stage.
Crash - Once a binge is over, the user needs to rest and catch up on large amounts of sleep. The body's dopamine has been depleted, so the crash is often accompanied by depression. The crash generally lasts between 1 and 3 days, depending on how long the user was binging for.
Withdrawal - After the crash, and once the drug has completely left the body, regular heavy users will tend to enter methamphetamine withdrawals. They'll become depressed, anxious, irritable, unsociable, and will constantly crave more meth. Most of these symptoms are psychological, but physical symptoms such as nausea and aches aren't uncommon.
PAWS (Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome) - Occurs in many recovering meth addicts, once they've past the worst of the withdrawals. Depression, apathy, and anhedonia (the lack of ability to feel pleasure) are the most common symptoms. PAWS can last from a couple of months to a year or more, and is essentially the result of damage to the brain's dopamine pathways.
