METH PSYCHOSIS/OVER AMPING
Meth psychosis happens when you take too much meth (over amping). It can be terrifying for the person experiencing it.
Common symptoms are:
Paranoia
You feel people are out to get you; that you are being followed, or under surveillance. Trusted friends, family, or support workers suddenly seem like enemies conspiring against you. A feeling of distrust takes over. The paranoia can lead to aggressive behaviour towards self or others.
Hallucinations/Sensations:
These vary, but commonly appear as:
Dealing with Psychosis:
The symptoms of meth psychosis don’t last forever. They will subside and eventually go away if you take a break from using or quit entirely. How long this takes depends on the individual, how much meth they use, and for how long.
In the meantime, here are a few things that can help get you through when you’re tweaking:
Calling for Help
If meth psychosis is too intense to deal with on your own, time to call for help. It is a good idea to plan ahead. Make an agreement with a trusted friend who doesn’t use meth or a support worker. Create an emergency plan and commit to it!
Agree to call upon their judgement in situations where you can’t trust yours.
Call 911 or visit Emergency at the hospital.
Preventing Meth Psychosis
Learn to spot the warming signs of meth psychosis early, respond accordingly, and reduce the chances of having an episode.
Take a break from Tina if you experience the following:
Meth psychosis happens when you take too much meth (over amping). It can be terrifying for the person experiencing it.
Common symptoms are:
Paranoia
You feel people are out to get you; that you are being followed, or under surveillance. Trusted friends, family, or support workers suddenly seem like enemies conspiring against you. A feeling of distrust takes over. The paranoia can lead to aggressive behaviour towards self or others.
Hallucinations/Sensations:
These vary, but commonly appear as:
- Blue lines streaking across your hands
- Bugs crawling on or under your skin
- Black crystals stuck in the back of your mouth
- Bruises that appear from merely touching your flesh
- Shadow people
- Buildings moving from beneath you
- Hearing voices that others can’t
Dealing with Psychosis:
The symptoms of meth psychosis don’t last forever. They will subside and eventually go away if you take a break from using or quit entirely. How long this takes depends on the individual, how much meth they use, and for how long.
In the meantime, here are a few things that can help get you through when you’re tweaking:
- Doing more meth when you are over amped will make psychosis worse!
- Remember that meth psychosis is temporary-it will pass!
- Try to find a mellow and safe place to ride out the psychosis in peace and quiet.
- Drink plenty of water or juice (not sugary soft drinks).
- Putting a packet of vitamin C powder like Emergen-C in your water will help ground you and flush toxins out of your system (remember to pee often).
- Eat something nourishing (not junk food) like fruits, vegetables, or nuts (the thought of eating will seem disgusting but eating helps a person ground out).
- Practice the 4x4 breathing technique (inhale for a count of four seconds hold breath four seconds, exhale for count of four seconds, hold four seconds, repeat).
- Try smudging yourself with sage, cedar, or juniper.
- If you have access to a tub, take an Epsom salts bath (use 1 cup or more of salts-your skin will absorb the magnesium which helps alleviate anxiety and tension); a few drops of essential oil in the water-like lavender-will help calm you
- Avoid triggering environments like busy streets, shopping malls, or city centers as much as possible while you’re trying to mellow out.
- Try not to pick or scratch your flesh.
- Using fentanyl (down) to take the edge off puts you at extremely high risk of opiate dependency and/or fatal overdose.
Calling for Help
If meth psychosis is too intense to deal with on your own, time to call for help. It is a good idea to plan ahead. Make an agreement with a trusted friend who doesn’t use meth or a support worker. Create an emergency plan and commit to it!
Agree to call upon their judgement in situations where you can’t trust yours.
Call 911 or visit Emergency at the hospital.
Preventing Meth Psychosis
Learn to spot the warming signs of meth psychosis early, respond accordingly, and reduce the chances of having an episode.
Take a break from Tina if you experience the following:
- Suddenly become suspicious of friends, family, support workers, or people on the street.
- See or hear things that other people can’t.
- Feel increasingly anxious, agitated, fidgety, or depressed.
- You’ve been binging on meth for two or more days in a row.
- You have lost more than one full night of sleep.