In it's smoked form, meth is often referred to as crystal, ice, crank or glass. They are street names for methamphetamine (mAMP).  If taken in large doses is effects are auditory hallucinations, aggressive behavior, irritability, excitement, anxiety and paranoia along with psychosis and delusions. There is a tendency to violence among meth abusers. Mood swings are commonplace with the abuser quickly switching from friendly to extremely hostile in seconds. More commons side effects produced by meth paranoia are hyperactive behavior and general suspiciousness.

Meth is extremely appealing to drug abusers because it increases the body's natural metabolism and produces euphoria, increases alertness and gives the abuser increased energy.  However, chronic use or high doses increases irritability, nervousness and paranoia. The extreme paranoia experienced by meth abusers can often exhibit a tendency toward violent behavior. 

Methamphetamine use has three patterns: low intensity, binge and high intensity.

*Low-intensity is used to describe abuse by a user who is not yet psychologically addicted to meth and administers the drug by swallowing or snorting it.

Binge & high-intensity abusers ARE psychologically addicted to meth and prefer to inject or smoke it to achieve a stronger, faster high. The binge pattern of abuse has 7 stages with it's cycle: rush, high, binge, tweaking, crash, normal and withdrawal, The high-intensity abuse pattern includes the first five stages of the binge pattern but does not include a state of normalcy or withdrawal.

"Tweakers" is the terminology used to refer to meth users at their most dangerous state. This abuser has probably not slept for days on end, can be up to 15 days and consequently are feeling symptoms of extreme paranoia and irritability. A tweaker need little provocation to behave or react violently, but confrontation naturally increases the chances of a violent reaction. These negative feelings and associated dangers are greatly intensified if the tweaker is also drinking alcohol.

A drastic drop in energy levels and mod are experienced by meth abuser several hours after the last meth dose. Sleep begins and may last for a long period of time and they may feel severe depression which may last for days upon awakening.  Suicide is a major concern while users are in this depressed state of mind. These symptoms may be reversed by taking another dose of meth thereby fitting the definition for a withdrawal syndrome.

If you see these short term effects in your teen-ager or other loved-one, get a notepad and take notes.  Short term meth abuse symptoms are :

Some of the effects that meth abuse has on the mind are also symptoms of meth use. These meth use symptoms are disturbed sleep, excessive excitation, excessive talking, panic, anxiousness, nervousness, moodiness and irritability, false sense of confidence and power, delusions of grandeur leading to aggressive behavior, uninterested in friends, sex, or food, aggressive and violent behavior and severe depression.

After excessive meth abuse, there are long term effects as well, such as fatal kidney and lung disorders, possible brain damage, depression, hallucinations, disorganized lifestyle, permanent psychological problems, violent and aggressive behavior, weight loss, insomnia, behavior resembling paranoid schizophrenia, decreased social life, malnutrition, poor coping abilities, disturbance of personality development, lowered resistance to illnesses, liver damage, stroke and the inevitable, death.

There are also withdrawal symptoms that a meth abuser will partake in when coming off of meth or "crashing". If you see the symptoms of severe cravings, insomnia, restlessness, mental confusion or depression, chances are that the meth is exiting their system.

If you have been watching your teenager or loved one and your suspicions are pointing into the direction of meth abuse and you are seeing the symptoms of meth abuse, don't ignore them. Go with your instincts and in a loving and caring manner, let your teen or loved one know that you will help them seek the counseling they need to rid themselves of meth or any other drug abuse. If you continue to see the signs and symptoms of meth use, you may either want to take your teen or loved one to his/her doctor or other medical professional and ask them to screen for the use of illegal substances. If you're not comfortable with revealing your suspicions to an outsider, it is also possible to screen your teenager or loved one in the privacy of your own home with home urine drug testing kits, saliva drug testing kits and hair drug testing kits.