Methamphetamines can make a person feel overconfident when driving, leading to risk-taking behaviour and poor judgement. It is dangerous and illegal, to drive while taking any methamphetamines. There was a significant decline in recent meth/amphetamine users who used powder as their main form (from 29% in 2013 to 20% in 20). This was a reduction from the 57% figure in 2016, which was up from 22% in 2010 and 50% in 2013). This is a reduction from the 2016 survey which found 6.3% lifetime use and 1.4% in the year preceding the survey.Ĭrystal/ice methamphetamines continued to be the main form of methamphetamines used in 2019 with 50%.

The 2019 National Drug Strategy Household Survey found that 5.8% of Australians aged 14 and above have ever tried methamphetamine or amphetamine (including speed, ice, base, prescription amphetamines and liquid amphetamine), and 1.3% used them in the year preceding the survey. People who inject methamphetamine may experience problems related to injection such as collapsed veins, abscesses and the spread of blood-borne viruses like hepatitis B and C or HIV, while those who snort may suffer from nasal irritation. psychotic symptoms such as paranoia and hallucinations.

Post-mortems of methamphetamine-related deaths of people in their 20s, 30s and 40s commonly reveal heart conditions more frequently associated with old age. Heavy methamphetamine use is associated with a range of chronic and acute cardiovascular problems including stroke, heart failure and seizures. The most serious effects of taking large quantities may include stroke, heart failure, seizures and excessively high body temperature. Heavy users may also experience effects such as: Taking large quantities can intensify some of the effects. These effects vary from person to person, and are influenced by factors such as the person's weight, how much they have eaten, their general health, how much of the drug they have taken, and whether they have taken any other drugs. High doses may lead to aggressiveness, hostility and violent behaviour. increased heart rate, breathing and body temperature.The short-term effects of methamphetamine include: Methamphetamine can be swallowed, snorted, smoked, inhaled as a vapour or injected. It is illegal to use, possess, supply or manufacture methamphetamine in New South Wales. Managing ice in the family (designed for Aboriginal communities)įor more information on Breaking the Ice in Our Community, visit the Alcohol and Drug Foundation website.What is crystalline methamphetamine (ice)?.The Breaking the Ice in Our Community fact sheets cover a range of topics relating to Crystalline Methamphetamine (ice) and have been developed as a collaboration between the Alcohol and Drug Foundation and NSW Health.

Methamphetamines and the law Breaking the Ice There are different forms of methamphetamine, generally distinguished by their appearance and perceived purity. It was first synthesised from ephedrine in 1919, and was also used during World War II. Methamphetamine is a man-made stimulant drug - a more potent form of the drug amphetamine. In 1935 a study of the effects of amphetamine in hospital workers found that the most commonly reported effects were a sense of wellbeing and exhilaration, and reduced fatigue, while during World War II amphetamine was extensively used to combat fatigue and increase alertness in soldiers. Today, amphetamines and amphetamine derivatives are used in the treatment of narcolepsy (a sleep disorder) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Amphetamine was first synthesised in 1887, and was used in the 1930s to treat asthma.

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