
This chemical plays a vital role in motivation and rewarding behaviors. When a person takes meth, the substance increases dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain.

In the latter example, the experience will last 10 to 15 minutes, and the person taking the drug will need to do so again to maintain its effects.
#Amphetamine vs methamphetamine crack
However, a high produced by meth is not like that caused by crack cocaine. When a person gets high off of meth, the euphoric sensation lasts for an extended period. It could also be brown, white, or yellow. It is oily, waxy, or gooey and can be difficult to dissolve. People may have meth as a liquid to avoid detection at airports or other locations and transport the substance more easily. Liquid - this form will take on a dark yellow.Pill - as mentioned earlier, methamphetamine is available in weaker prescription tablets.Street names used to describe crystal meth include “glass”, “ Ice”, and “rock”. It will take on the shape of chunks of glass or bluish-white rocks. Crystal - this form is the strongest and purest of them all.It dissolves in a mixture of water and alcohol. Powder - the power form will come in different colors, ranging from white and brown to orange and pink.You can get meth in one of the five following forms: Some forms of meth (e.g., crystal meth) are so addictive that those who try the drug for the first time may get hooked to the substance immediately after that. As a result, clinicians may use a weaker form of methamphetamine to help manage conditions like narcolepsy (a brain condition that leads a person to fall asleep at inopportune moments) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD). Euphoria (a vivid sensation of pleasure and happiness)Īlso, both drugs are available as prescriptions.Both substances can result in the following: However, amphetamine and methamphetamine have similarities. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) labels meth as a Schedule II substance due to its high potential for abuse and severe psychological and physical dependence. In addition, Meth can more easily reach the brain than amphetamine. While amphetamine is the parent drug, some characteristics distinguish meth from the former.įor instance, methamphetamine is longer-lasting. It is a stimulant substance that impacts the central nervous system (CNS). Meth or methamphetamine is similar to cocaine. In 2019, more than 16,000 people died of a cocaine overdose. The elimination half-life refers to the amount of time it would take the body to eliminate half of any drug dose administered.Īdditionally, if you use crack or cocaine chronically, the half-life of the drug may increase.Īccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, overdose deaths from cocaine use are increasing. This fact is important because cocaine metabolites have longer elimination half-lives than cocaine. However, most of the substance will metabolize to different cocaine metabolites (end products of metabolism). Regarding drug metabolism, some cocaine is excreted unchanged in the urine. Therefore, it is not like amphetamines or meth, which can produce long-lasting effects in the body. This observation is different from intranasal cocaine use, i.e., snorting, where peak concentrations don’t occur until 60 minutes have passed.Ĭrack cocaine, although a stimulant, is short-acting. Peak concentrations of crack cocaine will take place within 5-10 minutes of smoking the substance. Mental issues, including aggressive and paranoid behavior.The side effects can be severe, and the risk of addiction, overdose, or death is extremely high.Ĭrack cocaine may lead some individuals to develop an addiction more quickly because the drug acts faster than other forms of cocaine. Side Effects and Risks of CrackĬrack cocaine or cocaine in any form is dangerous.

Various studies have shown that the substance can impair immune cell function and facilitate replicating the HIV virus in the body. Taking cocaine can have a dire impact on persons living with HIV. In other words, you would need to smoke the drug frequently to stay high.Ĭonstant use of the drug can increase the risk of addiction or overdose. However, these effects are not long-lasting. It can produce a high because large quantities of the substance reach the lungs. Afterward, you remove and dry off the solid before breaking it down into the rocks or “crack.” Crack High

You then boil the mix until a solid substance comes together. To produce the stimulant, you have to dissolve powder cocaine in a mixture of water and either ammonia or baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). Also, crack will have a white or off-white color. It will take on the shape of rocks, varying in size and shape.
