Being on methamphetamine can give you an initial high or a euphoria where you feel alert, joyful, energetic, or reckless. Because it is slow to metabolize, the symptoms can last for several hours. Meth addiction can cause you to be depressed from acute withdrawal which is all the more reason to seek help right away so you can learn to be happy again.
While it may feel at the time that the high from meth is worth repeated doses, it is not worth feeling unhappy. Meth can cause dopamine levels and activity depletion in the brain which results in anhedonia which is when you cannot experience pleasure from normal activities that used to make you happy. According to MentalHelp, intravenous meth can cause you to have more depressive symptoms compared to smoking or snorting it. It can increase your vulnerability to self-harm and have suicidal thoughts. Some addicted to meth with frequently use this drug to avoid feeling depressed or to recreate their initial high. What the user does not realize is that high doses or repeated uses will cause psychosis or schizophrenia.
Luckily, there are many ways to treat the co-occurring disorder of methamphetamine and depression. It is important to remember that in order for a successful recovery, one cannot be treated without the other. There are medications like the antidepressant bupropion which reduces cravings and manages the depressive effects of meth. Adderall and Ritalin can also alleviate cravings and addiction. Exercise can also be effective in both physical and mental health. According to the American Journal of Addictions, those addicted to meth who were in a residential treatment exercises three times a week for an hour and were relieved from depression after eight weeks. The reason can be because exercise promotes serotonin and dopamine release in the brain as well as neurogenesis to grow nervous tissue.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can help this co-occurring disorder as well in reducing cravings and decrease the intensity of depressive symptoms. Because meth addicts believe that they need to depend on methamphetamine to feel happy, this therapy helps them relearn other ways to be happy. Meth addicts will be able to control their cravings, find the underlying reason as to what caused their addiction in the first place, and avoiding situations that can cause a relapse. Treating these disorders simultaneously will help you get clean and you will learn to be happy again.
Located in downtown Midland, The Springboard Center’s mission is to offer programs and services to treat alcohol and drug addiction treatment using an evidence based curriculum, 12 step programs, diet, nutrition, exercise, emotional, mental and spiritual development for a long recovery. For more information, please call us at 432-620-0255 as we are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
