Methamphetamine has four common forms – tablet, crystal (also referred to as ice or rock), base (also referred to as paste) and powder (also referred to as speed).

As such, ‘meth’ is the drug methamphetamine and ‘speed ‘ is the powder form of ‘meth’ and ‘ice’ is the crystal form of ‘meth’.

Methamphetamine ranges in colour from almost clear in its crystal form to white, pink, yellow, orange, blue, green or brown.

There is no safe level of illicit drug use. All drugs including amphetamines will affect each person differently depending on the persons characteristics (such as physical size, gender, mood, diet, fitness, age, expectations and health), the drug itself (such as the amount used and its purity), and how it is taken and the environment a person is in when using the drug.

Short term effects at higher doses include:

• Pale skin.
• Feelings of being powerful or superior.
• Repetitive movement.
• Irregular breathing.
• Very rapid or irregular heartbeat.
• Jaw clamping/teeth grinding.
• Panic attacks.

Long term effects in addition to the short term effects include:

• Malnutrition and weight loss.
• Reduced resistance to infection.
• Violent behaviour.
• Emotional disturbances.
• Periods of psychosis.
• Delusional thoughts and behaviour.
• Mood swings.

The effects of methamphetamine include anxiety, depression, paranoia, aggression and psychotic symptoms. Methamphetamine also increases the risk of mental health problems, especially in people with an existing mental health condition or vulnerability to mental health problems.

As methamphetamine is more potent than dexamphetamine, users are likely to experience more severe side-effects.

Yes. Overdose or toxicity from amphetamines usually results from the drug’s stimulatory properties and can cause strokes, heart failure, seizures and death. The risk of overdose generally increases with a larger dose. As the strength and content of street amphetamines is unknown it can be difficult to judge the dose, increasing the risk of overdose.

A drug overdose is life threatening.  If you suspect bad effects from drugs every second counts, react fast and call an ambulance immediately (dial 000 from anywhere in Australia). Police will not normally attend unless ambulance officers are threatened or there is a death.

There are a number of signs and symptoms that point out someone is in trouble. Some of these include:

• Hyperactivity, sweating
• Rapid breathing or a feeling that you ‘can’t breathe’
• Difficulty passing urine
• Shaking / Trembling / spasms
• Chest pain, pounding heart
• Raised temperature
• Body chills
• Disorientation
• Severe Headache
• Vomiting
• Paranoid, delusional, agitated, irritable, anxious or psychotic behaviour
• Convulsions

REMEMBER: It is not necessary for someone to have all of these signs or symptoms for them to be overdosing. Only a few could still mean they are in trouble and need emergency help (000).

Amphetamines affect everyone differently. The strength, dose, and how often it’s used can affect how long it stays in their system. It can also affect the individual depending on their tolerance, age and gender, overall health, metabolism, mood and environment they are in.

Amphetamines can be detected in blood for 48 hours after use, in urine for up to 2-4 days after use, and in saliva for approximately 24 hours after use, but can depend on the amount and potency used, and a person’s metabolism rate.

It is important to note that the detection of drugs and their metabolites in any biological sample (blood, urine and saliva) can change depending on the individual person and their biological factors and most suggested time frames are based on scientific studies but individual results may vary.