Before and After photos of a meth user
Along with the normal criteria for substance dependence, individuals with methamphetamine dependence often present with dysphoria, insomnia, hostility, irritability, restlessness, and confusion (Sadock, 2003). Symptoms may resemble those of an anxiety disorder, but also include paranoid delusions and hallucinations (2003). A patient that comes with flushing or pallor, headache, fever, grinding of the teeth, shortness of breath, tremor, and/or ataxia may be suffering from methamphetamine dependence (2003). In addition, the increase of insomnia and restlessness, along with the decreased appetite, often induces anorexia.
The DSM-IV-TR includes categories for amphetamine-induced mood, anxiety, sleep, and sexual dysfunction disorders. The criterion for methamphetamine withdrawal is the same as that in cocaine withdrawal, as well as that of intoxication.
Sadock, Benjamin & Sadock, Virginia. (2003). Kaplan & Sadock’s Synopsis of Psychiatry: Behavioral Sciences, Clinical Psychiatry (9th ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
