What Are Meth Sores?
Long term methamphetamine users ofter have sores on their bodies that are a result of their addiction and drug use. Meth Sores are often called; crank sores, speed bumps or meth mites. Meth sores are one symptom of long term methamphetamine abuse and are caused by people picking or scratching at their skin and in some extreme case digging into the skin with knives, etc. Believing there are bugs on or under the skin is a common delusion of people using meth long term. The medical term for a feeling that their are bugs on or under your skin is Formication. Meth sores are caused because people are having a tactile hallucination due to the drug use and since they are in a delusional state from the drug use combined with lack of sleep they will pick at or dig into their skin to try to remove the infestation. Users may also have a visual hallucination and there have been many reports of people on methamphetamine claiming to be able to see the “meth mites” boring into their skin.
Causes of Meth Sores
As we read above meth sores are caused by people believing there are bugs on or under the skin, this feeling and belief comes from the psychological effects of the meth use as well as some of the physical changes in the body when someone uses methamphetamine. Meth raises the body temperature and can cause excessive sweating, with the sweating and your body eliminating toxins there is a high likely hood of dehydration. The excess sweating can be acidic, when the sweat evaporates it dries the skin leaving it itchy and irritable. Combine itchy skin with hallucinations and a delusional state and the substance abuser can start picking at the skin causing the meth sores.
Dangers of Meth Sores
Since meth sores cause open ulcers and wounds on the skin there is always a high risk of infection to the area and even once the person has created the sore they are more often then not likely to continue picking at the open wound which makes for a high likely hood of introducing bacteria or viruses into the wound. With open soars on the body people with meth sores have a much higher chance of contracting commutable diseases such as, HIV or Hepatitis C. If the sores do become infected there is a high chance of it becoming sepsis, at this stage a person with meth mites will need to go on anti-bacterial medication to ensure that sepsis does not evolve into septic shock or gangrene.
Treatment for Meth Sores
Obviously the best way to treat meth sores is to stop using meth and get medical treatment for the physical issues you are experiencing. In the interim however, the best thing you can do is be sure to keep the meth sores clean and covered with sterilised bandages. Seeking advice from your doctor is also highly recommended and if there is a chance of infection he/she will probably put you on some from of antibiotics to help stop the infection or even as a preventative if you haven’t developed an infection yet.
Meth Sores and Meth Psychosis
Amphetamine Induced Psychosis is a psychosis brought on by the use of meth and other amphetamines. Fortunately it is usually curable in most people using meth and experiencing meth sores due to the psychosis. The primary way of helping is as mentioned above to first get the person to stop using methamphetamine. Generally in a few days to a few weeks from last use the psychosis will subside and the meth sores will start to heal over. There is other physical and cognitive damage however from long term meth use that are beyond the scope of this article. If you are experiencing Methamphetamine induced psychosis it is very important that you seek professional help. You can make the first step by checking into the local emergency room at the hospital.
Recovering from Meth Addiction
If you are addicted to meth or any other drugs or alcohol it is important to know that there is help available, this website has a wealth of information on services available in many parts of the world. Your doctor will have a good knowledge of local services that can help as well as there are many government and private run rehabilitation centres.
If you are in an area with a long waiting list for services or few services available there is always the option of traveling to an international clinic like the one we have in Thailand. Siam Rehab is a international standard drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre with all our services offered in English. There are many benefits of considering Siam Rehab for your treatment; we are considerably less expensive then similar programs in Australia, America or the UK. Being in the beautiful, rural north of Thailand you have a level of confidentiality that is difficult to obtain in your home country, you can just tell you friends and family you are going to Thailand on holidays. If you are having issues with meth sores we have a first class full service hospital to treat this condition. When you arrive at the airport we will be waiting to pick you and take you to our luxury addiction treatment centre.
