Did You Know?

Meth users, if smoking in confined spaces with little ventilation, may create an environment ripe for bacterial and viral infections, including treatment-resistant TB.2

Within its first few weeks online, the HIV and methamphetamine fact sheet for clinicians—available on the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA’s) National AIDS Education and Training Center (AETC) Web site—received more than 4,000 downloads.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Health Resources and Services Administration

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Health Resources and Services Administration

Methamphetamine and HIV

“If you [had] told me that I would go from being an executive at Macy’s to [being on] the verge of homelessness, I never would have believed you,” says Mike Rizzo­, a recovering methamphetamine (“meth”) addict and manager of Crystal Methamphetamine Recovery Services (CMRS) at the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center. “Meth dismantled my life,” he adds. “I was fired from a job, suffered psychosis and severe depression, and was unable to take care of myself.”

Mike’s story is not unique. The power of meth to destroy the lives of its users is seen in rural areas, in urban centers, and among the rich and the poor. And the intersection of the HIV and meth epidemics is posing major barriers to care for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) as well as considerable hurdles for HIV service providers across the country. To better identify—and treat—PLWHA who use meth, providers must understand the drug’s allure, pharmacology, and health implications.

Understanding Meth

According to the United Nations, meth is now the most abused illegal drug on earth, excluding marijuana—it has more users than cocaine and heroin combined.1 According to the 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, an estimated 10.4 million Americans age 12 or older have tried it.3,4 Meth, also commonly known as “crystal,” “crank,” “glass,” “ice,” “speed,” “Tina,” “chalk,” and “tweak,” is a Schedule II* psychostimulant affecting the central nervous system by increasing reuptake of dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine (which is related to adrenaline), the main neurotransmitters in the brain responsible for pleasurable feelings.2,4,5,6,7,8,9

*Schedule II drugs, as defined by the Federal Controlled Substances Act, have high risk for abuse but may serve some medicinal purposes.

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References
  1. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. World drug report 2005. Accessed October 24, 2008.
  2. Carroll R. Unsafe at any speed: Methamphetamines, sexual risk and HIV [Conference presentation]. U.S. Conference on AIDS; September 19, 2008; Fort Lauderdale, FL.
  3. Byker C. The meth epidemic: how meth destroys the body. Frontline [Television show]. February 14, 2006. Accessed December 1, 2008.
  4. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Research report series: methamphetamine abuse and addiction. September 2006. Accessed December 1, 2008.
  5. Health Resources and Services Administration, AIDS Education and Training Center. Methamphetamine and HIV: what clinicians need to know. 2007. Accessed December 1, 2008.
  6. Donohoe T, Freese F. Tips for HIV clinicians working with methamphetamine users. 2007. Accessed December 4, 2008.
  7. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Methamphetamine use and risk for HIV/AIDS. 2007. Accessed December 2, 2008.
  8. NIDA. NIDA info facts: methamphetamine. 2006. Accessed December 17, 2008.
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  14. Donohoe T. HIV, mental health and methamphetamine: working with meth-using patients [Conference presentation]. Ryan White All-Titles Conference; August 31, 2006; Washington, DC.
  15. Rural Center for HIV/STD Prevention. Fact sheet: Rural methamphetamine use and HIV/STD risk. 2006. Accessed December 17, 2008.
  16. Leinwand D. DEA: flavored meth on the rise. USA Today, March 26, 2007. Accessed December 18, 2008.
  17. Hunt D, Kuck S, Truit L. National Criminal Justice Reference Service. Methamphetamine use: lessons learned. 2006. Accessed December 19, 2008.
  18. National Association of Counties. The meth epidemic in America: the criminal effect of meth on communities, a 2006 survey on U.S. counties. 2006. Accessed December 18, 2008.
  19. Jefferson D. America’s most dangerous drug. Newsweek. August 8, 2005. Accessed December 18, 2008.
  20. Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005. Pub. L. 109–177. Accessed January 15, 2009.
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  22. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Results from the 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: national findings. 2008. p. 29. Accessed December 17, 2008.
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  25. Project Inform. Dealing with drug side effects: dry mouth. 2008. Accessed April 6, 2008.
  26. American Dental Association. Methamphatamine use (meth mouth). n.d. Accessed June 18, 2009.
  27. American Dental Association. Methamphetamine use and oral health. JADA. 2005;136:1491.
  28. Jones V, Donohoe T. HIV and stimulants: using national collaboration to develop effective training of trainer (TOT) tools [Conference presentation]. Ryan White All-Grantee Program Meeting; August 27, 2008; Washington, DC. Accessed August 26, 2008.
  29. Halkitis PN, Parsons JT, Stirratt MJ. A double epidemic: crystal methamphetamine drug use in relation to HIV transmission among gay men. J Homosex. 2001; 41(2):17-35.
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  33. National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. Mouth problems and HIV. 2007.
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  36. Reback CJ, Larkins S, Shoptaw S. Changes in the meaning of sexual risk behaviors among gay and bisexual male methamphetamine abusers before and after drug treatment. AIDS Behav. 2004; 8(1):87-98.
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