A press release from the 'Centre for Addiction and Mental Health' (CAMH) in Toronto, Canada in July of 2011 details a then newly-published study on the psychoactive drug methamphetamine, or crystal meth, which shows that abuse creates a higher degree of likelihood of developing Parkinson's Disease. The increase is significant.
Researchers from CAMH used hospital records from California, which has had a high rate of people illicitly using crystal meth. The researchers used 300,000 hospital records from 16 years,1990 through 2005 and the press release said they found that "patients admitted to hospital for methamphetamine or amphetamine-use disorders had a 76 per cent higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease compared to those with no diagnosis."
Crystal Meth Affects on User
Previous studies done on animals have shown that methamphetamine can damage the dopamine-producing areas in the brain and Parkinson's disease is caused by the brain's inability to produce adequate amounts of dopamine. The lead researcher on the study, Dr. Russell Callaghan of the CAMH, said that the results are a confirmation of something the medical community has long thought to be the case.
“This study provides evidence of this association for the first time, even though it has been suspected for 30 years,” Dr. Callaghan said.
In higher doses Crystal meth, often called 'ice' on the streets, is highly addictive and acts to increase users energy and alertness and can induce a state of euphoria for prolonged periods of time. A joke common on the streets about Crystal Meth abuse reflects it's reputation. 'Q: What did one Crystal Meth addict say to the other at the Halloween Party? A: "Only two more sleeps until Christmas."'
Meth Abuse Not Related to Legitimate Uses
A co-author of the study, Dr. Stephen Kish, was quick to point out in the press release that the drug has legitimate uses. “It is important for the public to know that our findings do not apply to patients who take amphetamines for medical purposes, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), since these patients use much lower doses of amphetamines than those taken by patients in our study."
The researchers put the study into perspective by noting that if 10,000 Crystal Meth abusers were followed over 10 years 21 would develop Parkinson's Disease while only 12 from the general population would. “It is also possible that our findings may underestimate the risk because in California, methamphetamine users may have had less access to health-care insurance and consequently to medical care,” said Dr. Callaghan.
Dr. Callaghan said that methamphetamine and other amphetamine stimulants are the "second most widely used illicit drugs in the world" and studying their illicit use prepares the medical community for the consequences abuse will bring.
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