What are the side effects of using Crystal meth while taking an SSRI and or bi polor medication.?

Question

First off I would just like to say I am a firm believer in not using drugs. This question is to further educate myself on the subject, because of history with family members and friends.

I have allot of people I know taking SSRI medication for depression, like Paxil; but they also take a medication used to treat bi polor disorder called lamictal, and another for paranoia( I don't what that one is called.) Anyways my question is, what happens if while they are taking those they bring Crystal meth into the mix?

What are some of the risks and side effects. If anyone can let me know as soon as possible I would really appriciate it.

Oh ps.
Don't do drugs not a good idea ^_^

Answer 1

Taking meth is a really bad idea for a bipolar patient. Even therapeutic doses of stimulants used to treat ADHD can increase mania in bipolar patients, and methamphetamine is a much stronger stimulant than those used to treat ADHD. It can sometimes induce mania even in users with no history of bipolar disorder, so it's definitely a bad idea for someone with bipolar disorder. It can also increase paranoia.

One of the papers I read for my psychopharmacology class today looked at compounds that increase the release of serotonin as a possible treatment for addiction to stimulants (cocaine and amphetamines). They found that in rats, these compounds seemed to decrease relaps into drug use, possibly because they decreased the "reward" effects of the drug (i.e. the "high" that people are looking for). SSRIs also increase the levels of synaptic serotonin, so they could potentially have that effect as well. So one possibility is that the person simply wouldn't get high (or as high) if he took meth while on an SSRI. That could be potentially dangerous if that individual increased is meth intake to try to achieve a high as this could lead to an overdose.

Another concern I have with mixing meth with an SSRI is that while meth has a significantly greater effect on dopamine that serotonin, it does increase the levels of serotonin as well. The mechanisms of action are sufficiently different that I think that the effects would simply build on each other, resulting in more serotonin. In combination with an SSRI, it could potentially result in too much serotonin, leading to a serious, and potentially fatal condition known as serotonin syndrome. Although serotonin syndrome is rare, and is more often associated with MAOIs than SSRIs, it's definitely a very real possibility as amphetamines are one of the street drugs that are associated with fatalities when taken with MAOIs. Several mood stabalizers are also associated with serotonin syndrome, so the lamictal could also increase that risk.

I'm not very familiar with the mechanisms of action of mood stablizers or antipsychotics (which could be used to treat paranoia), so I can't say much about the specific interactions that could occur with methamphetamine. I do know that many antipsychotics act on dopamine, which is also one of the main targets of meth, so there's the potential for an interaction there, but I'm not sure what that might actually do.

Another concern is that the medication used for the paranoia could potentially be a CNS depressant (despite the name, that's the opposite of a stimulant rather than an antidepressant). Mixing a stimulant with a CNS depressant can result in cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat), which is potentially fatal.

Overall, I'd say that mixing methamphetamine with the drugs and conditions that you listed falls into the catagory of "really bad ideas."

Answer 2

No. Not unless you consider rotten teeth a positive anyway. A couple people mentioned weight loss as a "positive" side effect. Well, chemo therapy tends to cause weight loss. So does anorexia. But it wouldn't be considered a good thing in either of those situations. Meth causes weight loss in a destructive way, so that wouldn't count as positive side effect. In more controlled doses, methamphetamine can be used (legally) to treat ADHD, narcolepsy, and extreme obesity, and is also a highly effective decongestant. It's rarely prescribed due to the stigma associated with it, but it is marketed commercial as a prescription medication, and is effective at treating those conditions. But that's a much lower doses than would be taken recreationally, and its use would be carefully monitored by a medical professional. The form of methamphetamine known as crystal meth is used exclusively for recreational purposes, and the doses are much higher than those that have a therapeutic effect. At recreational doses, all the potential therapeutic effects are present in much more extreme versions that are harmful rather than beneficial.

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Answer 3

People with bipolar illness are usually on a combination of mood stabilizers and antipsychotics. These medications have to be very fine tuned by a psychiatrist in order to work well.
Using meth or any illegal drug while on these medications is like playing with fire. There are huge risks of psychosis, severe manic/despressive episodes and even death.
The persons psychiatrist should be informed of illegal drug use.
Try and get this person into rehab asap. There are places that are "dual diagnosis" and help mental illness and drug issues together.

Answer 4

I am pretty sure you know the answer to that already. Usually, if the person has a good doc then they get meds to do the stuff they are supposed to do. The docs and pharmices know which drugs can be taken together and which ones cant. Also, a big factor in mental illness is a lot of people then to self medicate, which makes sense they are hurting and want to get rid of the pain. But, that is playing with fire. Also, any kind of speed can give you a heart attack and depending on your health and which meds the docs prescribed, you really dont know who that one person is who is going to have problems and who is not. Thats why its best to do it the docs way and then you have a legal person managing you that can help when things go wrong. also, thearpy , thearpy, thearpy, it is the real treatment for almost anything, either to overcome an illness or how to cope with the illness. support groups are good for this kind of thing

Answer 5

I don't know the side affects but I could imagine that its nothing good. Just the affect of meth are bad, specially if you are going into withdrawls. One of the side affects of meth is depression and if your friend is taking medicine for that it could turn into a very very bad thing. Also, your friend takes meth when he is in his low of the bipolar? or all the time?