Dextroamphetamine

Methamphetamine is a drug with a high potential to become addictive. It can enter the brain quickly and produce an intense “rush” or euphoria that also ends quickly. This makes the drug highly reinforcing and may lead an individual to want to take the drug repeatedly.²⁸ In recent years, nearly two out of three people aged 26 and older who reported past-year methamphetamine use met criteria for a substance use disorder.²

People who have a problem with methamphetamine use have what is called a stimulant use disorder. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5)—a reference text professionals use to diagnose substance use and other psychiatric disorders—defines stimulant use disorder as a pattern of stimulant use that leads to clinically significant impairment or distress. This means a person has had two or more of the following symptoms in a 12-month period:²⁹

• Consuming the drug in larger amounts or for longer than intended.
• Persistently and unsuccessfully wanting to cut down or regulate drug use.
• Spending a great deal of time obtaining, using, or recovering from the effects of the drug.
• Experiencing a strong desire to use the drug (craving).
• Failing to fulfill major obligations at work, school, or home because of drug use.
• Continuing drug use even if it causes significant social or interpersonal problems.
• Reducing or stopping other activities because of drug use.
• Repeatedly using the drug in situations where it is unsafe.
• Continuing drug use even when knowing that it causes physical or psychological problems.
• Developing tolerance.
• Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when stopping drug use.

A substance use disorder can be diagnosed as mild when a person has two or three of these symptoms, moderate if they have four or five of these symptoms, or severe with six or more of these symptoms. A severe substance use disorder is what people often call “addiction.”