Dan Egan Post Register

To understand how methamphetamine works on the brain is to understand a cruel joke. At low doses the drug can block hunger, focus attention, steady the heart and boost endurance. That's why virtually every major military power this century has tried giving methamphetamine or amphetamines to its soldiers in battle.

But try to tell a battle-weary soldier not to take too much of a good thing. "They ended up with troops confused, making bad decisions and going psychotic," said psychiatrist Mark Broadhead."That was a stupid mistake."

And so it goes today in virtually every neighborhood. Every day there are desperate people making the same mistake: smoking, snorting and injecting high doses of a drug that briefly makes the body feel good, but kills the the brain along the way. Methamphetamine works like this: it sends a message to brain cells to fire more dopamine, a feel-good chemical that is also critical to normal brain functioning. Hours after it's ingested, cell receptors begin to turn off to slow the flow of dopamine, and here's where methamphetamine differs from other stimulants, such as cocaine.

While other stimulants allow brain cells to capture and repackage the dopamine, methamphetamine doesn't. The brain cells respond by releasing an enzyme to knock out the extra dopamine. With repeated use, those enzymes eventually kill the dopamine cell, and that leads to a chemical change in the way your brain works.

"Ever heard of Parkinson's Disease?" asks Broadhead."That's what you look like. "You lose things like motivation, you become apathetic. You eventually lose interest in pleasurable things ... If you liked to go fishing, well, fishing just doesn't excite you anymore." This methampetamine-induced brain damage has been proven in animals, but no humans have ever been tested because it would require dissection of the brain.

"It's neuro-toxic, and the other (stimulants) aren't," said Broadhead. And even as the drug's doing its damage, the brain begins to crave more as it becomes better at shutting off its effects.

"It's kind of like listening to loud music. After a while, it doesn't seem so loud," said Broadhead. "You need a hell of a lot more of the drug to maintain the high."

Abusers follow a classic pattern of consuming more and more of the drug before something happens like a car accident, arrest or family fight that scares them into quitting, but it doesn't last. "Most addicts don't constantly use," said Broadhead."It's not the fact that you can't quit. It's the fact that you can't stay quit ... You get back into it and it's off to the races."

Doctors aren't sure why, but one-third of heavy users will develop bizarre, paranoid behavior and suffer hallucinations and voices in the mind that are "as real as real gets," said Broadhead. Individuals who seek treatment have a rough time kicking the drug, and can still suffer from psychosis for up to a half-year. Cravings, irritability, nightmares and depression are also common for months after someone goes cold turkey. The cravings eventually wane but sometimes the damage is irreparable but won't show for years.

"This is one of my big worries, it really is," Broadhead said."As we get older, we lose neurons. Let's say between the age of 16 and 23, I did a lot of meth and then I stopped. Still, I knocked out 30 percent of my dopamine neurons. I might still have enough dopamine to function now, but what happens to me when I'm 65 - I'm looking like I've got chronic schizophrenia."

Broadhead pointed out that amphetamines in low doses are considered safe by physicians, and are still prescribed for children with Attention Deficit Disorder.

But it's not uncommon for illegal users take doses so strong they would kill a normal person. Broadhead recognizes drug and alcohol use is a common rite of passage for adolescents. As a physician he doesn't differentiate between what's legal or illegal, but he does say kids who grow up with crank are taking a bigger gamble.

"Philosophically, I see no difference between alcohol and methamphetamine, but to me it's the difference between playing mumblety-peg or Russian roulette." "

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