Meth can cause a variety of cardiovascular problems, including rapid heart rate, irregular heartbeat, increased blood pressure, and stroke-producing damage to small blood vessels in the brain.
Chronic meth abuse can result in inflammation of the heart lining, and users who shoot (inject) meth face damaged blood vessels and skin abscesses. Meth addicts can also show violent behavior, paranoia, anxiety, confusion, and insomnia.
Lead poisoning is another potential risk for meth abusers. A common method of making meth uses lead acetate as a reagent. Screw-ups result in meth contaminated with lead. There are cases of acute lead poisoning in intravenous meth addicts.
Fetal exposure to meth also is a huge problem in the United States. At present, research indicates that meth abuse during pregnancy may result in prenatal complications, increased rates of premature delivery. Meth use during pregnancy may be linked also to congenital deformities.
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