Pubdate: Mon, 21 Nov 2005
Source: Napanee Guide (CN ON)
Copyright: 2005 OSPREY Media Group Inc.
Contact:  http://www.napaneeguide.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3980
Author: Jane Brunton
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?241 (Methamphetamine - Canada)

LOCAL HOSPITAL, PROVINCE SHOWING CONCERN ABOUT SPREAD OF METH USE

Methamphetamine 5

Your teenager stays up for days on end. He talks incessantly. He never sits 
still. He doesn't come when he is called to dinner. You thought you had $20 
in your wallet but it's not there now. He's got bad breath from rotting teeth.

If these signs represent a change from normal behaviour, it could mean they 
are doing crystal meth.

More urgently, if your child, or a friend, loses consciousness, is 
breathing very fast, seizuring or twitching, overheating, has a racing or 
irregular heartbeat and chest pain he could be showing signs of an 
overdose. Don't delay, call 911.

Dr. Gary Ollson, director of Emergency Medical Services at Lennox & 
Addington County General Hospital said that while the effects of other 
drugs may wear off by the time a teenager goes home from a party, the long 
"half-life" of meth (the time it takes the body to excrete the drug) is 16 
hours.

"It is hard to hide the agitation associated with crystal meth use," said 
Ollson.

He added, "We have always seen sporadic use of 
amphetamines/methamphetamines. It is only recently that some patients with 
crystal meth have presented to the emergency department.

"Most commonly, these people are anxious, volatile, agitated and 
aggressive. They can be quite disruptive to the ER," said Ollson.

Treatment generally consists of sedation using benzodiazepines, such as 
diazepam (Valium) or lorazepam (Ativan) to suppress the agitation and 
aggression.

Other effects, such as hyperthermia (fever) and hypertension (high blood 
pressure), are treated using appropriate medical therapies.

Ollson said most organs of the body are affected including the brain. There 
are the cardiovascular effects (mentioned above), nervous system effects 
(hypothermia, seizures), psychiatric effects (hallucinations, panic, 
psychoses) and gastrointestinal effects (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea).

Ollson said, " Death can result from heart arrthymias, hypothermia or 
intracranial hemorrhage (bleeding into the brain)."

Long-term use leads to various psychiatric problems such as antisocial 
behaviour, anxiety disorders, paranoid psychosis, memory loss and confusion 
according to Ollson.

It is common for users of illicit drugs to share needles but there are 
hazards associated with that practice.

"Hepatitis C and HIV infections are the two most common infections when 
sharing needles with persons so infected. Use of dirty needles can also 
lead to serious infections," said Ollson.

There are needle exchange programs available through the Lennox & Addington 
Addiction Services making this dangerous practice unnecessary.

While the number of visits resulting from methamphetamine or other drug 
usage is not currently tracked, Ollson says to date they have been sporadic 
and not overly frequent.

"I expect that the frequency of use of crystal meth and its presentation to 
the Emergency Department will increase. Crystal meth has been more of a 
western Canada and U.S. phenomenon but is gaining increased popularity in 
central Canada. It may be only a matter of time before we see the results 
of this,"said Ollson.

The Ontario government is even more certain that meth is on its way and has 
intensified its fight against it.

In June, the Honorable Monte Kwinter, Minister of Community Safety and 
Correctional Services, directed that a group be formed (The Crystal Meth 
Working Group ) to study the scope of the problem and recommend ways to 
prevent its spread.

Members of the group come from various organizations such as Ontario 
Provincial Police, Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, Canadian Mental 
Health Association and MethWatch Co-alition to name a few. The group had 
its first meeting in August of this year.

Health Canada has itself proposed regulating the sale of the drug's 
chemical ingredients, but the idea has come under heavy fire from the 
pharmaceutical industry.

Should the provinces decide to make it a requirement that cold medications 
(containing pseudoephedrine) require a prescription, it would tax an 
already cash-strapped health care system and clog up doctor's waiting rooms 
unnecessarily.

The Ontario Pharmacist's Association started the MethWatch program, 
designed to curb retail diversion of precursor ingredients used in the 
production of crystal meth through awareness training for pharmacists and 
their staff.

Educate yourself by getting more information on meth and other drugs at one 
of the thousands of sites dedicated to that purpose such as 
www.drugfreeteen.org.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom