Current Issue February 2012, Vol. 58, No. 2

Methamphetamine: History, Pathophysiology, Adverse Health Effects, Current Trends, and Hazards Associated with the Clandestine Manufacture of Methamphetamine

• Foreword

  Methamphetamine has a typical history of an illicit drug in that it actually was initially developed several decades ago to treat a variety of maladies ranging from weight loss to asthma to Parkinson's disease. As a sympathomimetic amine related to ephedrine and amphetamine with central nervous system stimulant properties, the illegal manufacture and use of methamphetamine exploded (first in the Midwestern USA, due to easy access to anhydrous ammonia) by the mid-1990s. Today, methamphetamine abuse is no longer a regional issue (confined by socioeconomic demographics), but an international problem with increasing potency (and availability) and has become a major concern that every primary care physician (whether urban or rural) must address. Dr. David Vearrier and colleagues from Drexel University College of Medicine give an excellent in-depth overview that is a valuable resource for the primary care practitioner.