Methamphetamine
Meth Hurts Moms, Kids in Rural Areas
Physicians nationwide are beginning to see the health impact of the increasing popularity of methamphetamine (meth), especially in rural areas, American Medical News reports in its July 26 issue.
Obstetrician-gynecologist Mary Holley, M.D., who founded Mothers against Methamphetamine, said about 10 percent of her patients are addicted to the stimulant.
"We're seeing devastation," she said, "Infant mortality is high. The kids who are born won't feed. They're underweight. They're sick. They are going to have ADHD almost guaranteed, and they grow up in a home with an addicted mother who doesn't care about them."
In the 1950s and 1960s, meth was only available by prescription and was mainly prescribed for weight loss. In the 1980s, illegal meth labs began popping up in California and moving to other states. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), more than 12 million Americans reported having used methamphetamine in 2002.
"It has a lot of appeal," said Barry Lester, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry at Brown Medical School in Providence, R.I. "You can make it in your home and bypass the illegal drug trade. It's cheap. Everything you need to make it you can get between your hardware store and your pharmacy and the recipes are on the Web."
Public-health experts are greatly concerned over the growing number of people who use meth, in particular, pregnant woman. Infants born to meth-using mothers generally have a higher-risk for low birth weight and developmental and behavioral problems.
"Methamphetamine has really replaced cocaine as the drug of choice for pregnant women," said Lester. "But the evidence would say that it's at least as bad, if not worse."
Anti-drug advocates are urging primary-care physicians to better screen their pregnant patients for addiction and, when necessary, refer them to treatment. "Pregnancy is a powerful motivator, and a prime moment that you find people receptive to treatment," said Randy Stevens, M.D., an addictionologist at Hamilton Center in Terre Haute, Ind., and a clinical assistant professor of family medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine. "If you're able to get away from it during your pregnancy, that can carry over to a time when you're not pregnant."
Illinois Church Action on Alcohol & Addiction Problems, Volume 67, No. 3, September 2004
(Reprinted from Join Together, July 21, 2004)
Mothers Against Meth
An Alabama doctor who lost her brother to methamphetamine addiction has formed a support group called Mothers Against Methamphetamine (MAMa), the Associated Press reported on August 28.
"After he died, I started looking into it as a physician, as a scientist," said Dr. Mary Holley, an obstetrician in Albertville. "What is this drug that destroyed his life in just two years?"
Holly formed the group last year and there are now chapters in Tennessee, Georgia, Oklahoma, Missouri and Ohio. The group works with churches to form addiction-support groups. In addition, the MAMa website offers information that explains the dangers of meth.
Illinois Church Action on Alcohol & Addiction Problems, Volume 67, No. 3, September 2004
Reprinted from Join Together Online, August 30, 2004
Physicians nationwide are beginning to see the health impact of the increasing popularity of methamphetamine (meth), especially in rural areas, American Medical News reports in its July 26 issue.
Obstetrician-gynecologist Mary Holley, M.D., who founded Mothers against Methamphetamine, said about 10 percent of her patients are addicted to the stimulant.
"We're seeing devastation," she said, "Infant mortality is high. The kids who are born won't feed. They're underweight. They're sick. They are going to have ADHD almost guaranteed, and they grow up in a home with an addicted mother who doesn't care about them."
In the 1950s and 1960s, meth was only available by prescription and was mainly prescribed for weight loss. In the 1980s, illegal meth labs began popping up in California and moving to other states. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), more than 12 million Americans reported having used methamphetamine in 2002.
"It has a lot of appeal," said Barry Lester, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry at Brown Medical School in Providence, R.I. "You can make it in your home and bypass the illegal drug trade. It's cheap. Everything you need to make it you can get between your hardware store and your pharmacy and the recipes are on the Web."
Public-health experts are greatly concerned over the growing number of people who use meth, in particular, pregnant woman. Infants born to meth-using mothers generally have a higher-risk for low birth weight and developmental and behavioral problems.
"Methamphetamine has really replaced cocaine as the drug of choice for pregnant women," said Lester. "But the evidence would say that it's at least as bad, if not worse."
Anti-drug advocates are urging primary-care physicians to better screen their pregnant patients for addiction and, when necessary, refer them to treatment. "Pregnancy is a powerful motivator, and a prime moment that you find people receptive to treatment," said Randy Stevens, M.D., an addictionologist at Hamilton Center in Terre Haute, Ind., and a clinical assistant professor of family medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine. "If you're able to get away from it during your pregnancy, that can carry over to a time when you're not pregnant."
Illinois Church Action on Alcohol & Addiction Problems, Volume 67, No. 3, September 2004
(Reprinted from Join Together, July 21, 2004)
Mothers Against Meth
An Alabama doctor who lost her brother to methamphetamine addiction has formed a support group called Mothers Against Methamphetamine (MAMa), the Associated Press reported on August 28.
"After he died, I started looking into it as a physician, as a scientist," said Dr. Mary Holley, an obstetrician in Albertville. "What is this drug that destroyed his life in just two years?"
Holly formed the group last year and there are now chapters in Tennessee, Georgia, Oklahoma, Missouri and Ohio. The group works with churches to form addiction-support groups. In addition, the MAMa website offers information that explains the dangers of meth.
Illinois Church Action on Alcohol & Addiction Problems, Volume 67, No. 3, September 2004
Reprinted from Join Together Online, August 30, 2004
