Hey,
I found this for you. It was in an article in the US Times. It's a pretty good fact article. I'll put the link here in case you want to read more. Also another good place to look for stuff is
www.kci.org
(kock crime institute)
DWI
((
http://www.usatoday.com/community/ch...7-30-avery.htm))
Culver City, CA: Whats the difference between meth and cocain (besides the fact that they are two entirely different chemicals). Would you consider one more addictive than the other? Do they both have the same side effects? Are the long term health issues the same?
John Avery: Cocaine is a naturally occuring product from the coca leaf, which goes through a process of refinement and washing. Meth is a purely chemically manufactured drug. The coke high is relatively short. If it's snorted, the effect is slightly slower than injection or smoking, which is why crack became so popular (the intense and immediate high). But it doesn't last long, and the crash was a downside. Crystal is much longer acting, and it can be snorted smoked or injected. It's speed. It causes all the systems in the central nervous system to accelerate. It depletes the dopamine and seratonin that are needed for normal functioning. While you're on it, like coke, you feel euphoric. The downside is the depression.
Part of the downside of sustained use is paranoia and aggressiveness. Both meth and crack cocaine are associated with paranoia and aggressiveness on the downside.
Remember that the way the drug works is to generate excessive dopamine, so the brain can only produce so much at any given time, which is what creates the effect of constantly increasing the dosage. You have to keep using more to get less high, which makes them frustrated. With natural brain chemicals depleted, you find the irritability and paranoia. Plus digestion, circulation, muscular movement don't work right.