Emergency Department Visits Involving Methamphetamine: 2007 to 2011

Methamphetamine has a high potential for abuse and addiction. Methamphetamine use began as a West Coast phenomenon in the early 1990s. It gained national attention in the late 1990s, when use increased and expanded to the east. Negative health consequences of methamphetamine abuse include extreme weight loss, severe dental problems ("meth mouth"), anxiety, confusion, insomnia, mood disturbances, and violent behavior. Chronic methamphetamine abusers may display psychotic manifestations, including paranoia, visual and auditory hallucinations, and delusions (e.g., sensation of insects crawling under the skin). National estimates of Emergency Department (ED) visits involving the misuse or abuse (MUA) of methamphetamine were analyzed using data from the 2007 to 2011 Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN). We examined trends by age and gender, other drugs identified in these ED visits and the disposition of visits that resulted in admission to the hospital or transfer to another health care facility and those treated and released. The estimated number of methamphetamine MUA ED visits rose from 67,954 in 2007 to 102,961 in 2011, with similar patterns seen for males and females. In 2011, 62% of ED visits involving methamphetamine also involved other drugs; 29% of visits involved combinations with one other drug; 33% involved combinations with two or more other drugs. 22% of methamphetamine-related visits involved combinations with marijuana; 16% involved combinations with alcohol. 64% of methamphetamine MUA resulted in patients being treated and released. Since the majority of patients seen for medical emergencies involving methamphetamine are simply treated and released, an ED visit may present an important opportunity to intervene with methamphetamine users. Hospital staff can be instrumental in educating patients and their families about the negative physical and mental health consequences of continued use and provide referrals to treatment or counseling services.