Meth – Methamphetamines and Bugs Under the Skin

Methamphetamines (aka Meth)
Drugs can make people do some amazing, incomprehensible things, and sometimes you don’t know whether to laugh or cry.
One night, a phone call was directed to the ER by the hospital operator, who said, “I don’t know who else can help these people.”
Not good.
The call was from two men sitting in the hospital parking lot in a car, and they were clearly distraught. They spoke very quickly and and hysterically. They stated that they were infected by some kind of bugs, and didn’t want to infect anyone else by coming inside.
I certainly appreciated their desire to not make anyone else ill, but explained there was very little we could do over the phone. They both agreed to come in eventually, but made us agree to wear protective gowns and masks. We were only too happy to comply.
When they stepped in through the ambulance doors, I could not believe my eyes. They were both wrapped head to toe in aluminum foil. Apparently they had decided that the foil would protect themselves and us from the “bugs.”
As it turned out, these men had been smoking methamphetamines for days on end. They had become very paranoid, and began picking at their skin, as methamphetamine users tend to do. Each person made the other more paranoid until they both were convinced that they were seeing bugs underneath their skin crawling around, which only made them pick and scratch more. They both were covered with many sores all over their skin from all the scratching. I sincerely wish that anyone considering meth use could have seen the sorry state of these unfortunate men. If that didn’t stop them from using meth, I’m not sure what would.
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{ 1 trackback }

Heroin, Cocaine, Crack, Meth Addiction Treatment
11.11.08 at 8:00 pm

{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }

Tammy 11.10.08 at 8:47 pm

Thanks for posting that. I’ve never tried or wanted to try meth but those who are curious about trying it might think twice because of your post.

Your ER Doc 11.10.08 at 8:53 pm

Good to hear and thanks for the comment!

Liz A. 11.12.08 at 10:04 am

Meth is awful. It has put a major strain on part of my family from a member who refuses to practice any sort of birth control. We now have two healthy babies and one born with meth in her system spread out over the family. Unfortunately, we’re all relieved she’s in jail, and hopefully won’t make any more babies in there…hopefully.

johnny 11.22.08 at 8:30 am

I was a meth addict for several years and had experience similar to that mentioned. The halucinations did not start until several months of the drug use but once it began, it happened pretty much all the time. Even after extended periods of abstenance. Don’t wish it upon anyone. My solution? Don’t even try it in the first place.

mojitogirl 12.25.08 at 6:28 pm

Did you ever think of Morgellan’s? I was thinking delusional parasitosis myself until the CDC came up with a whole website about it.

Love your blog by the way. Just discovered it. Hope to be seeing more of it!

Your ER Doc 12.26.08 at 9:57 pm

Definitely some overlap there. Thanks for the comments.

Brianne 09.29.09 at 8:00 pm

my mother is supposedly a former meth addict and denies use these days but this blog proves that she is using meth being that her face and neck are extremely broken out with these soars. hopefully whoever reads this avoids any contact with this drug.

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