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Methamphetamine
Bits & Pieces
by Erowid

The "Bits & Pieces" section is intended for random snippets of information which don't fit
easily elsewhere and/or which have been newly added, but not yet carefully categorized.


  • "A poke in the eye"
    Sometimes snorted methamphetamine is referred to as "a poke in the eye", suggesting the pain of insufflation.

  • Neurotoxicity
    Methamphetamine is known to cause damage to dopamine neurons in rats, non-human primates, and in humans. Higher doses, more frequent use, and less healthy lifestyle (diet, sleep) can increase the risk of neurotoxic effects.

  • Natural Source
    Agricultural researchers at Texas A and M University documented that methamphetamine (among other phenethylamines and amphetamines) was naturally produced by both Acacia berlandieri and Acacia rigidula Benth. known as "blackbrush". (Clement BA et al. 1997, Clement BA et al. 1998). Alexander Shulgin expressed some skepticism about this issue because the researchers did not focus on how extraordinary their finding were of naturally occurring amphetamines. See Ask Dr. Shulgin, Sep 26 2001.

  • Performance Enchancement: Use in Warfare #
    During World War II, at least four major participant countries (The U.S., Germany, the U.K., and Japan) are documented as having used amphetamine and methamphetamine extensively for performance enhancement. While Japan and Germany most often used methamphetamine, the U.S. and U.K. primarily used dextroamphetamine and amphetamine.

    The U.S. and many other countries have continued to use amphetamines as "go pills" up through 2013.

    The German forces used 35 million tablets of methamphetamine during the Blitzkrieg of 1939-40 and General Dwight Eisenhower requested three million tablets for his operations in North Africa.

    References:
    • Rasmussen N. "Medical science and the military: The Allies use of amphetamine during World War II." Journal of Interdisciplinary History 42: 205-233, 2011.
    • Ulrich A. "Hitler's drugged soldiers". Der Spiegel. May 5, 2005
    • Defalque and Wright."Methamphetamine for Hitler's Germany: 1937-1945". The Bulletin of Anesthesia History, 29:21-24, 2011.