Addiction Drug Use Meth Brain Recovery After Stopping Methamphetamine Abstinence May Restore Some Functions but Not Others By Buddy T facebook twitter Buddy T is an anonymous writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism. Learn about our editorial process Buddy T Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD on March 14, 2020 Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital. Learn about our Review Board Steven Gans, MD Updated on March 24, 2020 Print Verywell / Nusha Ashjaee Table of Contents View All Table of Contents Types of Brain Damage Acute Neurotransmitter Changes Rewiring the Brain's Reward System Brain Cell Death Likelihood of Reversal What to Expect After Quitting If you or a loved one are struggling with substance use or addiction, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 for information on support and treatment facilities in your area. For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database. Methamphetamine ("meth") can cause progressive and sometimes profound damage to the brain. The question is whether the damage is reversible once a person stops using meth. Unfortunately, the answer is rarely simple. While it's possible that some damage will start to reverse when a person stops using meth, other types of damage are harder to turn back. What we do know is that any restoration of brain function is only possible after a sustained period of complete abstinence. Types of Brain Damage Heavy or long-term methamphetamine use damages the brain both functionally and structurally.A person's brain becomes accustomed to the drug during the course of addiction. This altered biochemical activity may take time to normalize once the drug is stopped. In most cases, it will—as some dysfunction in the brain's neurons can eventually right itself. From a brain structure standpoint, reversal is not always so easy. Ultimately, meth causes damage to brain cells. The ability to reverse the damage largely depends on where the injury occurred. If damage occurs in an area where other brain cells can compensate, improvement in a person's symptoms is likely. If damage occurs where cells are more specialized and have fewer redundancies, the repair can be difficult—if not impossible. There are three ways that long-term meth use can damage the brain:Causing acute neurotransmitter changesCausing brain cell deathRewiring the brain's reward system Acute Neurotransmitter Changes Long-term meth exposure directly alters the brain's cellular transporters and receptors (the systems responsible for delivering messages throughout the brain). These transporters and receptors are involved in regulating a person's moods, which is why chronic impairment can lead to symptoms of irritability, apathy, rage, depression, insomnia, and anxiety. Rewiring the Brain's Reward System Methamphetamine addiction also damages the brain's so-called pleasure (or reward) center. These regions of the brain include the ventral tegmental area, nucleus accumbens, and frontal lobe. Changes in these brain regions are usually permanent. Changes to the brain's reward center are largely responsible for the drug cravings a person can experience when they quit. Brain Cell Death Heavy meth use is known to cause cell death in parts of the brain associated with self-control, including the frontal lobe, caudate nucleus, and hippocampus. Damage in this area can manifest with a variety of psychiatric symptoms. Unfortunately, these types of cells are not considered redundant. Their function cannot be compensated for by other brain cells. Any damage caused to them can potentially lead to long-lasting changes. Likelihood of Reversal In recent years, scientific studies have aimed to evaluate the effect of long-term abstinence on brain activity in former methamphetamine users. A 2010 review of studies conducted by the Department of Psychology and Center for Substance Abuse Research at Temple University looked at the restoration of brain function after cessation of different recreational drugs, including cannabis, MDMA, and methamphetamine. With methamphetamine, former users who had been abstinent for six months scored lower on motor skills, verbal skills, and psychological tasks compared to a matched set of people who had never used. However, after 12 and 17 months, their ability to perform many of the tasks improved—their motor and verbal skills were equal to that of the non-users. The one area where users lagged behind was in performing the psychological task. Former users were more likely to exhibit depression, apathy, or aggression than non-users. What to Expect After Quitting The ability to restore normal brain function after quitting meth can vary from person to person. It is largely related to how long a person used the drug, how regularly they used it, and how much they used. A former user can expect an improvement in the following functions and/or symptoms within six to 12 months of stopping the drug: Fewer nightmaresImprovement in depression and anxietyImprovement in focus and attentionNormalization of brain receptors and transportersReduction in jitteriness and emotional ragesRestoration of neurotransmitter activity in parts of the brain regulating personalityStabilization of mood swings The one thing that may not readily improve is the drug cravings a person can experience, which may persist even after years of abstinence. This particular problem is commonly caused by damage to the brain's reward system. To deal with drug cravings, a former user will need to commit to an extensive rehabilitation program. Here, a person can learn to exercise self-control and potentially build new pathways in the brain. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Learn the best ways to manage stress and negativity in your life. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Gold MS, Kobeissy FH, Wang KK, et al. Methamphetamine- and trauma-induced brain injuries: comparative cellular and molecular neurobiological substrates. Biol Psychiatry. 2009;66(2):118–127. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2009.02.021 Sekine Y, Ouchi Y, Sugihara G, et al. Methamphetamine causes microglial activation in the brains of human abusers. J Neurosci. 2008;28(22):5756-61.doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1179-08.2008 Su H, Zhang J, Ren W, et al. Anxiety level and correlates in methamphetamine-dependent patients during acute withdrawal. 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