Will Meth Usage Effect Your Lymphatic System?

The Effects of Meth on the Immune System and Putting it Aside

Sustained drug use has serious and substantial impacts on your overall health. Meth users, in particular, face unique struggles based on how the drug interacts with the immune system.

But let’s focus on what you came to get answers on: will meth usage effect your lymphatic system and what does it mean for your overall health?

The effects of meth on the system (and immune system) are clear from animal models. The meth targets immune genetic subsets and induces alterations that signal immunosuppression. The body is at a greater risk of developing illnesses and infections in addition to other side effects like violent behavior and severe anxiety.

Icarus Behavioral Health in New Mexico understands how meth impacts cytokine production and pulls from multiple studies to offer top-tier treatment for methamphetamine use. Don’t run the risk of septic shock or cognitive decline. Keep reading to learn how meth impacts your immune system and how we can help.

How Meth Affects the Lymphatic System

Methamphetamine administration targets multiple immune subsets, but one of the most notable is its impact on the lymphatic system. Everybody has roughly 600 lymph nodes that distribute important fluids around the body. With the onset of infection, these nodes tend to swell and produce more fluid.

Unfortunately, it can become increasingly difficult for the immune system to fend off the bacteria in the lymphatic fluids. The interstitial fluid is designed to regulate inflammation and disease, but meth users will find that their ability to fend off these infections is compromised.

You can monitor the effects of chronic meth use on the lymph nodes on your own at home. Check for swelling in the throat, under the arms, or near the groin. If you have any swelling accompanied by other symptoms like sore throat, fever, sweating, changes in body temperature, or flu-like symptoms, you should seek help.

The Long-Term Effects on Immune Cells for Meth Users

Chances are that you already know that substance abuse is detrimental to your overall health, but it has some concrete implications for your immune system. The effects of meth include breakdown of internal organs, severe tooth decay, and alterations to the central nervous system.

But what does it do to the immune response and how does it impact your ability to maintain your health?

The human body can hold up well under tremendous stress. Still, chronic meth use will impact the body’s inflammatory response, hindering its ability to ward off everything from the common cold to some of the more serious viruses that you’re exposed to daily.

Here are a couple of the ways that your substance abuse could spell trouble for your lymphatic system.

Decreased Killer T-Cell Count

One of the best defenses of the immune system is its killer T-cells. Your killer T-cells target unknown pathogens entering the body, kill them, and thus ward off disease. This can mean that they kill off a mutated cancer cell, viral infections, and even just foreign cells generally.

The problem is that sustained methamphetamine abuse will slowly kill off some of this ultra-important T-cell activation.

Without them, you’ll have a difficult time fending off the illnesses that invade the body regularly. No matter how careful you are, these rogue cells are likely to enter the body. You won’t be able to mount sufficient immune response without the key role played by killer T-cells. The use of methamphetamine induces phenotypic alterations suggestive of immunosuppression.

It also means that if you already have a disease brewing, your body will be less able to delay the course it takes. For example, meth users might see an increased risk of HIV and a faster progression.

Weakening of the Blood-Brain Barrier and Central Nervous System Impairment

Meth abuse also has a serious impact on how your body processes some of these foreign cells. Instead of fending off harmful cells, meth addiction tends to destroy the blood-brain barrier. Studies have found that both meth use and the stress that often accompanies drug addiction can make it that much easier for cells to compromise the BBB.

How does stimulant drug use lead to this effect, and what does it ultimately mean for your immune system?

The blood vessels will be far more likely to transport monocytes from the blood directly to the brain. As these monocytes make their way to arguably your most important organ, the central nervous system is going to have reduced capability of fending them off.

The result is infection, irreparable damage to the brain, and neurological impairment.

Acute Intestinal Ischemia and Inflammatory Responses

Another way that meth users will start to see the impact of their drug use is via their digestive system, specifically via their intestinal wall. Sometimes, you might have an occlusion in the digestive system that leads to blockage of blood flow to the lower digestive organs, namely the intestines and colon.

The mechanism that leads to acute intestinal inflammation is varied. While blood pressure increases with meth abuse, it does cause narrowing of the arteries throughout the body. This is a condition often referred to as atherosclerosis and usually happens because of a cholesterol buildup in those without substance use issues.

This is a core part of cardiovascular disease which could be just as much an issue as digestive health.

Keep in mind that damage to the bowels from methamphetamine abuse isn’t something your immune system is going to be able to repair. Bowel ischemia tends to be permanent and could also be fatal. This case study from the National Institute of Health demonstrates the risk posed by meth abuse.

General Inflammation to the Body

In addition to the issue of intestinal ischemia and the blood-brain barrier and blood pressure issues, you also have to think about the gut-brain axis. One of the major issues with using the illicit substance is that it can result in a leaky gut. Not only does blood flow constrict and cut off the lower digestive tract, but it also increases the permeability of the intestinal wall.

Your gut microbiota is key to your long-term health, but the transfer of toxins hinders the BBB.

As a result, more toxins make their way through the digestive tract and into the bloodstream. From here, they make their way to the brain and could trigger neuropsychiatric disorders. Severe anxiety and even depression are common, as are symptoms that closely resemble attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Neurotransmitters tend to decrease with sustained meth use, particularly dopamine. This makes it less likely that you will feel the good feelings you want to associate with drug use and may use more meth to achieve the same high.

Meth Mouth and Increased Illness

Depending on the drug administration routes used, you may suffer from a common condition known as meth mouth. Methamphetamine abusers who smoke or eat the drug will see severe tooth decay, which is problematic because it’s the entry point of the body.

Inflammation present here can lead to open sores and wounds in the mouth. As the bacteria grows in the oral cavity, your weakened immune system won’t be able to fight off the blood-borne pathogens. You’ll have sores in your mouth that make eating and drinking painful, but you’ll also likely see a rise in systemic infection.

Increased Risk of Sexually Transmitted Diseases

While severe constipation can be an uncomfortable side effect of meth use, some of the other physical consequences are worth considering. Meth abusers tend to be more likely to have unprotected or risky sexual encounters. The drug has multiple mechanisms that can make it more likely that you develop a serious STD.

First, it decreases your innate immunity to serious and irreversible viruses like HIV. However, the sheer volume of people who have multiple partners increases the likelihood of other STDs as well. Mounting evidence shows the body may not fend off the infection without antibiotics or antiretroviral therapies.

Explore Recovery and Meth Treatment

Not only is methamphetamine abuse an issue for you as a person, it’s also a public health crisis. Users are more likely to contract ailments like hepatitis B, experience cognitive impairment, damage the lymph node system, and even damage the cardiovascular system.

But recovery is possible, and it may be able to reduce some of the effects of meth.

Icarus Behavioral Health in New Mexico can help you detox and minimize your meth-induced issues. From sleep disorders to issues with the respiratory system, our medical team understands the risks and the implications of meth use and provides around-the-clock medical care for our clients. Treatment includes medications for rapid and sustained release to minimize the effects of neuropsychiatric disorders.

You can move from the detox program to our residential treatment center, where you will maintain that 24/7 commitment to care alongside intensive therapies. We’ll work with you until you feel comfortable and confident that you can segue into outpatient care and maintain your sobriety.

Reach Out to Icarus Behavioral Health in New Mexico Now

Meth addiction is a serious public health crisis in America, but you don’t have to be bound by the chains of this powerful drug. Instead of risking your health to seek the high, we can help you develop coping skills and get to the root cause of substance abuse.

Let our admissions team answer your questions and walk you through recovery.

With a quick and confidential phone call, we can verify your insurance benefits and get you enrolled for treatment. Don’t wait another minute to seek help for your drug addiction.

Reach out to us now to see which program is the right fit for your meth abuse or addiction. Icarus offers programs from sub-acute detox to residential to intensive outpatient and more!

References

1. Macur, K., & Ciborowski, P. (2021). Immune System and Methamphetamine: Molecular Basis of a Relationship. Current neuropharmacology, 19(12), 2067–2076.
2. Northrop, N. A., & Yamamoto, B. K. (2015). Methamphetamine effects on blood-brain barrier structure and function. Frontiers in neuroscience, 9, 69.
3. Choi, K., Imrie, A., Lourie, R., & Cross, T. (2019). Intestinal ischemia due to methamphetamine use: A case report. International journal of surgery case reports, 58, 11–13.
4. Stahlman, S., Javanbakht, M., Stirland, A., Guerry, S., & Gorbach, P. M. (2013). Methamphetamine use among women attending sexually transmitted disease clinics in Los Angeles County. Sexually transmitted diseases, 40(8), 632–638.