Know the risks. No to meth.
What is meth?
Methamphetamine, or meth, is a powerful stimulant drug made in labs. Meth impacts your brain and central nervous system that controls how you feel and how your body moves. It is often made illegally and may have other drugs or unsafe chemicals in it. Meth can be eaten, snorted, smoked, or injected. It mostly comes in two forms: yellow/white powder or crystal.
What does meth do?
When you take meth, you might feel a quick “rush” or sense of euphoria. The rush wears off fast and you crash. You may feel paranoid, anxious, or nervous. This makes meth highly addictive. In some cases, people take meth in binges and don’t eat or sleep for hours or days. Binges make you more likely to develop a use disorder.
What are the risks of using meth?
Since meth is often made illegally, sometimes it contains other drugs, like fentanyl or other opioids. This increases the risk of death from a single use of illegal meth.
From the first use, meth can lead to:
- Paranoia
- Hallucinations
- Anxiety
- Insomnia
- Rapid heart rate
- Increased blood pressure
- High body temperature that may make you pass out
- Loss of appetite
- Convulsions and seizures
Repeated meth use can lead to:
- Psychosis
- Anxiety and Depression
- Delusions
- Difficulty learning and thinking
- Sores on your body
- Tooth decay
- Severe itching
- Higher chance of stroke and heart failure
- Increased risk of infections
- Methamphetamine use disorder
Is meth in my community?
Yes. Meth was involved in 64% of all drug deaths in Santa Clara County last year.
From 2018 to May of 2025, meth was involved in 61% of those. That’s nearly 1500 people.
The increasing number of methamphetamine-related deaths was a clear signal that we need to talk directly to our community. This drug is present in our neighborhoods, and people deserve honest information about its effects. Our goal is to provide the facts that might make someone think twice before trying meth.
Preventing meth use in our communities
The County of Santa Clara Behavioral Health Services Department has launched a public awareness campaign to prevent meth use among residents. The campaign hopes to reach folks ages 18 to 35 – the age group most at risk of trying meth for the first time.
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Is there help?
There are plenty of options for help with substance use available. Here are some great places to start.
More treatment options
There are many treatment options for methamphetamine use and methamphetamine use disorder. These include medications for addiction treatment, behavioral therapies, and contingency management. Medi-Cal recipients in Santa Clara County are eligible for contingency management through Caminar and HealthRight 360. To start, contact the County Behavioral Health Call Center at (800) 704-0900.