How does meth withdrawal compare to withdrawal from other drugs?

Withdrawal from opioid drugs, including heroin and prescription painkillers, tends to cause some of the most severe symptoms, according to an article in Psychology Today. The severe, flulike symptoms people experience when they are in the first stages of opioid recovery can be excruciating.Meth withdrawal may not come with these same symptoms, but the feelings of depression people feel are very real and hard to handle. Meth changes brain chemistry and makes brain cells unable to respond to signals of pleasure. It is more than feeling a little blue. Withdrawal depression can feel like a black hole of sadness that might never end. While opioid withdrawal symptoms may only last for a week or so, meth withdrawal symptoms can persist for a month or longer.

Can meth withdrawal kill you?

According to an article in American Family Physician, 87% of long-term users experience withdrawal when they attempt to quit. Depression is the most common symptom, and it has been associated with suicidal thoughts. People who make a suicide attempt can die. Meth has also been associated with seizures, although this is a little rare. An untreated seizure can also lead to death. It’s important to note that supportive care can help with both seizures and suicidal thoughts. Medical professionals can use medications, therapy, or both to help people feel better as they recover. That’s why it is so important to get help from a trained professional. This is too dangerous to do alone.

What can ease the symptoms of meth withdrawal?

As the National Institute on Drug Abuse points out, there are no medications approved to help with meth drug abuse. That means there is no single drug that could help to ease these crushing symptoms. However, doctors can use effective therapies to assist with the symptoms withdrawal can cause. Medications can be used to stop a seizure cycle. They can be used to ease symptoms of depression, and they can be used to manage feelings of psychosis. Therapy can also help people to understand and work through their cravings for meth, so they are not tempted to relapse before the withdrawal process is complete.

Meth Detox & Withdrawal

Written by: James Regan

Edited by: Kimberly Cunningham

Reviewed by: Ryan Kelley, NREMT

Updated: Oct 04, 2024

Methamphetamine is a highly addictive stimulant that causes people who have developed a physiological dependence to the drug to experience withdrawal symptoms when they quit or reduce their use.¹

This page will go over the symptoms of meth withdrawal, offer a general meth withdrawal timeline, and explain how treatment can help someone recover from their methamphetamine addiction.

What Is Meth Withdrawal?

Meth withdrawal is the process in which the brain and body readjusts to functioning without methamphetamine after a period of regular use.² Meth withdrawal is characterized by an intense exhaustive and depressive state that may lead a person to relapse shortly after they attempt to quit.³

Experiencing withdrawal when someone attempts to quit or reduce their stimulant use is one of the diagnostic criteria that doctors use when determining whether a patient may have a stimulant use disorder (also known as stimulant addiction).⁴

What Are the Symptoms of Meth Withdrawal?

Sick young woman wrapped in a blanket and sitting on her couch. The symptoms of methamphetamine withdrawal are seldom life-threatening, though they can be extremely unpleasant, and some chronic users may be at heightened risk for suicidal thoughts or behavior when “coming down.”⁵

During meth withdrawal, patients may experience:^{4, 5, 6}

Depression and dysphoria (intense feelings of unhappiness, unease, and dissatisfaction).
Over-sleeping or insomnia.
Intense fatigue.
Meth cravings.
Increased appetite.
Agitation and irritability.
Trouble concentrating.
Paranoia.
Psychosis.

People who use meth or other stimulants often follow a “binge and crash” pattern, repeatedly using meth every several hours, sometimes for days or more at a time. Since meth use decreases appetite and causes insomnia, people can suffer health consequences from nutritional deficiency and staying awake for days.¹ Health problems may increase the severity of meth withdrawal symptoms.⁵

One of the potentially serious symptoms of meth withdrawal is negative thoughts and depression, which may lead to self-harm. People in withdrawal, particularly after prolonged meth use or those with preexisting depression, should be closely monitored for risk of suicide and/or treated for any co-occurring mental illness, if deemed necessary.^{3, 5}

Additionally, people who regularly use stimulants often become dependent on other substances like alcohol, opioids, or sedatives, which may be used in conjunction with meth or to take the edge off of “coming down.” Withdrawal from these substances can further compound the detoxification process. Combining meth with other drugs or alcohol can mask some of their intoxicating effects, putting a person at risk of a life-threatening overdose or other complications.^{3, 5}

How Long Does Meth Withdrawal Last?

Generally, meth withdrawal begins about 24 hours after someone stops use. The duration of meth withdrawal varies and is generally longer for those who used more frequently at higher doses. Acute stimulant withdrawal typically lasts 3–5 days, though it is common for certain symptoms of meth withdrawal to last more than a week.^{3, 5, 7}

Some studies have shown that the intensity of meth withdrawal tends to peak shortly after cessation and gradually decrease over a period of multiple weeks.^{6, 8}

Depression, anhedonia (an inability to feel pleasure), and drug cravings are common after acute withdrawal and may be experienced (either consistently or in waves of less or greater severity) for weeks or months following the last use. The period of depression experienced by amphetamine users is more prolonged and may be more intense than depression experienced during withdrawal from other stimulants, like cocaine.⁵

How to Cope with Meth Detox

While meth withdrawal is seldom life-threatening, there are some serious psychological symptoms like psychosis and depression that can lead to self-harm or suicide.^3,5 Further, if the patient is dependent on multiple substances, other withdrawal syndromes can complicate detox and may lead to additional physical and psychological symptoms. Medical detox enables patients to experience withdraw in a safe, comfortable, and substance-free environment under the supervision of medical professionals.⁵Detox can occur on an inpatient or outpatient basis; a treatment professional can help you determine if inpatient detox is needed.

For those in medical detox for substance dependence, patients undergo an evaluation that helps staff understand and prepare for potential complications during withdrawal and adjust treatment accordingly.

Variables that may alter the proper course of treatment include:⁵

Frequency of meth use and any presence of other drugs.
Mental and physical health history.
Co-occurring disorders or comorbid medical conditions.
Social environment and risk of relapse, which affects the recommended course of action following detox.

At Oxford Treatment Center, medical detox typically lasts between 5–7 days.

After a patient has been stabilized and moves past the acute phase of withdrawal, they may benefit from additional treatment for addiction. Effective medical detox facilities will foster entry into continued treatment programs.⁵ While detox is often a necessary first step in recovery, detox on its own is rarely effective in helping someone achieve lasting sobriety.⁹

In rehabilitation treatment, patients build the skills and learn alternative behavioral patterns and ways of coping that can help them avoid and overcome the triggers that lead them to use meth or other substances. Various forms of evidence-based behavioral therapy methods may be used and can be performed in both outpatient rehab and inpatient rehab settings.^{9, 10} The ideal type of addiction treatment and setting will vary based on the patient’s individual needs.^{9, 11}

It is widely considered to be best practice for patients with co-occurring mental health disorders to receive treatment for these other conditions simultaneously. Research shows that an integrated treatment approach for people with addiction and co-occurring mental illnesses is more effective than individually treating each problem, since one disease influences the course of the other.¹²

Stimulant use disorder is a potentially devastating, but treatable disease.⁹ Federal laws mandate most insurers to provide coverage for addiction treatment.¹³ Find out whether your insurer covers addiction treatment at Oxford Treatment Center by using the HIPAA-compliant form below.

You don’t have to do it alone; help is just a call away. Call us at and we can help you find the right rehab program for you or your loved one. Whether you choose to attend our Mississippi SUD treatment program at Oxford Treatment Center or at one of American Addiction Centers’ other rehab facilities across the United States, we will be there with you at every step of the way.

Was this page helpful?

Thank you for your feedback.

American Addiction Centers (AAC) is committed to delivering original, truthful, accurate, unbiased, and medically current information. We strive to create content that is clear, concise, and easy to understand.

Read our full editorial policy

While we are unable to respond to your feedback directly, we'll use this information to improve our online help.

Comments submitted

The Price of Not Getting Help

When contemplating the costs of addiction treatment for yourself, child, or loved one, consider the costs, or consequences, of “things as they are now.” What would happen if the substance abuse or addiction continued? Rehab doesn't have to be expensive. We accept a variety of insurances. Learn more below.