The Other Substance Abuse Epidemic: Methamphetamines and Heart Failure

Methamphetamine is a central nervous system stimulant initially synthesized from ephedrine in 1893 by the Japanese chemist Nagai Nagayoshi. It was utilized in World War II by Allied and Axis forces for their effects on performance enhancement.1 Because of rising abuse, methamphetamines became a schedule II controlled substance in the United States in 1971.2 Over the past 50 years, there has been a gradual increase in the incidence of methamphetamine abuse followed by a recent rapid rise. Although methamphetamine abuse was dramatized in the popular TV series Breaking Bad, the epidemic has largely been overshadowed by overdose deaths from the opioid crisis.
Source: Journal of Cardiac Failure - Category: Cardiology Authors: Tags: Brief Report Source Type: research