---
name: Methamphetamine
molecule: C10H15N
compound: "Methamphetamine"
era: Modern
origin: Japan
archetype: Milady
ancestor: Chinese, Palestinian
swag_score: 2
image: "https://assets.0xhoneyjar.xyz/Mibera/traits/milady_chinese_palestinian_methamphetamine.webp"
date_added: "2025-01-12"
---

<div align="center">
  <img src="https://assets.0xhoneyjar.xyz/Mibera/traits/milady_chinese_palestinian_methamphetamine.webp" alt="Methamphetamine" width="320" />
</div>


# Methamphetamine

## Effects & Properties

**Effects:** Intense euphoria, heightened alertness, increased energy,
enhanced focus, and feelings of confidence or invincibility. Users may experience talkativeness,
sociability, and reduced need for sleep. Physically it can increase heart rate and blood pressure,
hyperthermia, pupil dilation, reduced appetite, and in some cases, tremors or jaw clenching.
Common side effects include anxiety, agitation, paranoia, and insomnia.

**Natural Occurrence:** Methamphetamine does not occur
naturally.

## History

Methamphetamine was first synthesized by Japanese chemist Nagai Nagayoshi in 1893 from ephedrine, and a more potent crystallized form was developed by Akira Ogata in 1919. It was widely distributed during World War II to soldiers on all sides under brand names like Pervitin (Germany) and Philopon (Japan) to combat fatigue and boost aggression. Post-war methamphetamine abuse became epidemic in Japan and later in the United States, where it fueled the biker and crank cultures of the 1960s-80s before the crystal meth epidemic devastated rural communities in the 1990s and 2000s.

## Connections

**Archetype:** [Milady](../../../core-lore/archetypes.md#milady)

**Ancestor:** [Chinese](../../../core-lore/ancestors/chinese.md), [Palestinian](../../../core-lore/ancestors/palestinian.md)

**Tarot Card:** [The Devil](../../../core-lore/tarot-cards/the-devil.md)

**PubChem:** [Methamphetamine](https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Methamphetamine)

**Paired With:** [Ephedra](ephedra.md)

## Sources

- https://erowid.org/chemicals/meth/meth.shtml
- https://erowid.org/chemicals/meth/meth_testing.shtml
- https://www.drugs.com/monograph/methamphetamine.html
- https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Methamphetamine
- [Methamphetamine - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methamphetamine)
- [Nagai Nagayoshi - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagai_Nagayoshi)
- [History and culture of substituted amphetamines - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_and_culture_of_substituted_amphetamines)
- [Drug policy of Nazi Germany - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_policy_of_Nazi_Germany)