What Is Yaba? Drug Facts, Effects, and Health Risks

What you will learn

• Yaba is a slang term for the caffeine-laced form of methamphetamine, a highly addictive drug.
• Yaba is often taken as tablets, inhaled, snorted, or dissolved and injected.
• As an illicit drug, yaba may be cut with salt, pool chemicals, cold medication, acetone, and other hazardous substances.
• Yaba has a range of side effects, including elevated body temperature, convulsions, insomnia, confusion, paranoia, and possible death.

Yaba is a slang term that refers to a caffeine-laced form of methamphetamine and is a highly addictive substance. While initially, yaba users feel energized, the more troubling side effects range from cardiovascular issues and spasms to death and overdose.

Learn more about yaba, how it’s produced, its risks and side effects, and safety precautions to take.

What Is Yaba?

Yaba is a synthetic substance that originates from the Southeast Region of Asia of Myanmar, Thailand, and Bangladesh, where the name is literally translated to “crazy medicine.” Yaba is a combination of methamphetamines and caffeine and is an illegal Schedule II controlled substance.[1]

Meth is a stimulant drug affecting the Central Nervous System (CNS). It activates increased dopamine release in the brain, giving the user a sense of temporary energy and euphoria. Caffeine is a natural substance with similar effects to simulants, especially in concentrated doses.

At the peak of its rise in Southeast Asia, the drug found a foothold in the busy working class who were trying to keep up with the demands of their booming economic growth and seeking to take advantage of powerful energy boosts. It’s also popular in the field of sex work and the party scene, being peddled at raves, music festivals, and clubs.

Together, these two substances exacerbate the physical and psychiatric response, resulting in dangerous and volatile side effects that can lead to devastating long-term health risks.[2] In terms of street cost, the drug is also cheap and accessible, increasing the likelihood of continued use and, eventually, addiction.

Yaba is considered to be more dangerous than other stimulants because much of the amphetamine that is absorbed remains unchanged in your system. This leads to a longer timeline of effects that begin as quickly as five minutes and last for as long as eight to twelve hours, depending on how it’s used.

History, Popularity, and Impact of Yaba

Also known as “Nazi speed” and the “madness drug” in the US, yaba is first believed to have been produced in Myanmar during the early 20th century. From there, it grew in popularity in Thailand and Northeast Asian countries. The literal translation for “yaba” is “crazy medicine.” It was formerly known as “yama,” which translates to “horse drug.” Now, yaba goes by its slang name or a variety of other names in different locations and time periods.

In Thailand, yaba was known as “ya khayan,” or “hard-working pill” for a short time. In 1996, it switched to yaba, though some areas of north Thailand refer to it as “chocalee” because of its sweet taste and chocolate-like smell.

In Myanmar, yaba may be known as “kyethi,” or “button,” “athi,” and “palarkar.” Malaysia typically refers to it at “pil kuda,” or “horse pill,” while in the Philippines and Indonesia, it’s known as “shabu.”

Because Myanmar is the largest producer of meth in the world, most of the yaba in Asia originates there. There are significant amounts of yaba being smuggled into Thailand, mostly by rebel groups. As a result, Thailand’s northeast provinces have seen a 700% increase in the number of people arrested for meth since 2008.[3]

Bangladesh has seen a rise in yaba use as well. The exact numbers aren’t known, but the drug is frequently seized by authorities. Like Thailand, yaba is smuggled into the country from Myanmar. In the past decade, yaba has been smuggled into Israel by migrant workers, where it may be used in the club scene like other party drugs. Yaba is also an emerging trend among Asian Americans populations.

Other Names For Yaba

As a street drug, the names for yaba are vast and can change anytime a new blend hits the public. Some common terms include crazy medicine, nazi speed, shabu, kamikaze, biker’s coffee, mad drug or madness drug, Yama or the horse drug, and Hitler’s drug.

What Does Yaba Look Like?

Though it’s used with a variety of methods, Yaba is sold as pills or tablets. [3] They’re small and usually come in bright colors. A mix of red and orange or green are a popular color combination. Tablets are also imprinted with different logos, depending on the manufacturer. “R” and “WY” are the most common inscriptions.

What Is Yaba Cut With?

Other potential ingredients of yaba cutting agents include salt, pool chemicals (hydrochloric acid), distilled cold medicine (like Sudafed®), nail polish remover (acetone), red phosphorous, drain cleaner (sulfuric acid), and lithium (extracted from batteries). None of these ingredients (except salt) are intended for human consumption, and all of them are highly toxic and can result in severe kidney and liver damage.

How Yaba Is Used

There are several ways users take yaba. Each method offers a slightly different activation window and stays in the system differently based on how the body absorbs the substance.

Tablets are often flavored, and taking them orally is the most common use of yaba. Another method is via inhalation, or what’s known as “chasing the dragon.” The crushed tablets are heated up so the fumes can be inhaled.

If the tablets are crushed, they can be snorted through the nose. Crushed tablets can also be liquified and injected, though this is less common.

Side Effects Of Yaba

Due to the stimulant effects, yaba users experience a temporary sense of euphoria and wakefulness. Additional side effects include:

• Rapid heart rate and high blood pressure
• Irritability
• Aggressive behavior
• Increased alertness
• Dry mouth
• Long periods of wakefulness (sometimes days)
• Reduced appetite
• Hot flashes
• Increased arousal

Yaba is also known as a pleasure drug or aphrodisiac, increasing the experience of sexual activity and orgasms, much like MDMA or ecstasy. This often leads to risky and impulsive sexual behavior, such as group sex, coercive sexual activity, and transactional encounters (trading sex for other things.)

Depending on how yaba is taken, the effects can last anywhere from one to twelve hours. The following crash or comedown can last as long as ten to twenty-four hours when you experience increased wakefulness and will find it difficult to fall asleep.

Long-Term Effects of Yaba Use

As yaba use is continued long-term, the need for the substance increases. This leads to binge-using and taking more and more at once to continue experiencing the effects. The devastating potential results include:

• Days without sleep
• Body shakes
• Vivid hallucinations
• Paranoid delusions
• Anxiety and nervousness
• Blackouts
• Memory loss
• Confusion
• Loss of impulse control
• Aggressive and violent behaviors

Health Risks of Yaba Use

Methamphetamine is the main ingredient for yaba, mixed with caffeine. The health risks for any long-term stimulant use are devastating, but due to this particular blend of drugs, are particularly concerning.

• Increased risk of stroke
• Inflammation of the heart lining
• Overdose
• Inability to regulate body temperature (hyperthermia)
• Convulsions
• Increased risk of HIV (primarily when injected)

Yaba Withdrawal Experience

Withdrawal symptoms from yaba use peak within one week and are both acute and chronic. As the drug leaves the body, symptoms include strong yaba cravings, moodiness, feeling agitated, drowsiness, dry mouth, paranoia, vivid hallucinations, thoughts of suicide, severe depression, and heart palpitations. In most cases, cravings subside after one month of abstaining from yaba. [4]

Methamphetamine and Yaba Addiction Treatment

It may seem impossible now, but there is hope and healing on the other side of recovery. A medical detox facility will help you reach a greater level of comfort and safety while coming off of yaba and other illicit substances.

You will have access to 24/7 care and a full staff of experienced and compassionate providers. From medication assistance to meals and therapy, everything will be at your fingertips in a peaceful environment designed to help you focus on recovery.

After detox, you can immediately begin inpatient or residential treatment that allows you to remain in a safe and supported environment while receiving treatment. Here, you will have daily treatment and therapy sessions where you will be guided through the difficult but healing recovery process.

A Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) is the next step down in care. This is where you will still get the benefits of daily treatment but retain the freedom to sleep at home. An Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) offers more flexibility as you reintegrate back into your daily routines but still receive multiple sessions per week for dedicated treatment and support.

An Outpatient Program (OP) is the most flexible treatment program and is a good fit for those who have completed some or all of the above programs. Once you’ve developed a strong sense of personal autonomy and are equipped with practical coping skills, this program serves as the runway back into your daily routines.

After daily and weekly treatment has ended, an Aftercare plan will be created for long-term support. This plan will include emergency plans, support groups, and therapy sessions on an as-needed or as-prescribed basis.

Effective therapies during recovery include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), Mindfulness, and other holistic interventions like Reike, Acupressure, and Yoga.

Amanda is a prolific medical content writer specializing in eating disorders and addiction treatment. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Purdue University with a B.S. in Social Work. Read more