Current and Emerging Treatments for Methamphetamine Use Disorder PMC

Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analysed in this study. Although research shows that CM interventions reduce meth use, it isn’t clear whether this continues once treatment has ended. When the drug is completely out of your system, your doctor will help you prepare for treatment.

4. Health Problems Associated with Methamphetamine Use Disorder

This disorder is currently treated with behavioral therapies; however, these therapies have limitations and would benefit from the addition of a MUD pharmacotherapy. Unfortunately, clinical trials have not yet found consistently effective pharmacotherapy for MUD. This review outlines the history of METH use, provides information on current prevalence of METH abuse and MUD, describes medications that have been in clinical trials for MUD, and addresses current as well as potential new treatments for MUD.

Associated Data

• A literature search from a range of electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, PsycInfo, the NIDA research monograph index and the reference list of clinicaltrials.gov) was conducted for the period from January 1985 to October 2009.
• Despite the differences in experimental design, of the 27 studies on CM effectiveness in MUD, only one found that CM did not effectively reduce METH use 81.
• For example, we have long been told that people need to hit “rock bottom” before they’ll get help, but this isn’t true.
• Conventional (first generation) antipsychotics act chiefly as dopamine D2-receptor antagonists.
• METH use declined among young adults (aged 18–25), but increased significantly among adults aged 26 and older from 0.5% (or 1.1 million people) in 2016 to 0.8% (or 1.7 million people) in 2019 (Fig. ​1A1A) 8.

Mirtazapine is a serotonin (5HT2A and 5HT3 receptors), histamine H1 and adrenergic α2 antagonist 106. A pre-clinical study demonstrated that mirtazapine reversed methamphetamine-induced behavioural sensitization, condition preference place and motor sensitization 107. As an antidepressant with anxiolytic and sedative properties, mirtazapine has been evaluated in the treatment of methamphetamine withdrawal in an outpatient setting. An open trial of mirtazapine compared with modafinil in inpatients showed inferiority to modafinil in countering methamphetamine withdrawal symptoms 53. A small double-blind placebo-controlled trial of mirtazapine (15 mg for 2 days and 30 mg for 12 days) with drug counselling also failed to find a significant treatment effect 108.

What are the side effects of use?

Other professionals who diagnose addiction (e.g. social workers, physician assistants, nurse-practitioners, addiction counselors) also need better education about these distinctions. We provide our readers with factual, evidence-based content concerning the causes and nature of addiction, as well as available treatment options. However, this informative content is intended for educational purposes only. It is by no means a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Rivastigmine equally inhibits both butyrylcholinesterase and acetylcholinesterase and has selectivity for central nervous system activity 90. It has no affinity for dopaminergic, adrenergic, muscarinic or opioid receptors 91. In a 2 week double-blind placebo-controlled human laboratory study, cardiovascular and subjective effects of rivastigmine (1.5 or 3 mg) in combination with intravenous methamphetamine (30 mg) were evaluated in dependent patients.

• Table 3 lists the pharmacotherapies reviewed, and the proposed mechanisms of action related to their use in studies of MA/AMPH dependence.
• In fact, it is a man-made drug that was originally developed in the early 20th century for medical purposes and was used as a nasal decongestant in inhalers to treat respiratory conditions.
• In fact, it’s very important for medical professionals to get this right and differentiate between physiological dependence and the more complicated addiction construct because the diagnosis will help point to the best treatment option.
• In these cases, treatment involves gradually tapering off the drug over a set period to reduce withdrawal effects.

Meth Addiction Symptoms

Aftercare may include community-based and family-based support systems, mutual-help groups, alumni events, and more. Speak with your doctor if you develop a tolerance to your medication or any other substance. If you are taking a prescription medication, your doctor may change the class of medication, which may affect your body in a different way.

Addiction or substance use disorder occurs when individuals are largely unable to function without the drug. People who are addicted develop a physical and addiction vs dependence psychological reliance on a substance that leads them to go to extreme lengths to continue taking it. For example, substance abuse could involve a college student who uses drugs or alcohol regularly and takes these in excess — often mixed with other substances. Abuse, in this case, is excessive use of drugs in a way that is hazardous and can interfere with school or home life. Recognizing the difference between an addiction and substance dependence can help to better understand the nature of addiction.