A clinical trial on a two-drug therapy for methamphetamine use disorder reduced use of the highly addictive drug for up to 12 weeks after initiation of treatment. To date there is no FDA-approved medication for it.
Tag: Methamphetamine
Tiny Worm Helps Uncover Long-lasting Prenatal Effects from Amphetamines
During pregnancy, the effects of therapeutical doses of amphetamine have been investigated on birth outcomes in humans. However, a thorough investigation of the mechanisms underlying the long-term effects of embryonal exposure to addictive doses of amphetamine remains largely unexplored.
Crackdown on illicit drugs detects rise in ‘designer’ drug substitutes
As authorities crack down on illicit drugs, University of South Australia experts have issued an alert on the use of the synthetic stimulant pentylone, as new research finds a 75% increase in detections across Australia.
Overdose deaths from fentanyl laced stimulants have risen 50-fold since 2010
New UCLA-led research has found that the proportion of US overdose deaths involving both fentanyl and stimulants has increased more than 50-fold since 2010, from 0.6% (235 deaths) in 2010 to 32.3% (34,429 deaths) in 2021. This rise in constitutes the ‘fourth wave’ in the US’s long-running opioid overdose crisis
UW assessment finds fentanyl and methamphetamine smoke linger on public transit vehicles
A UW research team conducted a limited-scope, first-of-its-kind assessment and detected fentanyl and methamphetamine on board numerous transit vehicles, both in the air and on surfaces.
Study finds ‘staggering increase’ in methamphetamine deaths tied to opioid co-use
The U.S. methamphetamine mortality rate increased fiftyfold between 1999 and 2021, with most of the added deaths also involving heroin or fentanyl, researchers report in the American Journal of Public Health.
Psychiatrists disagree with U.S. policy on psychoactive drugs
A new national survey reveals considerable differences between psychiatrists’ perceptions about the safety and therapeutic value of certain psychoactive drugs and how those same drugs are categorized under U.S. policy.
UCLA researchers use artificial intelligence tools to speed critical information on drug overdose deaths
Fast data processing of overdose deaths, which have increased in recent years, is crucial to developing a rapid public health response. But the system now in place lacks precision and takes months. To correct that, UCLA researchers have developed an automated process that reduces data collection to a few weeks.
Overdose Deaths Involving Cocaine or Meth Tripled in Shadow of Opioid Crisis
Even as the opioid epidemic dominated national attention over the past decade, the rate of overdose deaths involving cocaine, methamphetamine and other stimulants tripled, a new study in veterans suggests.
New Combination Drug Therapy Offers Hope Against Methamphetamine Addiction
DALLAS – Jan. 13, 2021 – A new treatment that combines two existing medications may provide long-sought relief for many battling debilitating methamphetamine use disorder, according to a study to be published tomorrow in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Study Explores Link Between Methamphetamine Use And Risky Sexual Behavior
Recreational use of the illicit drug methamphetamine has long been associated with increases in overall impatient and risky behavior. Now, a new study by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers affirms that meth use increases not only sexual desire but also, specifically and measurably, the risk of casual sex without a condom for those who have an increase in sexual desire.
Large majority of state’s heroin users want to reduce use; syringe programs helping during COVID-19 crisis
A new survey of people who inject illicit drugs in the state of Washington yields positive and important findings for policy makers as the world struggles to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, said authors of the survey by the University of Washington and Public Health-Seattle & King County.
It’s a crime, but for meth cooks it’s also a job
The motivation to start cooking meth is often driven by addiction, but a new study takes a closer look at the reasons cooks engage in this criminal behavior and come to see it as a job. Researchers say the work offers insight that can help with the development of prevention and rehabilitation efforts.
Rutgers Expert Available to Comment on the Rise of Methamphetamine Use and Deaths
Perry N. Halkitis, PhD, MS, MPH, is dean and professor of the Rutgers School of Public Health and director of the Center for Health, Identity, Behavior and Prevention Studies (CHIBPS). Halkitis, author of Methamphetamine Addiction: Biological Foundations, Psychological Factors, and…
Mexico’s Drug War
Violence continues to rage in Mexico more than a decade after former President Felipe Calderon launched a crackdown on drug cartels.
Mapping international drug use through the world’s largest wastewater study
A seven-year project monitoring illicit drug use in 37 countries via wastewater samples shows that cocaine use was skyrocketing in Europe in 2017 and Australia had a serious problem with methamphetamine.