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Methamphetamine Abuse (methamphetamine + abuse)
Selected AbstractsModafinil for Bipolar Depression with Comorbid Methamphetamine AbuseTHE AMERICAN JOURNAL ON ADDICTIONS, Issue 2 2010Alvaro Camacho MD No abstract is available for this article. [source] Approaches to the development of medications for the treatment of methamphetamine dependenceADDICTION, Issue 2007Frank J. Vocci ABSTRACT Background Methamphetamine abuse has become an increasing problem in both the United States and globally with concomitant increases in adverse medical, social and environmental sequelae. Behavioral therapies have been used with some success to treat methamphetamine abusers and dependent individuals, but are not universally efficacious. Methamphetamine has a rich pharmacology that theoretically provides many opportunities for potential pharmacotherapeutic intervention. Nevertheless, there are no approved medications with an indication for treating methamphetamine abusers or addicts at this time. Aim To describe briefly how methamphetamine functions and affects function in brain and report how basic researchers and clinicians are attempting to exploit and exploiting this knowledge to discover and develop effective pharmacotherapies. Results Scientifically based approaches to medications development by evaluating medications that limit brain exposure to methamphetamine; modulate methamphetamine effects at vesicular monoamine transporter-2 (VMAT-2); or affect dopaminergic, serotonergic, GABAergic, and/or glutamatergic brain pathways that participate in methamphetamine's reinforcing effects are presented. Conclusion The evidence supports the rationale that pharmacotherapies to decrease methamphetamine use, or reduce craving during abstinence may be developed from altering the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of methamphetamine or its effects on appetitive systems in the brain. [source] Surge in treatment admissions related to methamphetamine use in Cape Town, South Africa: implications for public healthDRUG AND ALCOHOL REVIEW, Issue 2 2008ANDREAS PLÜDDEMANN Abstract Introduction and Aims. In the past decade, methamphetamine has become increasingly a drug of concern globally. The purpose of this study is to describe the changing trends in treatment admissions for methamphetamine abuse in Cape Town, South Africa and to highlight the implications of these changes for policy, practice and research. Design and Methods. Data were collected on admissions for drug abuse treatment through a regular monitoring system involving drug treatment centres and programmes in Cape Town every 6 months as part of the South African Community Epidemiology Network on Drug Use (SACENDU). A one-page form was completed by treatment centre personnel to obtain demographic data, the patients' primary and secondary substances of abuse, the mode, frequency and age of first use of substance and information on prior treatment. Results. The results indicate that between 2004 and 2006 a dramatic increase in treatment admissions for methamphetamine abuse occurred, a large proportion of the methamphetamine patients are adolescents and that the drug is almost exclusively smoked. Discussion and Conclusions. The rapid increase in admissions for methamphetamine abuse is of great concern, particularly as the drug has a number of serious, often chronic, side effects and that a large proportion of the patients are adolescents. The implications for public health are discussed. [source] Impact of the heroin ,drought' on patterns of drug use and drug-related harmsDRUG AND ALCOHOL REVIEW, Issue 2 2004Dr MARIE C. LONGO Senior Research Officer Abstract Since late 2000, anecdotal reports from drug users and health professionals have suggested that there was a reduction in the supply of heroin in Adelaide in the first half of 2001, referred to as a heroin ,drought'. The aim of this paper was to critically review evidence for this, using data obtained from 100 injecting drug users surveyed for the 2001 Illicit Drug Reporting System (IDRS). This project is carried out annually in all Australian jurisdictions, and collects up-to-date information on the markets for heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and cannabis. This paper also investigates the possible implications of this ,drought' on patterns of drug use and drug-related harms. The 2001 IDRS found consistent reports by users of an increase in the price of heroin, together with decreases in purity and availability. These factors resulted in a decrease in the frequency of self-reported heroin use among those surveyed in 2001, and a concomitant increase in the use of other drugs, in particular methamphetamine and morphine. The heroin ,drought' appears to have had a substantial impact on several indices of drug-related harm. There was a marked decrease in the number of opioid-related fatalities, and hospital data also showed reductions in heroin-related presentations. Treatment service data showed an increase in the number of admissions related to amphetamines. There is a need for health promotion and education on the adverse effects of methamphetamine use, and the development of improved treatment protocols for methamphetamine abuse and dependence. [source] Corticolimbic dysregulation and chronic methamphetamine abuseADDICTION, Issue 2007Kate Baicy ABSTRACT Aims This review aims to present and interpret evidence that methamphetamine dependence is associated with disorder of brain function that is required for top-down control of behavior. Approach Presented here are findings from brain imaging studies of human research participants with histories of chronic methamphetamine abuse in the context of functional consequences and implications for treatment of their dependence on methamphetamine. Findings Brain imaging studies have revealed differences in the brains of research participants who have used methamphetamine chronically and then abstained from taking the drug, compared with healthy control subjects. These abnormalities are prominent in cortical and limbic systems, and include deficits in markers of dopaminergic and serotonergic neurotransmitter systems, differences in glucose metabolism and deficits in gray matter. These abnormalities accompany cognitive deficits, including evidence of impaired inhibitory control. Conclusion Cortical deficits in abstinent methamphetamine abusers can affect a wide range of functions that can be important for success in maintaining drug abstinence. These include but are not limited to modulation of responses to environmental stimuli as well as internal triggers that can lead to craving and relapse. Potential therapies may combine behavioral approaches with medications that can improve cognitive control. [source] PRECLINICAL STUDY: Pavlovian drug discrimination with bupropion as a feature positive occasion setter: substitution by methamphetamine and nicotine, but not cocaineADDICTION BIOLOGY, Issue 2 2009Jamie L. Wilkinson ABSTRACT Bupropion can serve as a discriminative stimulus (SD) in an operant drug discrimination task, and a variety of stimulants substitute for the bupropion SD. There are no reports, however, of bupropion functioning as a Pavlovian occasion setter (i.e. feature positive modulator). The present experiment seeks to fill this gap in the literature by training bupropion in rats as a feature positive modulator that disambiguates when a light will be paired with sucrose. Specifically, on bupropion (10 mg/kg intraperitoneal) sessions, offset of 15-second cue lights were followed by brief delivery of liquid sucrose; saline sessions were similar except no sucrose was available. Rats readily acquired the discrimination with more conditioned responding to the light on bupropion sessions. Bupropion is approved for use as a smoking cessation aid, and more recently has drawn attention as a potential pharmacotherapy for cocaine and methamphetamine abuse. Accordingly, after discrimination training, we tested the ability of cocaine (1,10 mg/kg), methamphetamine (0.1 to 1 mg/kg) and nicotine (0.00625 to 0.2 mg/kg) to substitute for the bupropion feature. Nicotine (0.05 mg/kg) and methamphetamine (0.3 mg/kg) substituted fully for bupropion; cocaine did not substitute. These results extend previous research on shared stimulus properties between bupropion and other stimulants to a Pavlovian occasion setting function. Further, this is the first report of nicotine and methamphetamine substitution for bupropion. The overlap in stimulus properties might explain the effectiveness of bupropion as a smoking cessation aid and highlight the possible utility of bupropion for treatment of stimulant use disorder. [source] Methamphetamine-related Emergency Department Utilization and CostACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE, Issue 1 2008Robert G. Hendrickson MD Abstract Objective:, To quantify the frequency, cost, and characteristics associated with emergency department (ED) visits that are related to methamphetamine use. Methods:, This was a prospective observational study. The authors performed a training program for ED clinicians on the acute and chronic effects of methamphetamine and the signs of methamphetamine abuse. A standardized two question survey was administered to clinicians concerning the relationship between the ED visit and the patient's methamphetamine use. The survey was embedded in the patient tracking system and was required for all ED patients before disposition. Survey results were merged with administrative data on demographics, diagnosis, disposition, and charges. Univariate analyses were used to determine patient characteristics associated with methamphetamine-related ED visits. Results:, The authors examined 15,038 ED visits over a 20-week period from February 2006 to June 2006. There were a total of 353 methamphetamine-related visits, for an average of 17.65 visits per week (2.4% of all visits). Hospital charges for methamphetamine-related ED visits averaged $133,181 per week, for an estimated total of $6.9 M in annual charges. Methamphetamine-related ED patients were more likely to be male (odds ratio [OR] 1.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.30 to 2.01), white (OR 1.8, 95% CI = 1.38 to 2.29), and uninsured (OR 3.2, 95% CI = 2.21 to 4.69). The top four medical conditions associated with methamphetamine-related visits were mental health (18.7%), trauma (18.4%), skin infections (11.1%), and dental diagnoses (9.6%). Conclusions:, Methamphetamine abuse accounts for a modest but substantial proportion of ED utilization and hospital cost. Methamphetamine-related ED visits are most commonly related to mental illness, trauma, skin, and dental-related problems. [source] | ||||||||||