All posts tagged: Methamphetamine

A common antidepressant shows promise in treating methamphetamine dependence

A common antidepressant shows promise in treating methamphetamine dependence

Published by José Betancourt

Methamphetamine – more commonly known as meth, crystal or ice – is a highly addictive, stimulant drug. An estimated 7.4 million people in the world are dependent on it or “addicted” to it. They face multiple health risks including paranoia, feeling suicidal, heart problems, strokes, injuries from accidents, and a higher risk of early death. But there are no medications approved anywhere in the world to treat meth dependence. Now, a cheap, safe and readily available medicine that has been used to treat depression for years is showing promise. Our trial of mirtazapine, just published in JAMA Psychiatry, shows people who take it cut back their meth use. Few other options Australia has one of the highest number of people dependent on meth per capita worldwide. As there are no medications approved for meth dependence anywhere in the world, we have few treatment options. Currently available treatment options include counselling, detox or withdrawal and long-stay residential rehabilitation. However, access can be difficult and treatment dropout rates are high. Most people who go to rehab relapse. …

Smoking Fentanyl, Cannabis, Methamphetamine, or Tobacco

Smoking Fentanyl, Cannabis, Methamphetamine, or Tobacco

Published by Jenni Sidey

Some experts have mischaracterized smoking fentanyl as “safer” than injecting, seeking to reduce risks among users. Narrowly considered, the statement is accurate, as inhalation avoids needle-sharing, reducing risks for HIV, hepatitis C, bacteremia, abscess formation, and infective endocarditis among users. However, there’s no clinical-trial–level evidence (randomized trials with real patients) showing smoking illicit fentanyl is safer than injecting it. It isn’t, and that conclusion is unsupported by toxicology, environmental exposure science, or emerging data. Smoking fentanyl also may facilitate speedballing, as with methamphetamine plus fentanyl. Smoking fentanyl is akin to injection without a needle, but in addition to this, smoking creates environmental contamination and major exposure risks. Evidence from tobacco, cannabis, methamphetamine, and household opioid-smoking indicates such risks exist, not only to users, but also to anyone living in or frequenting the same environment. Secondhand tobacco smoke is firmly established as a cause of cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, asthma exacerbations, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and sudden infant death syndrome. More recently, “third-hand” smoke—residual nicotine and combustion byproducts persisting on walls, carpets, clothing, and dust—is recognized as …

Methamphetamine increases motivation through brain processes separate from euphoria

Methamphetamine increases motivation through brain processes separate from euphoria

Published by José Betancourt

A study published in the journal Psychopharmacology has found that the increase in motivation people experience from methamphetamine is separate from the drug’s ability to produce a euphoric high. The findings suggest that these two common effects of stimulant drugs likely involve different underlying biological processes in the brain. This research indicates that a person might become more willing to work hard without necessarily feeling a greater sense of pleasure or well-being. The researchers conducted the new study to clarify how stimulants affect human motivation and personal feelings. They intended to understand if the pleasurable high people experience while taking these drugs is the primary reason they become more willing to work for rewards. By separating these effects, the team aimed to gain insight into how drugs could potentially be used to treat motivation-related issues without causing addictive euphoria. Another reason for the study was to investigate how individual differences in personality or brain chemistry change how a person responds to a stimulant. Scientists wanted to see if people who are naturally less motivated benefit …

Methamphetamine and HIV epidemics wash over the Pacific island of Fiji

Methamphetamine and HIV epidemics wash over the Pacific island of Fiji

Published by Sam Flores

SUVA, Fiji — The methamphetamine drop-offs to a squatter settlement here followed a routine. Once a week, according to residents, a black Dodge truck with tinted windows pulled up to a tent on the edge of the community, a dense maze of tiny shacks connected by muddy paths, slick from the persistent summer rain. A man stepped out, swapped drugs for cash with his local contact, and drove off. Dealers repacked the white crystals into tiny zip-top bags, no bigger than a child’s pinkie, before doling them out for about $22 each. Source link