Methamphetamine Abuse Treatment

Methamphetamine is a psychostimulant with highly addictive properties. The drug is made in clandestine laboratories using over-the-counter ingredients. Other names for the drug include speed and chalk. If it is smoked, it is commonly referred to as ice, crank or glass. Methamphetamine is one of the most difficult addictions to break and has a high relapse rate; in some instances as high as 90 percent. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the best treatments for methamphetamine addiction at this time are those that combine cognitive behavioral and consistency management.

Abuse

• Meth is smoked, snorted, injected and eaten. When taken, the drug changes the user's mood in different ways, inducing a sense of euphoria. It keeps the user awake, increasing physical activity and decreasing appetite. The pleasurable effects result from dopamine being released at high levels. Tolerance to the drug occurs, and the addict must take more and more methamphetamine -- oftentimes changing their method of using the drug, the frequency at which they use it, and increasing the dosage to get a high. Withdrawal results in depression, anxiety, fatigue and intense craving for meth.

Damage

• Methamphetamine addiction can result in memory loss, aggression, anxiety, confusion, insomnia, paranoia, hallucinations, delusions, psychotic behavior, heart damage, malnutrition and dental problems. Chronic abuse of the drug leads to changes in the way the brain is structured and the way it functions. It also leads to the spread of infectious diseases, including hepatitis and HIV/AIDS. Hyperthermia and convulsions can result from a methamphetamine overdose. Social issues such as crime, unemployment, child neglect, child abuse and other problems come with methamphetamine addiction.

Cognitive Behavioral Intervention

• Cognitive behavioral intervention is seen as the most effective treatment for methamphetamine addiction. Cognitive behavioral intervention seeks to change the addict's expectations, behaviors and thinking while equipping the person with skills to cope with stress. The Matrix Model is one type of treatment that combines behavioral therapy, family education, personal counseling, 12-step support programs and drug testing as treatment for methamphetamine addictions.

Contingency Management

• Contingency management seeks to treat the addiction using positive reinforcement and is proving to be one of the most successful methods for treating addictions to methamphetamine. The way in which this treatment usually works is that patients provide urine samples multiple times throughout the week. If the sample tests negative for drug abuse, the patient receives a reward. Rewards most commonly used are vouchers that can be exchanged for restaurant, retail store, movie theater or other types of gift certificates. Cognitive management therapy is usually combined with other kinds of treatments to be most effective.

Medications

• There are no specific medications approved by the FDA to treat methamphetamine addiction. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, recent studies have found that bupropion, an anti-depressant, might help reduce cravings for the drug. In addition, the medication Lobeline is showing promise in helping to treat addictions to methamphetamine. Studies at Brookhaven Laboratory are showing that the medication Vigabatrin may also have potential in treating methamphetamine addictions. Clinical trials of potential medications to assist in methamphetamine addiction recovery are ongoing.