- Details
- Hits: 212
Recent research from Australia’s National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre reveals troubling findings about methamphetamine use in opioid treatment programmes. The comprehensive study, spanning from 2014 to 2024, highlights persistent challenges facing individuals receiving opioid agonist treatment (OAT) and their vulnerability to concurrent dual addiction.
Stable Yet Concerning Rates of Stimulant Abuse
The decade-long study examined data from Australia’s Illicit Drug Reporting System (IDRS), revealing that approximately 70% of people receiving opioid agonist treatment also reported recent methamphetamine use. This figure has remained remarkably stable over the ten-year period, despite fluctuations in overall OAT participation rates.
The persistence of these statistics suggests that current treatment approaches may not adequately address the complex needs of individuals struggling with multiple substance dependencies. This dual addiction pattern presents significant challenges for healthcare providers and treatment programmes across Australia.
Treatment Type Influences Methamphetamine Use in Opioid Treatment
The research identified notable differences in stimulant use patterns depending on the type of opioid replacement therapy received. Patients receiving methadone showed the lowest rates of concurrent methamphetamine use at 64%, compared to those on other treatments:
- Oral buprenorphine (Subutex): 74%
- Oral buprenorphine-naloxone (Suboxone): 79%
- Long-acting injectable buprenorphine: 84%
These findings suggest that methadone may offer certain protective factors against methamphetamine use in opioid treatment settings, though the mechanisms behind this difference require further investigation.
Demographics and Risk Factors for Dual Addiction
The study revealed concerning demographic patterns amongst those using both opioids and methamphetamines. Methamphetamine use in opioid treatment was significantly associated with:
- Younger age (median age 46 versus 52 years)
- Higher rates of housing instability (25% versus 14%)
- Higher prescribed doses of opioid medications
- Reduced access to take-home medications
These findings highlight the vulnerability of younger adults in treatment programmes and underscore the connection between social instability and polysubstance abuse. Housing insecurity appears particularly problematic, affecting one in four individuals with concurrent dual addiction.
Implications for Treatment Success
The research raises important questions about treatment effectiveness and programme design. Participants reporting methamphetamine use in opioid treatment demonstrated patterns suggesting more complex addiction profiles, including higher medication doses and reduced treatment flexibility through take-home arrangements.
Interestingly, despite these challenges, treatment satisfaction levels remained similar between groups, suggesting that patients may not recognise the additional risks posed by concurrent dual addiction. This finding emphasises the importance of comprehensive education and support within treatment programmes.
The Need for Enhanced Treatment Approaches
These findings highlight significant gaps in current addiction treatment models. The persistent 70% rate of concurrent stimulant use suggests that traditional opioid replacement therapy alone may be insufficient for many patients. Healthcare providers and policymakers must consider developing more comprehensive treatment strategies that address methamphetamine use in opioid treatment simultaneously.
The research emphasises the importance of addressing underlying social factors, particularly housing stability, which appears strongly linked to treatment outcomes. Programmes that integrate social support services alongside medical treatment may prove more effective in preventing dual addiction.
Combating Methamphetamine Use in Opioid Treatment: Prevention Strategies
The stability of these concerning statistics over a decade demonstrates the urgent need for enhanced prevention strategies. Early identification of risk factors (particularly among younger patients and those experiencing housing instability) could enable more targeted interventions before methamphetamine use in opioid treatment becomes established.
Treatment programmes must evolve to recognise and address the complex interplay between opioid dependence, stimulant abuse, and social circumstances. Only through comprehensive, individualised approaches can we hope to break the cycle of dual addiction and improve long-term recovery outcomes.
The research underscores that successful addiction treatment requires more than medical intervention alone. It demands a holistic approach addressing the social, psychological, and environmental factors that contribute to sustained recovery. (Source: U.N.S.W.)
- Details
- Hits: 631
Trait anger as a predictor of dangerous driving behaviour amongst people who use methamphetamine
“Methamphetamine is now the most common illicit substance detected among drivers injured or killed due to road trauma in Australia
Drivers affected by (meth)amphetamine are five times more likely to be killed, and over 6-times more likely to be injured in a traffic crash; more than double the risk reported for common impairing drugs such as benzodiazepines Perhaps unsurprisingly, people who use methamphetamine are also overrepresented in road trauma incidents requiring emergency care. Amphetamine-intoxicated drivers are up to 19 times more likely to be deemed responsible (culpable) for a motor vehicle collision compared to non-drug users, and they are significantly more likely to die as a result
Despite a reduction in self-reported use (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2024) objectively, methamphetamine consumption in Australia continues to rise. Consequently, Australia now has one of the highest documented rates of methamphetamine use per capita, and the highest global age-standardised prevalence of (meth)amphetamine dependence.”
Conversely, low-to-moderate doses of methamphetamine can improve select, unidimensional psychomotor skills ostensibly related to driving, such as attention and perceptual processing speed however, this limited beneficial effect appears to be extinguished (and even maladaptive) at higher doses or during complex tasks or those requiring multi-tasking .
Negative emotionality and heightened levels of aggression are a pervasive, if largely anecdotal observation of individuals who consume methamphetamine. Individuals who consume methamphetamine cite elevated levels of self-reported aggression compared to drug-free controls.
Key Take-aways
- Methamphetamine is increasingly implicated in serious road-traffic incidents.
- Examining psychosocial factors may help identify predictors of dangerous driving behaviour.
- Licensed individuals who report predominant methamphetamine use were recruited.
- Trait Anger strongly and positively predicted dangerous driving behaviour in this cohort.
- Stable negative-emotional factors may increase harm through situational reactivity.
(Source: Science Direct)
- Details
- Hits: 633
This interview was taken in 2015 with a then current, by his own words 'ICE Addict'. This revealing interview takes the listener on a journey through substance uptake, dependency, the law, drug courts, recovery and the misuse of drug policy. Andy's plea for best practice and end the failing Harm Reduction ideology that has been hijacked by pro-drug activists is compelling.
- Details
- Hits: 2180
History has shown that stimulant epidemics follow opioid epidemics. In recent years…Methamphetamine poses its own set of risks: addiction, damage to the body and brain, overdose, and increasing contamination with fentanyl and other toxic adulterants. Like cocaine, methamphetamine is highly reinforcing. Administration fuels binge use and often leads to major health problems in addition to craving and substance use disorder. The treatment for methamphetamine overdose has not advanced very much in the last 50 years and life-saving options remain limited. Because of these factors, prevention is the more important intervention while more effective treatments are developed for those with methamphetamine use disorder.
Methamphetamine use has both short- and long-term effects on the brain and body. Methamphetamine is toxic to the brain — studies have found that methamphetamine can cause similar damage to brain tissue as traumatic brain injuries. Acute use can cause short-term psychiatric symptoms, such as anxiety, hyper ability, disturbed speech patterns, and aggression. For some people these symptoms are not temporary. Long-term use can cause methamphetamine-induced psychosis, which includes hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia that can persist after long periods of abstinence. This methamphetamine-induced psychosis has similar symptoms to naturally occurring psychosis but does not respond as well to standard treatments.
In terms of its effects on the body, methamphetamine is rapidly absorbed by many organs and chronic use can harm the heart, lungs, and kidneys, among other organs. Intravenously injecting methamphetamine increases one’s risk of contracting infections such as Hepatitis C and HIV which are spread through shared injection supplies like needles.
For more Understanding Methamphetamine (addictionpolicy.org)
- Details
- Hits: 1932
Researchers have begun testing drugs approved for other substance use disorders to treat people with methamphetamine addiction. Examples include naltrexone—which is used for the treatment of opioid use disorder—and bupropion, which helps people quit smoking.
Both treatments have shown some effectiveness when used alone to treat methamphetamine addiction. A research team led by Dr. Madhukar Trivedi at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center launched a clinical trial to see if a combination of the two might help more people quit.