A preliminary review of substance abuse treatment admission data from 2001-2005 was conducted to explore the use of methamphetamine among American Indians in treatment programs funded by Los Angeles County. Comparisons were made between primary methamphetamine users and users whose primary drug was a substance other than methamphetamine. In that period, the number of American Indians reporting ...

Methamphetamine (MA) is a potent psychostimulant drug whose abuse has become a global epidemic in recent years. Firstly, this review article briefly discusses the epidemiology and clinical pharmacology of methamphetamine dependence. Secondly, the article reviews relevant animal literature modeling methamphetamine dependence and discusses possible mechanisms of methamphetamine-induced neurotoxic...

One of the core objectives of supply-side drug law enforcement is to reduce drug use by raising the cost of buying drugs. The effectiveness of this strategy depends on how illicit drug users respond to the rise in costs. The aim of the current study was to estimate how methamphetamine users would respond to changes in the prices of methamphetamine and heroin, using hypothetical drug purchasing ...

There is mounting evidence that the neuropeptide oxytocin is a possible candidate for the treatment of drug addiction. Oxytocin was shown to reduce methamphetamine self-administration, conditioned place-preference, hyperactivity and reinstatement in rodents, highlighting its potential for the management of methamphetamine addiction. Thus, we hypothesised that the central endogenous oxytocinergi...

Effects of single and repeated administration of pentazocine (5 times at intervals of 3-4 days) were compared with those of morphine and methamphetamine by means of ambulatory activity in mice. The interactions among these 3 drugs were also investigated. Pentazocine (25 mg/kg, s.c.), morphine (10 and 20 mg/kg, s.c.) and methamphetamine (2 mg/kg, s.c.) significantly increased the activity, and t...

Methamphetamine abuse has become a significant problem in the United States with recent surveys reporting that nearly 10 million Americans have tried methamphetamine at least once. Methamphetamine is a stimulant drug that causes the release of monoamine neurotransmitters. Among its most deleterious effects are its ability to produce tachycardia, hypertension, and ischemia. However, it also has ...

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) incorporates developments in behavior therapy, holds promise but has not been evaluated for methamphetamine use disorders. The objective of this study was to test whether ACT would increase treatment attendance and reduce methamphetamine use and related harms compared to cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). One hundred and four treatment-seeking adults with ...

The use of methamphetamine is steadily increasing worldwide. Its use is associated with high-risk sexual behavior and subsequent infection with HIV. Methamphetamine has profound effects on the brain both as an acute intoxicant and following chronic exposure. The combined effects of HIV and methamphetamine appear to result in widespread neuronal and white matter injury. These changes are most pr...

The novel transmembrane G protein-coupled receptor, trace amine-associated receptor 1 (TAAR1), represents a potential, direct target for drugs of abuse and monoaminergic compounds, including amphetamines. For the first time, our studies have illustrated that there is an induction of TAAR1 mRNA expression in resting T lymphocytes in response to methamphetamine. Methamphetamine treatment for 6 h ...

Both HIV infection and methamphetamine dependence can be associated with brain dysfunction. Little is known, however, about the cognitive effects of concurrent HIV infection and methamphetamine dependence. The present study included 200 participants in 4 groups: HIV infected/methamphetamine dependent (HIV+/METH+), HIV negative/methamphetamine dependent (HIV-/METH+), HIV infected/methamphetamine...