Naltrexone-Bupropion Combination May Help People With Methamphetamine Use Disorder

A combination of naltrexone plus bupropion can reduce methamphetamine use in people with moderate to severe methamphetamine use disorder, reports astudy in theNew England Journal of Medicine. In a randomized clinical trial of over 400 adults, 13.6% of participants who took extended-release naltrexone/bupropion significantly reduced or stopped their methamphetamine use compared with 2.5% of those who took placebo.“Methamphetamine use disorder is a serious illness and is associated with medical conditions and mental health issues, marked functional impairment, and frequent relapses,” wrote Madhukar Trivedi, M.D., of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas and colleagues. “There is no medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of methamphetamine use disorder, and effective treatment has been identified as an essential public health goal.”Trivedi and colleagues enrolled 403 adults aged 18 to 65 who met theDSM-5 criteria for moderate or severe stimulant use disorder (methamphetamine type) and reported using methamphetamine on at least 18 of the 30 previous days. Adults were excluded from the trial if they were undergoing concurrent treatment for substance use disorder, were taking opioids, and/or expected a need for opioid medications during the trial (for example, for a planned surgery). The participants were then assigned to receive either 380 mg of injectable naltrexone every three weeks combined with 450 mg oral bupr...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: bupropion methamphetamine methamphetamine use disorder naltrexone New England Journal of Medicine side effects substance use disorder Source Type: research