Cognitive impairment in individuals currently using methamphetamine

Although there are increasing reports of methamphetamine use, studies examining the cognitive consequences of methamphetamine have not been performed on a population currently using the drug. To characterize this population, 65 people currently using MA regularly and 65 non-users were given a battery of cognitive tests. The battery included recall, recognition, Digit Symbol, Trail Making A & B, Stroop, Wisconsin Card Sort, backward digit span, and the FAS test of verbal fluency. The methamphetamine users were significantly more impaired on recall tasks, digit symbol, Stroop color words, and Trail Making B, but scores fell within the normal ranges on the other measures.

The matrix model of outpatient stimulant abuse treatment: history and description

The Matrix model was originally developed in response to the cocaine epidemic of the 1980s. The program consists of relapse prevention groups, education groups, social support groups, individual counseling, and urine and breath testing delivered in a structured manner over a 16-week period. The treatment is a directive, nonconfrontational approach which focuses on current issues and behavior change. Several evaluations of the model have supported its usefulness and efficacy with methamphetamine (MA) users. Methamphetamine users appear to respond to treatment similarly to cocaine users and many continue to show improvements at follow-up.

Methamphetamine and cocaine users: differences in characteristics and treatment retention

The use of methamphetamine and cocaine have both produced significant public health problems during the past two decades. Although these powerful psychostimulants have many common acute and chronic effects, there are some important differences in who uses these drugs and the consequences of their use. This article reports on two large cohorts of treatment-seeking cocaine and methamphetamine users who entered treatment at the same facility over the same four-year period of time. Patterns of use differed significantly. Cocaine users have more episodic use patterns, spend more money on purchasing their drugs, and use alcohol more heavily. Methamphetamine users include a higher proportion of women, more frequently use on a daily basis, use marijuana more often, and experience more severe medical and psychiatric consequences. Despite the differences in the stimulant drug effects and consequences, the treatment response to a multicomponent, outpatient program is very similar.

Integrating treatments for methamphetamine abuse: a psychosocial perspective

The recent West Coast experience with increased methamphetamine use is showing signs of spreading to other parts of the US. The risk of corresponding medical and psychosocial problems has led to a call to action at the highest levels of government. The next few years will likely witness a substantial increase in treatment research on methamphetamine abuse/dependence, with particular emphasis on the development and application of novel pharmacotherapies. The evaluation of these agents presupposes that we understand the clinical syndrome resulting from chronic methamphetamine use. To establish a clear picture of the biological and psychological sequellae of methamphetamine use, we compare two cohorts (500 methamphetamine and 224 cocaine users) treated at the same outpatient clinic over the past nine years, using identical manualized treatments. The results suggest that while there are important differences in group characteristics and drug effects, the total response to treatment was quite comparable.