ADHD Medication Might Help In Treating Amphetamine Addiction

A recent JAMA Psychiatry study found that an ADHD medicine called lisdexamfetamine reduced the risk of hospitalization due to amphetamine or methamphetamine addiciton by 18% and 14% for deaths caused by substance abuse disorders.

Researchers at Karolinska Institute in Sweden further observed that lisdexamfetamine might potentially be more effective than medications that are conventionally prescribed to people with substance abuse disorders.

The team conducted a nationwide study from July 2006 to December 2018 and followed up with 13,965 participants for up to almost four years. The participants were between 16 to 64 years old and had been diagnosed with an amphetamine or methamphetamine use disorder.

During the follow-up period, 54% of the participants were taking antidepressants and another 43% were taking benzodiazepines. Close to 11% were taking lisdexamfetamine. While 74% of them were hospitalized with substance abuse disorders, mainly lisdexamfetamine and even methylphenidate use was associated with lower mortality and hospitalizations.

Whereas the use of benzodiazepines was associated with a higher risk of hospitalizations due to substance abuse disorders. At present, amphetamines are the second most abused illicit drug globally and researchers warn that hospitalizations that are related to amphetamines are increasing significantly. People who abuse amphetamines or methamphetamines are also more vulnerable to infections and mental illnesses.

“Lisdexamphetamine is licensed for doses ranging from 30 to 70 mg/d in the treatment of ADHD and binge eating disorder in non–stimulant-dependent populations, the researchers wrote in their paper.

“The most beneficial outcome was observed with doses from 45 to 85 mg/d. Overall, 1657 individuals (11.9%) were diagnosed with ADHD and the use of lisdexamphetamine might have been indicated for its treatment. However, the use of lisdexamphetamine was associated with positive outcomes in between-analyses also, indicating that it may have potential for improving outcomes in individuals who use methamphetamine in general,” they further added.