Addiction

Combination treatment shows promise for methamphetamine use disorder

July 1, 2024

For individuals with methamphetamine (MA) use disorder receiving treatment with extended-release (ER) injectable naltrexone plus ER oral bupropion (NTX + BUPN), continued treatment with NTX + BUPN after six weeks is associated with additional reductions in MA use up to 12 weeks.

• In this secondary analysis, ER injectable naltrexone plus ER oral bupropion (NTX + BUPN) was compared with placebo in 403 people with MA use disorder who participated in the Accelerated Development of Additive Pharmacotherapy Treatment for Methamphetamine Use Disorder (ADAPT-2) clinical trials network. MA use was measured by urine drug screens conducted twice weekly for 12 weeks, then once during week 13 and once during week 16 post treatment.
• Participants on NTX + BUPN in stage 1 showed an additional 9.2% increase during stage 2 in their probability of testing negative for MA, with a total increase of 27.1% over the full 12 weeks of treatment.
• In contrast, participants on placebo in both stages has increased probability of testing MA-negative by a total of 11.4% over all 12 weeks. The 12-week increase among participants on NTX + BUPN was 15.8% greater than the increase among those on placebo.

Source:

Li MJ, et al. (2024, June 10). Addiction. Extended observation of reduced methamphetamine use with combined naltrexone plus bupropion in the ADAPT-2 trial. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38856086/