MAT Shows Potential to Combat Meth Addiction

Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) holds promise as an option to help individuals overcome addiction to methamphetamines, according to results of a recent clinical trial.

Largely considered the gold standard of addiction treatment, MAT involves giving patients medication to help them overcome substance use disorders (SUD). It’s usually paired with counseling, too. However, MAT hasn’t historically been an option for meth users.

New research suggests that could change in the future, giving SUD treatment providers another tool at their disposal to help people struggling with addictions to meth, a notoriously hard-to-kick drug.

The results of the study were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. In it, researchers looked at the efficacy of two drugs — naltrexone and bupropion — administered together over a two-year period to treat individuals with meth addictions.

Those who were given the dual drug therapy were assessed at two six-week intervals, then compared to a group that was given placebos over the same time periods. When screened at the end of both intervals, significant differences emerged between the two groups.

At the end of the first six-week interval, 16.5% of participants who received naltrexone and bupropion had at least three negative urine tests for methamphetamines. Meanwhile, only 3.4% of those given placebos achieved the same results.

At the end of the second interval, 11.4% of the MAT group had negative urine responses compared to just 1.8% in the control group. Additionally, participants in the treatment group reported fewer cravings for methamphetamines, along with an improved quality of life. More than 400 participants total took part in the study.

On the surface, the drug efficacy percentages of those receiving MAT might not appear significant. However, the study’s researchers said that the benefits of the naltrexone/bupropion therapy are in line with most medical treatments for mental health disorders such as depression and alcoholism.

Bupropion, which is an oral drug, is FDA-approved to treat depression and nicotine addiction. Naltrexone, which is an injectable drug, is approved to treat alcohol abuse.

Currently, no drugs have been approved by the FDA to treat meth use. However, the study’s researchers are advocating for more studies to measure the success of a naltrexone/bupropion hybrid treatment, potentially paving the way to give providers another means to treat meth users.

“While there are U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved medications for other substance use disorders, no medications have yet received FDA approval for methamphetamine use disorder,” the researchers noted in the study. “The effectiveness of this medication combination is progress toward improving treatment of this addiction.”