Meth Addiction: Causes, Risks, and Treatment

how to treat meth addiction

Some people with disorders like anxiety or depression may use drugs in an attempt to alleviate psychiatric symptoms. This may exacerbate their mental disorder in the long run, as well as increase the risk of developing addiction.43,44 Treatment for all conditions should happen concurrently. Some outside experts said they would like to see longer-term data beyond the trial’s 12 weeks to see what lasting benefits the medications provide. The two drugs used in the trial were injectable naltrexone and oral bupropion. The former is a treatment for opioid use disorder — it’s more commonly known by the brand name Vivitrol — and is also used for alcoholism.

how to treat meth addiction

Rehab Programs for Meth Addiction

The self-help support group message is that addiction is an ongoing disorder with a danger of relapse. Self-help support groups can decrease the sense of shame and isolation that can lead to relapse. In an opioid overdose, meth abuse a medicine called naloxone can be given by emergency responders, or in some states, by anyone who witnesses an overdose. If you’d like to stop using meth, you have options for confidential support and treatment. Prompt treatment could save their life, and it may also help reduce your risk of long-term or permanent damage.

how to treat meth addiction

Does Insurance Cover Meth Rehab?

It indicates that while the individual is crucial to the recovery process, so also is the profession. They only use proven, evidence-based treatment methods that increase the chances of successful recovery. Accreditation shows a rehab is committed to high standards of care and safety. Licensed facilities meet state and federal regulations, ensuring you receive qualified treatment. Rehab programs have a daily schedule to keep you focused on recovery.

  • After undergoing the “brain zapping”, he told the WSJ the cravings for the drugs he had before the treatment were no longer there and he felt nothing about the substances he had used for the last two decades.
  • “We see it down in Alabama, Mississippi and the Kentucky area where it’s really taken off,” Donahue says.
  • As a result, patients are able to handle stressful situations and various triggers that might cause another relapse.
  • Acheson warns that the science of post-meth experiences is incomplete.
  • Treatment should be tailored to address each patient’s drug use patterns and drug-related medical, mental, and social problems.

What treatments are effective for people who misuse methamphetamine?

  • The trial had a “number needed to treat” of nine, which means that nine patients would have to be given the medications in order for one to have a positive response.
  • Martinez says she’s hopeful more of her clients will now be able to get medical treatment for their meth addiction, rather than wind up caught in the criminal justice system.
  • Blood, urine or other lab tests are used to assess drug use, but they’re not a diagnostic test for addiction.
  • If that happens, consider seeking out additional resources or find a support group for family members or friends of people living with addiction.

The latter is an antidepressant and smoking cessation medication. Withdrawal from different categories of drugs — such as depressants, stimulants or opioids — produces different side effects and requires different approaches. Detox may involve gradually reducing the dose of the drug or temporarily substituting other substances, such as methadone, buprenorphine, or a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone. Substance use disorders and addiction aren’t choices you make — they’re mental health conditions that can have long-term effects on your health and well-being. Patients received injections of extended-release naltrexone and oral doses of bupropion.

What to expect from treatment

For example, it is now well-known that tobacco smoke can cause many cancers, methamphetamine can cause severe dental problems, known as meth mouth, and that opioids can lead to overdose and death. In addition, some drugs, such as inhalants, may damage or destroy nerve cells, either in the brain or the peripheral nervous system (the nervous system outside the brain and spinal cord). The process of drug addiction recovery involves the use of trained supervision, consistent aftercare, and a change in lifestyle. Expect that they participate in therapy and group and self-help distractors. There is no question that this is difficult, but appropriate strategies make success possible. Advocate that the two problems, addiction, and mental infirmity, be dealt with in a combined approach towards treatment.

how to treat meth addiction

In non-prescribed (“black market”) economies, pressed pills marketed as Xanax, for example, may contain fentanyl or other contaminants. That said, you always have the option to reach out and find support, and it’s never too late — or too early — to ask for help. If you or someone you know has any signs of an overdose, call for emergency help right away.