I’ve mentioned before that I believe medications can be a very helpful tool in early recovery, especially for specific individuals who need help getting over the initial, most difficult, period (look here).
If you take a look at my first post about meth and its effects on the brain, you’ll read that crystal meth use can negatively affect the function of a neurotransmitter called dopamine. One of the dopamine’s important roles in the brain has to do with impulse inhibition and control over behavior.
The role of impulse control in early recovery trouble
With a reduced capacity for behavioral control, it’s no surprise that people in early recovery find it especially hard to resist urges to use again. When you consider that it’s already been shown that addicts are more likely to have impulse control problems, like ADD/ADHD, the role of impulsivity becomes even more important for understanding addictions. Having less control over a preoccupation that results in obsessive-thoughts and compulsive-actions means that slips, or relapses, are an almost expected outcome.
If we could only figure out how to give people better control over their impulses, we’d possibly better equip them to prevent their own relapses.
ADHD medication for crystal meth addiction help
Well, a number of drugs used for ADHD have been researched as possible aids for addicts, and it seems like Modafinil (marketed as Provigil) may help with exactly the cognitive deficits that seem to trip meth (and cocaine) addicts in early recovery up. In fact, the results seem to be strong enough to warrant the initiation of some larger scale investigations. This, along with previous findings that reported relatively low abuse-potential for modafinil suggest that this may indeed prove to be a useful medication.
No one is saying that this is the pill that will cure addiction, or even that a pill like that is going to be found. But hopefully, along with other medications (like Bupropion), the number of tools in the proverbial toolbox of addiction specialists will continue to increase, allowing them to better treat a larger proportion of those suffering from addiction.
Citations:
Jasinski, D. R & Kovacevic-Ristanovic, R. (2000). Evaluation of the Abuse Liability of Modafinil and Other Drugs for Excessive Daytime Sleepiness Associated with Narcolepsy. Clinical Neuropharmacology, 23, 149-156.
Ling, W., Rawson R., & Shoptaw, S. (2007). Management of methamphetamine abuse and dependence. Current Psychiatry Reports, 8, 345-354.