Pubdate: Tue, 06 Jul 2010
Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)
Page: A1
Copyright: 2010 Hearst Communications Inc.
Contact: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/submissions/#1
Website: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/388
Author: Erin Allday
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

NEW THERAPIES, DRUGS OFFER HOPE TO METH ADDICTS

The United States is in the middle of a new wave of methamphetamine 
abuse, but programs to treat speed addicts are behind the times, say 
Bay Area researchers who are studying new therapies - and new drugs - 
that they hope will help people kick the habit.

"If someone needs treatment now, they might as well go to any place 
for any kind of addiction, because there's no specific treatment for 
methamphetamine. And the programs we have don't work that well," said 
Dr. John Mendelson, a senior scientist with the Addiction and 
Pharmacology Research Laboratory at California Pacific Medical Center 
in San Francisco.

Methamphetamine abusers are typically treated in regular groups or 
one-on-one counseling sessions over several months, followed by a 
12-step program similar to Alcoholics Anonymous. It's a form of 
treatment that's been used with addicts of all types of drugs.

The method has been proved to work, but not as effectively as some 
researchers would like. Now, addiction experts believe that the key 
to helping meth users is to acknowledge that it's a unique drug with 
barriers unlike other addictive drugs that keep people from quitting.

To test that belief, scientists at treatment centers throughout the 
Bay Area have begun to look at new styles of counseling and at 
pharmaceutical drugs that would help fight the distinct cravings that 
meth addicts experience.

"We're learning that methamphetamine is not heroin, prescription 
opiates or alcohol," Mendelson said. "It's a different problem with a 
different set of treatments that are going to be, hopefully, effective."

Cal Pacific a leader in fight

California Pacific Medical Center's Addiction and Pharmacology 
Research Laboratory is gaining popularity among recovering addicts 
because of new drug and counseling techniques being tested there.

"Everyone on the street knows about this place," said Myrna, a 
47-year-old San Francisco resident and former methamphetamine addict 
who participated in a clinical trial at the clinic.

Myrna, who asked that her last name not be used for this story, 
bounced around treatment programs for months before landing at 
California Pacific. There, she received experimental drugs that she 
thinks helped her kick her addiction. She also attended thrice-weekly 
counseling sessions at the Haight Ashbury Free Clinics.

Addiction experts and researchers said her story isn't unusual. 
Finding a drug to help addicts get past the initial withdrawal gives 
them "a foot up in their sobriety," said Dr. Raymond Buscemi, a 
psychiatrist with the Addiction and Pharmacology Research Laboratory 
at California Pacific.

Methamphetamine first became popular in the United States with 
long-haul truckers in the 1950s, and later was picked up in the 1970s 
and '80s by athletes looking for a synthetic performance boost. Its 
next wave - as a party drug popular among gays - started about 20 
years ago. It's now spread beyond that and is one of the few drugs 
that has high rates of use among women.

Methamphetamine is a synthetic stimulant that can be taken by pill, 
inhaled through the nose, injected or smoked. It triggers the brain 
to release high levels of dopamine, which creates an intense feeling 
of euphoria. But over time, the body becomes resistant to dopamine, 
and the person needs more of the drug to get the same high.

Because it's a stimulant, methamphetamine also keeps users awake and 
often makes them more physically active - many people take it because 
it makes them feel more productive. Long-term abuse, however, can 
cause insomnia, severe mood swings, violent behavior and even psychosis.

Psychological attachment

Meth addicts don't usually have the same acute withdrawal symptoms 
that someone suffering from heroin or alcohol addiction might face. 
But meth addicts may be more psychologically attached, researchers 
say. When they try to quit, they can fall into a severe depression 
and find that using again is the only way to feel better.

Myrna started using regularly when she was 32 and going through a bad 
divorce. A friend introduced her to methamphetamine, and before long 
she was injecting it regularly. Myrna had custody of her three 
children while she was using, and she worked steadily for five years.

"I kept doing it on a daily basis because I was able to function," she said.

She finally decided to seek treatment when her daughter confessed to 
experimenting with drugs. At the same time, Myrna talked to two 
friends and former addicts who were on their way to recovery, and she 
thought if they could quit, so could she. That began a journey that 
led to volunteering for the California Pacific trial.

Emotional problems

Methamphetamine is especially popular with people who have 
psychological disorders like depression or post-traumatic stress 
disorder, and addiction experts say they often treat women who are 
victims of domestic abuse. These problems must be addressed if an 
addict is going to quit the drug, they say.

Many addicts are convinced they need the drug just to get through a 
day - if only because the drug keeps them awake and makes them feel productive.

One new type of experimental treatment is known as "motivational" 
therapy, which allows addicts to quit at their own pace. Counselors 
work with addicts to address why they use methamphetamine - looking 
at both the benefits of speed and the obvious negatives.

"There's a history in the addiction field that you have to stop using 
immediately - you have to hit bottom and realize you can't use 
anything at all, and that's the place when you begin treatment," said 
Douglas Polcin, principal investigator for a study with the National 
Institute on Drug Abuse who is doing research at New Life Treatment 
Center in Lafayette.

"But with motivational therapy, you meet the client where they are, 
which may be a very mixed place," Polcin said. "There's certainly no 
magic bullet out there. But there are a few studies that are encouraging."

Harmful habits in S.F.

Among people who sought treatment for drug dependence, the percentage 
who reported being addicted to these drugs in the 2008-09 fiscal year:

Heroin:

31%

Alcohol:

21%

Cocaine:

20%

Methamphetamine:

11%

Marijuana:

9%

Hallucinogens:

1%

Source: San Francisco Department of Public Health
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom