A UCLA-led study on a two-drug therapy combining injectable naltrexone and extended-release bupropion showed significant reductions in methamphetamine use among participants up to 12 weeks into treatment. Research from UCLA demonstrated that a combination therapy of naltrexone and bupropion effectively reduced methamphetamine use in trial participants over 12 weeks, suggesting the potential of pharmacological interventions in addressing rising overdose rates. A clinical trial on a two-drug therapy for methamphetamine use disorder reduced use of the highly addictive drug for up to 12 weeks after initiation of treatment, according to the results of UCLA-led research.
Participants in the ADAPT-2 clinical trial who received a combination of injectable naltrexone plus extended-release oral bupropion (NTX+BUPN) had a 27% increase in methamphetamine-negative urine tests, indicating reduced usage. By contrast, the placebo group had an 11% increase in negative tests. The study will be published in the peer-reviewed journal Addiction .
“These findings have important implications for pharmacological treatment for methamphetamine use disorder. There is no FDA-approved medication for it, yet methamphetamine-involved overdoses have greatly increased over the past decade,” said Dr. Michael Li, assistant professor-in-residence of family medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the study’s lead author.
Methamphetamine use has continued growing over the years around th.
