Nineteen adolescents with
methamphetamine abuse or dependence receiving counseling at Behavioral Health
Services adolescent substance abuse treatment programs received treatment with
the antidepressant bupropion (Wellbutrin®) or placebo pills. The pilot study
was not designed to provide final conclusions regarding use of bupropion in
adolescents with methamphetamine abuse, although adolescents receiving bupropion
provided fewer methamphetamine-free urine drug tests during treatment than
adolescents receiving placebo. Additional studies are needed to determine
whether bupropion is effective for treating adolescent methamphetamine abuse.
Researchers also compared treatment outcomes in boys versus girls and found
that boys provided over twice as many methamphetamine-free urine drug tests
during treatment than girls.
Dr. Keith Heinzerling of
the UCLA Center for Behavioral and Addiction Medicine and the UCLA Department
of Family Medicine, principal investigator for the study, commented that “the
greater severity of methamphetamine problems in adolescent girls compared to
boys in our pilot study combined with results of studies in adults that also
found women to be more susceptible to methamphetamine than men suggests that
the gender differences in methamphetamine addiction observed in adults may
actually begin in adolescence.” Dr. Heinzerling suggested that research to
develop new interventions to improve outcomes of treatment for methamphetamine
addiction in adolescent girls is needed.
The study was a
collaboration between UCLA and Behavioral Health Services adolescent substance
abuse treatment programs in the Lincoln Heights and Boyle Heights neighborhoods
of Los Angeles. Mr. Henry van Oudheusden, President & Chief Executive
Officer of Behavioral Health Services, Incorporated stated that “it is always a
pleasure to partner with UCLA researchers on work to insure that we can provide
the highest quality substance abuse treatment services to the community.” Dr
Heinzerling of UCLA agreed that “partnerships between researchers and
communities are critical to insuring that research is translated into
improvements in the health of real people.”
The study was funded by
the National Institute on Drug Abuse and is registered with clinicaltrials.gov
(NCT00994448).
The UCLA Center for Behavioral and Addiction Medicine aims to advance
the prevention and treatment of chronic illnesses, especially in communities
with healthcare disparities. This includes internationally recognized research
to advance the science behind Addiction Medicine in order to develop safer and
more effective treatments for addiction. Treatment for methamphetamine
addiction is available through the UCLA Center for Behavioral and Addiction
Medicine at our clinics in Santa Monica and Hollywood.
The UCLA Department of Family Medicine provides comprehensive primary
care to entire families, from newborns to seniors. It provides low-risk
obstetrical services and prenatal and inpatient care at UCLA Medical Center,
Santa Monica, and outpatient care at the University Family Health Center in
Santa Monica and the Mid-Valley Family Health Center, located in a Los Angeles
County Health Center in Van Nuys, Calif. The department is also a leader in
family medicine education, for both medical students and residents, and houses
a significant research unit focusing on health care disparities among immigrant
families and minority communities and other underserved populations in Los
Angeles and California.
Behavioral Health Services, Incorporated is a not-for-profit community-based healthcare
organization providing substance abuse, mental health, drug-free transitional
living, older adult services, HIV/AIDS education and prevention, and other
related health services to the residents of Southern California.
If you have questions or comments-- post below, e-mail us or send a message via Twitter @UCLASARx! We welcome your feedback! Thanks for tuning in. Visit us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/UclaCbam
