Source: Australian Broadcasting Company
Australian researchers say they have discovered a way to rehabilitate people addicted to the drug 'ice'.
In what they call a world first, researchers from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre say they have discovered that Modafinil, a medication currently used to treat sleep disorders, can help ice addicts quit.
The discovery of Modafinil's potential for fighting ice addiction comes after much media attention on what some experts say is an ice epidemic.
The latest national figures show that as many as 70,000 people use ice - otherwise known as crystal methamphetamine hydrochloride.
Researcher James Shearer explains how ice affects the brain.
"What ice, or crystal, does is it actually hooks into your reward system in the brain, and the reward system is designed so that you can recognise positive stimuli, remember them, act on them," he said.
"But by overdoing it, by chronic use, you end up with a depletion of these neurotransmitters."
He says Modafinil is normally used to treat sleeping problems like narcolepsy or shift work sleep disorder, and acts on the same parts of the brain as ice does.
"Modafinil actually works in those parts of the brain to kind of restore areas of those neurotransmitters," he said.
"So that's what we think kind of reinforces the addiction in people, because they've got this neurotransmitter imbalance, as soon as they stop using ice, or crystal, they go into withdrawal.
"So what we're hoping, by using Modafinil, is that they will be able to resist those kind of relapse situations."
What this means is that Modafinil does not necessarily stop someone wanting to use ice, but will help people who want to stop using it.
"As with all dependence - whether it's tobacco, alcohol, anything - you do need the person themselves to be quite committed to making changes, because otherwise these drugs don't work at all," he said.
"So it's really a supportive drug for someone who's making an effort to quit."
Mr Shearer says the finding is ground-breaking.
"This drug has been tested in the [United] States with cocaine, with very good results," he said.
"What we've found in this study is we've exactly replicated those results from the US, because cocaine, methamphetamine, they're all stimulants and they actually do work in the same way in the brain."
"So we're all very excited and, frankly, relieved that we've actually found a drug which helps."
The researchers now plan to do a larger study to confirm their results.
If Modafinil begins to be used in the general community, it could be prescribed by doctors, rather than drug clinics. That's because, unlike something like methadone, it would not be classed as a drug of addiction.
Earlier Story on this:
Louise Hall, Sydney Morning Herald, October 15, 2006
Provigil trial to help users kick methamphetamine habit
Addicts of the dangerous party drug "ice" are taking part in a world-first trial in Sydney that could help users kick their destructive habit.
Researchers are testing whether a drug normally used to treat the excessive sleep disorder narcolepsy can wean addicts off the illegal methamphetamine described as a "scourge on Australian society".
The National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) is conducting a clinical trial of Modafinil, a non-habit forming stimulant medication. Forty users are taking part in the 10-week trial.
Unlike heroin, there is no easily available drug to get addicts off "meth" or deal with the violent and psychotic tendencies it induces.
Ice, the crystalline form of methamphetamine, is a powerfully addictive synthetic drug that works by quickly boosting levels of dopamine, the brain chemical responsible for movement, emotion, motivation and feelings of pleasure.
But long-term abuse can impede the body's ability to produce dopamine and cause paranoic and violent rages, as well as depression and sleeplessness.
There has been a rapid rise in methamphetamine use in recent years. NDARC figures suggest there are about 37,000 regular amphetamine users in NSW aged between 15 and 49 and 28,000 are dependant on the drug.
Ice has been recognised by the Federal Government as the "nation's worst drug problem".
Parliamentary secretary for health Christopher Pyne, who is responsible for drug policy, told a newspaper last week that ice was causing more community problems than heroin.
"Ice is a scourge on Australian society," he said.
Modafinil (marketed as Modavigil in Australia) has shown great promise in treating cocaine users in US trials.
It reduces cravings and restores proper dopamine function.
James Shearer, from NDARC, said this was one of the first trials to extend
modafinil to methamphetamine users.