Amphetamine Related Disorders

RL-B students learn dangers of meth: ROUND LAKE ? Not even once. ...

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 11:37:00 +0000

Mar. 13--ROUND LAKE -- Not even once.

It's a message that was repeated often during a presentation Friday at Round Lake-Brewster High School, when Buffalo Ridge Drug Task Force Commander Troy Appel spoke to students about the dangers of trying methamphetamine, a drug so addictive that 90 percent of people are hooked after one or two uses.

"No matter what we show you or tell you today, there's no way to over exaggerate how bad meth really is," Appel said. "Sixty to 70 percent of our cases and arrests are related to meth addiction."

Appel said the task force has seized about 14 pounds of meth in the area from 2006 to 2009 -- including some from homes in Round Lake. He showed the students pictures of local addicts and meth labs found in homes near the school to illustrate his point.

"It was good that they put pictures from Round Lake so...

Survey says: Laurel County Meth Watch Program successful [The Sentinel Echo, London, Ky.]

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 21:46:00 +0000

Mar. 12--LAUREL COUNTY, Ky. -- The Meth Watch Program has been a success since it began two years ago, according to a survey conducted by the Laurel County Agency for Substance Abuse Policy.

"The results proved the purpose of the grant, which was to educate Laurel County on the multi-faceted dangers of meth, promote awareness, and to instill readiness to combat the problem as a community," Board Coordinator Christie Shrader said.

During the 2009 World Chicken Festival, 696 Laurel County adult residents completed a Meth Watch Program survey. The program received an overall 92 percent success rating.

A separate survey was created specifically for the 50 retail managers who participate in the program. All of them reported being satisfied or very satisfied.

The survey asked the public:

--Do you know what the Meth Watch Program is? 87 percent said yes.

--Did you attend any of the Meth Watch Community Awareness Seminars? 13 percent said yes.

--Has...

Judge suspends meth-making sentence: Jackson says he is on his way to recovery from drug ...

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 19:26:00 +0000

Mar. 4--James Andrew Jackson's voice cracked as he spoke inside a courtroom full of his friends and family Wednesday about how he hurt and disappointed them because of his addiction to meth.

Weeping echoed in the room as he said, "I've hurt my family. ... I robbed. I stole. I cheated. I lied."

Jackson, his friends and his family hoped for the best and braced for the worst. Their eyes were set at District Court Judge David Fahey as he pronounced the 37-year-old's sentence.

Fahey suspended his 15-year prison term and placed him on probation for five years on convictions for possession of meth precursors and manufacture of meth.

"If he fouls up, he'll go to prison," Fahey said. "Hopefully we will never be at that point."

Jackson's attorney, Toby Gordon, was successful in painting a picture of a struggling meth addict who sought treatment and is in the middle of a full recovery.

In...

Hawaii Hansen's disease patient facing crystal meth charges: Man, 68, allegedly tried to ship ...

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:52:00 +0000

Mar. 2--Norbert K. Palea, 68, the youngest Hansen's disease patient still living at Kalaupapa, is facing federal drug charges after allegedly trying to ship crystal methamphetamine to the remote Moloka'i peninsula while on state-sponsored visits to O'ahu.

Palea used state vehicles and drivers to transport boxes containing "ice" to Honolulu International Airport and even required the help of a state worker to sign documents for one of the shipments, according to a Drug Enforcement Administration affidavit filed yesterday in Honolulu District Court.

He is in federal custody, charged with possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute the drug. A detention hearing on his eligibility for bail is scheduled for March 15, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Muehleck.

Palea was recently spotlighted on a segment of Hawai'i Public Television's "Long Story Short" program, hosted by Leslie Wilcox. He also was prominently featured in news coverage of the group of Kalaupapa residents...

New Study Suggests “Meth Mouth” as an Addiction Warning Sign in Dental Patients

Dennis Miller — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 02:25:15 +0000

A new study suggests that dentists should consider severe oral health problems in otherwise young, healthy people as a possible sign of drug addiction. The study, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, is titled “The Relationship Between Methamphetamine Use and Increased Dental Disease.” It is published in the latest issue of The Journal of the American Dental Association.

While there have been numerous anecdotal reports associating methamphetamine abuse with severe dental problems--a condition sometimes called “meth mouth,” this study provides the first direct evidence of higher rates of oral disease among methamphetamine (MA) abusers. UCLA researchers and trained interviewers gathered medical, oral health and substance use data from more than 300 MA-dependent adults and compared it to control group data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

Findings show that dental disease is a distinct marker of methamphetamine abuse, with around two of five MA abusers having serious...

Program lets students see meth's effects on their own faces [BC-CMP-METHFACES:SL]

Sat, 26 Dec 2009 20:01:00 +0000

IMPERIAL, Mo. _ Jefferson County sheriff's deputy Larry Michaels has tried everything to teach high school students about the dangers of drugs and alcohol _ but nothing has held their attention quite like a new computer program that shows them what they will look like after they use methamphetamine.

"I've never seen the look of shock on their faces like I have with this," Michaels said, shortly after several Windsor High School students volunteered to have their faces digitally altered during a health class to show how they would look after six months, one year and three years of meth abuse. "They can actually see themselves; there's no imagining there."

The Dec. 17 health class, which included freshmen through seniors, was among the first to use the computer program, called Face2Face, which mimics the physical effects of the drug, known for causing skin lesions and sagging, as well as tooth decay.

At...

BHC News Brief: Adolescent Amphetamine Usage Could Impact Short-Term Memory in Adulthood

Robin Jay — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 05:34:29 +0000

Researchers at the University of Illinois have discovered that lab mice given large amounts of amphetamine during adolescence have impaired working (short-term) memory in adulthood. The scientists found that mice given the drugs during adolescence performed activities far more poorly than mice given the same amount of amphetamine as adults.

The study’s lead investigator, Psychology professor Joshua Gulley, said during the results unveiling at the Society for Neurosciences in Chicago, the results indicate working memory capacity is severely impacted by early exposure to amphetamine. The theory as to why this happens is that the brain is still developing during adolescence and exposure to the harsh drug can lead to long-term consequences in cognitive performance.

The scientists say that early abuse of amphetamine may also be relevant for children taking the drug to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Brain Damage from Ecstasy Drug May Cause Dangerous Sleep Apnea

Robin Jay — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 10:00:00 +0000

People who use the drug ecstasy could be putting themselves at higher risk for sleep apnea – a dangerous disorder that causes frequent interrupted breathing during sleep, which is associated with stroke, heart attack and cognitive deficits, according to a study from The John Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore that was published in the Dec. 2 online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

About 15 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with sleep apnea. In the study at Johns Hopkins, 71 people who had used ecstasy at least 25 times and 62 people who had never used the drug had their breathing and nasal pressure mechanically monitored as they slept. Study participants who used ecstasy were found to have a risk for sleep apnea that was eight times higher than those who didn’t use the drug.

The study, supported by the National...

Methamphetamine treatment center celebrates opening [The Daily Times, Farmington, N.M.]

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:09:00 +0000

Nov. 20--FARMINGTON -- Audrey Brown, 34, lives on her own, holds a steady job and is rebuilding relationships with her children.

Two years ago, Brown was facing eight years in prison for possession of drugs.

A second chance sent her back to treatment and in 60 days, she learned the tools that would allow her to live a healthy, sober life.

"I can see the world clear now," she said.

Brown is one of many graduates of the Methamphetamine Detention Treatment Center, a nationally recognized program, which officially opened its new treatment facility Thursday.

The $2.8 million, 6,000-square-foot treatment facility, dedicated solely to methamphetamine inmates, is part of San Juan County's Alternative Sentencing Division. The added space will allow center officials to expand the program that implements incarceration with rehabilitation and recovery.

More than 60 people attended the opening, which included a recognition ceremony for the center's newest graduates.

The center will allow for greater focus...

Stop addiction: HELP-MAMa works to help local meth addicts and their families [The Free Press, ...

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:08:00 +0000

Nov. 19--PINK HILL -- Head south on N.C. 11 from Kinston and you'll soon run into signs imploring the community to stay away from methamphetamine.

More than 100 of the signs, which blare the message "Meth, Stop B4 U Start!" have been placed within the Pink Hill town limits and in a 10-mile radius of the town.

Five local churches, working in partnership with HELP-MAMa (Healing through Education, Love and Prayer-Mothers Against Methamphetamine) purchased the signs and placed them throughout the community.

"I have a passion for individuals who are just down and out, (on) society's margin," said the Rev. Linda Grider, minister for Pink Hill and Woodland United Methodist Churches.

HELP-MAMa, formed last November, works to raise community awareness of meth addiction through visits to schools, churches and civic groups, plus public art projects such as the signs, and painting old buildings with messages against meth.

Grider's son Jason led the painting of...

Legislator wants tighter controls on meth mixer [The Decatur Daily, Ala.]

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:47:00 +0000

Nov. 8--MONTGOMERY -- A Decatur legislator said he wants Alabama to follow Oregon's lead in solving its crystal meth problem by making a common nonprescription drug prescription again.

Republican Rep. Micky Hammon said he plans to prefile the bill now being drafted before the 2010 legislative session begins. The bill would make pseudoephedrine a prescription drug again. The drug has been nonprescription since the 1970s.

Hammon said he first heard about Oregon's law from an attorney who works with cases involving crystal meth. After researching what Oregon did and talking to state officials there, he was "flabbergasted" at the reduction of meth-related crimes there. Oregon state data show a 96 percent reduction in the number of new meth labs.

Pseudoephedrine, used for decades as an inexpensive key ingredient in cough and cold remedies such as Sudafed, is also the key ingredient in methamphetamine or crystal meth.

Alabama passed a law in 2005 requiring...

Former meth addict shares story [Messenger-Inquirer, Owensboro, Ky.]

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:54:00 +0000

Nov. 4--Six years ago, David Parnell took an assault rifle, pressed the muzzle to his chin, pulled the trigger and blew his face apart.

At the end of his rope after 23 years of heavy drug and alcohol abuse that had culminated in an addiction to methamphetamine, Parnell decided he had nothing left to live for and tried to take his own life.

The pictures that were taken at the scene are horrible, difficult to watch and the audience in the Ohio County Community Center's auditorium gasped at what they saw Tuesday night, as Parnell shared the story of how drugs and alcohol almost cost him everything.

"We will do things on this drug that we never dreamed in our wildest imaginations we'd be capable of," Parnell told the audience.

Instead of dying, however, Parnell survived. In the back of the ambulance, he came to terms with his addiction and discovered the way...

Meth: EHS juniors, seniors hear from D.A. ...

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 07:08:00 +0000

Oct. 15--Meth.

Not even once.

That was the message presented by District Attorney Mike Boring to Enid High School's juniors and seniors on Wednesday.

Boring, of District One and Oklahoma's 26 other district attorneys, visited Enid this week for a conference and used the opportunity to reach out to the students of EHS.

"We sure hope that we say something or you see something that you'll remember for months and years to come," he said.

The students were presented with the harsh truths of methamphetamine in several different ways.

Information on the harmful drug was presented through statistics.

--Ninety-nine percent of those who try meth are addicted after the first use.

--Ninety to 95 percent of meth users who go through rehab return to using meth.

--Using meth is more dangerous than playing Russian roulette.

"When you try meth, that's what you're doing," Boring said. "You're playing a game that is more dangerous than playing Russian roulette with (five...

The Salt Lake Tribune Peg McEntee column: McEntee: Refuge and fellowship for the mentally ill ...

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 17:38:00 +0000

Sep. 27--It's a cool autumn morning, and Eleisha Hewes is wearing a red Utah Utes ball cap and sweatshirt as we talk at Alliance House, a Salt Lake City nonprofit dedicated to helping the mentally ill find work, housing and fellowship.

She became a member about three years ago, after more than a decade of family troubles, gang life, violence, addiction and serial hospitalizations. She's been diagnosed with severe depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Her medications, her therapist and her sheer persistence keep her going.

But what a tortuous road it's been.

Hewes, 30, grew up in Glendale with her parents and four sisters. Her dad, a police and fire dispatcher before he became a nurse, always worked long shifts.

Her mom was a quiet woman inclined to "hold everything in," Hewes said.

That left the girls, who never really learned how to communicate, to scream and fight their way through childhood and the...

The Oklahoman, Oklahoma City, Bryan Painter column: Meth eating away in state's southeast [The ...

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 07:11:00 +0000

Sep. 27--TALIHINA -- Envision the silver teeth of a chain saw chewing through a pine. The sawdust is cast aside only to be trampled on the ground.

K. Gary Rose, a federal law officer with the U.S. Forest Service who works in and around the Ouachita National Forest in southeast Oklahoma, knows what meth is doing to the families in his area.

On a recent ride-along, the 51-year-old officer brought the Chevy Tahoe to stop at Shawnee Vista up on the Talimena Scenic Drive. The scenery is almost too much for me to absorb: the Kiamichi Mountains across the way, the short-leaf pines, white oaks and red oaks along the mountains, and the valley, long and lush with a shimmering lake.

But in the midst of the beauty he paints the putrid reality of methamphetamine in this area where he was raised.

"Wealthy, poor, meth doesn't care," he said. "It concerns everybody and...

NIDA Study Shows That Methylphenidate (Ritalin) Causes Neuronal Changes in Brain Reward Areas

Administrator — Fri, 22 May 2009 12:26:41 +0000

Similarities and Differences Compared to Cocaine Were Found

Investigators funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) have shown that the medication methylphenidate (Ritalin), which is commonly prescribed to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), can cause physical changes in neurons in reward regions of mouse brains; in some cases, these effects overlapped with those of cocaine. Both methylphenidate and cocaine are in the class of drugs known as psychostimulants. While methylphenidate is widely prescribed, this study highlights the need for more research into its long-term effects on the brain. These research findings will be published February3 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Ã¢â‚¬Å“Studies to date suggest that prescribed use of methylphenidate in patients with ADHD does not increase their risk for subsequent addiction. However, nonmedical use of methylphenidate and other stimulant medications can lead to addiction as...

Sara Silva Talks About Her Life Four Years After Experiencing an A&E InterventionÂ for ...

Administrator — Fri, 22 May 2009 12:25:48 +0000

(Use the audio player below to listen to the interview.)

By Dennis Miller

Sara Silva was one of the earliest subjects of A&EÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Emmy-nominated Intervention program. Her story, first aired in 2005 during the seriesÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ first season, is today one of its best-known episodes, and was an hour of emotionally-wrenching television few whoÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ve seen can forget. Capturing her in the depths of her addiction to meth, it was an unflinching and at times brutal glimpse into the ravages addiction causes in the lives of addicts and their families. Sara had already lost a marriage, house, car, and custody of her young daughter as filming began. She was on probation for check forgery and after failing a drug test, was likely headed to jail. But those consequences, as serious and tragic as they were, paled...

Seizure Medication Now in Trials for Treatment of Cocaine and Methamphetamine Addiction Shows ...

Administrator — Fri, 22 May 2009 12:24:26 +0000

(Use the audio player below to listen to the interview.)

By Dennis Miller

Few addictions are as pernicious, insidious and, for treatment professionals, as challenging to treat as methamphetamine addiction. Not far behind it is cocaine addiction, which has similarly long proven difficult to treat. In both cases, overpowering cravings for the drugs complicate early treatment efforts. But a medication now under clinical trials may finally give treatment professionals a pharmacologic option for reducing those cravings, giving cognitive, behavioral and group therapies a chance to work.

The drug, called vigabatrin, is not new, but its potential use as an addiction treatment is. Although never approved in the United States, itÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s been licensed in Europe for years as an antiepileptic drug. Because it appears to work in the same regions of the...

America's First Amphetamine Epidemic 1929-1971: A Quantitative and Qualitative Retrospective ...

Administrator

Using historical research that draws on new primary sources, I review the causes and course of the first, mainly iatrogenic amphetamine epidemic in the United States from the 1940s through the 1960s. Retrospective epidemiology indicates that the absolute prevalence of both nonmedical stimulant use and stimulant dependence or abuse have reached nearly the same levels today as at the epidemic's peak around 1969. Further parallels between epidemics past and present, including evidence that consumption of prescribed amphetamines has also reached the same absolute levels today as at the original epidemic's peak, suggest that stricter limits on pharmaceutical stimulants must be considered in any efforts to reduce amphetamine abuse today.

Amphetamine Causes Dopamine Depletion and Cell Death in the Mouse Olfactory Bulb

Administrator

Amphetamine is a neurotoxic psychostimulant that causes dopamine depletion and neuronal death in the rodent striatum. In the present study, we sought to determine if toxic doses of the drug can also induce pathological changes in the mouse olfactory bulb. We found that injections of amphetamine (10 mg/kg × 4, given 2 h apart) caused significant decreases in dopamine levels in that structure. This dose of the drug also induced substantial increases in the number of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyribonucleotide triphosphate (dNTP) nick end labeling (TUNEL)-positive cells in the olfactory bulb indicative of elevated DNA fragmentation. These results show that the toxic effects of amphetamine involve the olfactory bulb in addition to the striatum. These observations need to be taken into consideration when discussing the clinical course of amphetamine addiction.

Cocaine and Amphetamine-Regulated Transcript

Administrator

Cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) is one of the two known mediators of the leptin regulation of bone mass. Cart is expressed in both the brain and peripheral tissues such as the pituitary gland and the pancreatic islets. Cart-/- mice present a low bone mass phenotype due to an isolated increase in osteoclast number. In an effort to rescue their bone phenotype, we delivered recombinant CART in the third ventricle of the mutant mice but never recorded any improvement of the low bone mass, although this procedure could affect fat pad mass. In contrast, transgenic mice harboring a 2-fold increase in CART circulating level display a high bone mass due to an isolated decrease in osteoclast number and could rescue the low bone mass phenotype of the Cart-/- mice. Thus, our results suggest that in its capacity of a regulator of bone remodeling, CART may act more as a circulating...

Psychometric Evaluation of the Amphetamine Cessation Symptom Assessment

Administrator

Testing of a new scale, the Amphetamine Cessation Symptom Assessment (ACSA), in a sample of treatment-seeking amphetamine users (N = 133) showed satisfactory reliability, while factor analysis identified three components explaining 64.7% of the variance in scores. Scores were inversely related to subjective general well-being (r = -.33, p < .01) and directly related to the Beck Depression Inventory (r = .59, p < .01). There were positive relationships between the ACSA and measures of amphetamine dependence (r = .36, p < .01) and the intensity of recent amphetamine use (r = .24, p < .01). The ACSA discriminated between "low-dose" and "high-dose" users, indicating discriminant validity. In inpatients (n = 63), ACSA scores declined significantly over time, while higher scores in inpatient treatment dropouts indicated predictive validity. The ACSA showed satisfactory reliability and validity, with a three-factor solution providing the best fit to the data. The ACSA could play...

Amphetamine-Induced Psychological Disorders and Medical Complications

Administrator

Objective: The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the current research on amphetamine induced psychiatric disorders. Amphetamine/methamphetamine are increasingly used by adolescents and young adults.

Methods: Relevant literature and related articles were identified by means of a computerized MEDLINE search including the years 2000 to 2007. As keywords "(meth)-amphetamines-induced psychological disorders", amphetamine-methamphetamine-induced psychosis" were used. Finally, 55 journal articles out of 109 were included in the review.

Results: The typical adverse effects of repetitive abuse are comprised of euphoria, sleep deprivation, increased motor drive, schizophrenia like psychosis, stereotypies and a characteristic withdrawal syndrome, including increased appetite and hypersomnia. Long term abuse of amphetamines results in adaptive mechanisms like sensitization or desensitization in conditioning and learning processes resulting in severe dependences of amphetamine type. The different methamphetamine/amphetamine-induced psychic, somatic and social consequences and adverse effects including new therapeutic approaches...

Genetic Variants in the Cocaine- and Amphetamine-Regulated Transcript Gene (CARTPT) and Cocaine ...

Administrator

Dopaminergic brain systems have been implicated to play a major role in drug reward, thus making genes involved in these circuits plausible candidates for susceptibility to substance use disorders. The cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript peptide (CARTPT) is involved in reward and feeding behavior and has functional characteristics of an endogenous psychostimulant. In this study we tested the hypothesis that variation in the CARTPT gene increases susceptibility to cocaine dependence in individuals of African descent. Genotypes of three HapMap tagging SNPs (rs6894758; rs11575893; rs17358300) across the CARTPT gene region were obtained in cocaine dependent individuals (n = 348) and normal controls (n = 256). All subjects were of African descent.

There were no significant differences in allele, genotype or haplotype frequencies between cases and controls for any of the tested SNPs. Our results do not support an association of the CARTPT gene with cocaine dependence; however, additional...

Amphetamine-Induced Psychological Disorders and Medical Complications

Administrator

Amphetamine Related Disorders

RL-B students learn dangers of meth: ROUND LAKE ? Not even once. ...

Survey says: Laurel County Meth Watch Program successful [The Sentinel Echo, London, Ky.]

Judge suspends meth-making sentence: Jackson says he is on his way to recovery from drug ...

Hawaii Hansen's disease patient facing crystal meth charges: Man, 68, allegedly tried to ship ...

New Study Suggests “Meth Mouth” as an Addiction Warning Sign in Dental Patients

Program lets students see meth's effects on their own faces [BC-CMP-METHFACES:SL]

BHC News Brief: Adolescent Amphetamine Usage Could Impact Short-Term Memory in Adulthood

Brain Damage from Ecstasy Drug May Cause Dangerous Sleep Apnea

Methamphetamine treatment center celebrates opening [The Daily Times, Farmington, N.M.]

Stop addiction: HELP-MAMa works to help local meth addicts and their families [The Free Press, ...

Legislator wants tighter controls on meth mixer [The Decatur Daily, Ala.]

Former meth addict shares story [Messenger-Inquirer, Owensboro, Ky.]

Meth: EHS juniors, seniors hear from D.A. ...

The Salt Lake Tribune Peg McEntee column: McEntee: Refuge and fellowship for the mentally ill ...

The Oklahoman, Oklahoma City, Bryan Painter column: Meth eating away in state's southeast [The ...

NIDA Study Shows That Methylphenidate (Ritalin) Causes Neuronal Changes in Brain Reward Areas

Sara Silva Talks About Her Life Four Years After Experiencing an A&E InterventionÂ for ...

Seizure Medication Now in Trials for Treatment of Cocaine and Methamphetamine Addiction Shows ...

America's First Amphetamine Epidemic 1929-1971: A Quantitative and Qualitative Retrospective ...

Amphetamine Causes Dopamine Depletion and Cell Death in the Mouse Olfactory Bulb

Cocaine and Amphetamine-Regulated Transcript

Psychometric Evaluation of the Amphetamine Cessation Symptom Assessment

Amphetamine-Induced Psychological Disorders and Medical Complications

Genetic Variants in the Cocaine- and Amphetamine-Regulated Transcript Gene (CARTPT) and Cocaine ...

Amphetamine-Induced Psychological Disorders and Medical Complications

Sara Silva Talks About Her Life Four Years After Experiencing an A&E InterventionÂ for ...