Stimulant Addiction Is a Growing Yet Treatable Threat

"Stimulant use is speeding up in the U.S., driving a new trend in overdose deaths. While no medication has been FDA-approved for stimulant addiction, a handful demonstrate off-label evidence. These include drugs commonly prescribed in primary care to treat other conditions. Primary care providers can themselves to bring us down from dangerous highs in stimulant use and related mortality. In 2022, 10.2 million people ages 12 and older misused cocaine,"

"Increased availability parallels these trends. The methamphetamine supply has reached a new peak in purity. In addition, medical providers are writing more prescriptions for stimulant medications, such as amphetamine-dextroamphetamine ( Adderall) to treat ADHD. While taking an ADHD prescription does not appear to lead to inappropriate use or addiction, most people who misuse prescription stimulants obtain them from family or friends. Primary care providers should be wary of diversion: a larger pool of drugs may breed addiction."

"When we think about lethal overdose, we think not of stimulants, but rather, opioids. Heroin, and its cheaper and vastly more potent synthetic cousin fentanyl, cause death by suppressing the drive to breathe. Opioids have defined the national overdose crisis since the 1990s and still cause the vast majority of deaths today. Yet now, 59% of fatal overdoses involve stimulants. This historical shift is known as the fourth wave of the overdose crisis."

Stimulant use and stimulant use disorder are rising sharply in the U.S., contributing to a new wave of overdose deaths. In 2022, 10.2 million people ages 12 and older misused cocaine, methamphetamines, and/or prescription stimulants, with roughly 4.5 million meeting criteria for stimulant use disorder. Methamphetamine supply has increased in purity while clinical prescribing of stimulants for ADHD has grown, raising diversion risks. No medications are FDA-approved for stimulant addiction, though several commonly used off-label medications show some evidence. Stimulants now factor into 59% of fatal overdoses, marking the fourth wave of the overdose crisis.

Read at Psychology Today