A new study warns that it has died from rising methamphetamine overdoses in the United States, especially among blacks and Native Americans / Alaska Natives.
“While the focus is on the opioid crisis, a methamphetamine crisis has been quiet but active, gaining steam – especially among American Indians and Alaska Natives, who are disproportionately affected by a number of health conditions, ”said researcher Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the US National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).
The researchers found that fatal methamphetamine overdoses increased more than fourfold among Native Americans and Alaska Natives from 2011 to 2018 (5 to 21 to 100,000 people). In this group, deaths for men increased from almost 6 to 26 to 100,000 and from almost 4 to 16 to 100,000 among women.
Black Americans are also facing a large increase in methamphetamine overdoses, according to the NIDA report. This is a worrying trend in a group that previously had very low death rates from methamphetamine overdose.
However, methamphetamine-related deaths are rising among all Americans, says NIDA. Overall, lethal OD rates have risen from less than 2 to 10 per 100,000 men and from 0.8 to 4.5 to 100,000 women – an increase of more than fivefold between 2011 and 2018, the report said.
These findings, published Jan. 20 in JAMA Psychiatry, highlight the need to develop culture-specific prevention and treatment strategies, the researchers said.
Decreased access to education, high poverty rates and discrimination are among the factors contributing to health disparities for Native Americans and Alaska Natives, the study authors noted.
“Native American and Native American populations in Alaska face structural disadvantages, but they have cultural strengths that can be harnessed to prevent methamphetamine use and improve health outcomes for those living with addiction,” Volkow added in a statement. NIDA press release.
A holistic approach to health is a deep-rooted tradition among groups of Native American and Alaska Native Americans, such as speech circles and ceremonies. Using these traditions and other community approaches can be a way to help prevent drug use among young people, the study team suggested.
According to researcher Dr. Beth Han, also from NIDA, “Identifying populations that have a higher rate of methamphetamine overdose is a crucial step toward reducing the underlying methamphetamine crisis. By focusing on the unique needs of individuals and developing culturally adapted interventions, we can begin to move away from one-size-fits-all approaches to more effective, tailored interventions. “
There has been some good news recently about methamphetamine addiction: a pair of prescription drugs taken together seem to help patients significantly reduce or quit methamphetamine use. A study on the treatment was published on January 14 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Volkow said the “synergistic” power of using this combo of drugs – bupropion and naltrexone – is good news, equating to the biggest effect seen in a large, randomized clinical trial in the treatment of methamphetamine use disorder.