Deaths from methamphetamine overdoses are on the rise in the United States, especially among blacks and Native Americans / Alaskan Indians, a new study warns.
“While much attention is focused on the opioid crisis, a methamphetamine crisis has been quietly but actively gaining momentum – particularly among American Indians and Alaskan natives, who are disproportionately affected by a range of health conditions,” said the researcher Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the United States National Drug Abuse Institute (NIDA).
The researchers found that fatal methamphetamine overdoses more than quadrupled among American Indians and Alaska Natives from 2011 to 2018 (from 5 to 21 per 100,000 people). In that group, male deaths increased from almost 6 to 26 per 100,000 and from almost 4 to 16 per 100,000 among women.
Black Americans are also experiencing a huge increase in methamphetamine overdoses, according to the NIDA report. This is a worrying trend in a group that previously had very low rates of deaths from methamphetamine overdose.
However, meth-related deaths are increasing among all Americans, says NIDA. Overall, fatal OD rates increased from less than 2 to 10 per 100,000 men and from 0.8 to 4.5 per 100,000 women – an increase of more than five times from 2011 to 2018, the report found.
These findings, published Jan. 20 in JAMA Psychiatry, highlight the need to develop prevention and treatment strategies aimed at specific cultures, the researchers said.
Reduced access to education, high rates of poverty and discrimination are among the factors that contribute to health disparities between American Indians and Alaskan natives, the study authors noted.
“American Indian and Alaskan Native populations experience structural disadvantages, but they have cultural advantages that can be used to prevent meth use and improve health outcomes for those living with addiction,” added Volkow in a press release. of NIDA.
A holistic approach to well-being is a tradition deeply ingrained among some groups of American Indians and Alaskan natives, such as conversation circles and ceremonies. Using these traditions and other community-based approaches may 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 in containing the underlying methamphetamine crisis. By focusing on the unique needs of individuals and developing culturally interventions adapted, we can start moving away from one-size-fits-all approaches towards more effective and personalized interventions. “
There has been some good news recently regarding methamphetamine addiction: a couple of prescription drugs, taken together, appear to help patients significantly reduce methamphetamine use, or stop altogether. A study on treatment was published on January 14 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Volkow said the “synergistic” power of using this combination of drugs – bupropion and naltrexone – is good news, representing the biggest effect seen in a large randomized controlled trial in the treatment of meth use disorder.