New chemical 'could prevent meth abuse relapses'

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by Change | 14 Nov 2008

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A new chemical is undergoing further trials after preliminary tests suggest it could block relapsing behaviour for former meth addicts.

A new chemical is being trialled which early tests suggest could help prevent relapses for methamphetamine addiction patients undergoing recovery treatment.

In animal experiments, creatures given Vigabatrin did not want to spend time in areas they associated with receiving methamphetamines, suggesting they lost interest in the substance.

Further studies will be conducted to determine whether the chemical is capable of blocking drug-induced relapse.

The experiments were conducted at the US Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory and will be published in Synapse's February edition.

Stephen Dewey, the neuroanatomist at the site who led the study, claims the recovery treatment - if successful - could allow those with meth addiction to regain control over their own lives.

"In human drug abusers, many things can cause relapse - exposure or access to drugs, environmental cues that trigger thoughts of the drug, or stress," he states.

Vigabatrin is currently undergoing safety and efficacy tests on human subjects in US clinical trials for both meth abuse and cocaine addiction.

The drug is most commonly used as a treatment for epilepsy due to its anticonvulsant effect and is typically taken orally.

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