Prescription Psychostimulants Promote Abstinence in Stimulant Use Disorder

Agonist treatment, commonly used to treat opioid and tobacco use disorders, can reduce drug use and its negative consequences. Several high-quality trials of prescription psychostimulants (PPs) as agonist treatment for illicit stimulant use disorder were recently published, prompting these researchers to perform a new meta-analysis.

The meta-analysis included 38 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials (N=2889) that used modafinil, methylphenidate, or amphetamines (mixed amphetamine salts, lisdexamphetamine, or dextroamphetamine) to treat cocaine use disorder (CUD; 26 trials) or amphetamine/methamphetamine use disorder (MUD;12 trials). The primary outcome was abstinence sustained over 2 or 3 weeks.

PPs increased sustained abstinenc…