Deaths from methamphetamine overdoses are on the rise in the United States, especially among blacks and American Indian / Alaska Natives, a new study warns.
“While the opioid crisis has received a lot of attention, a methamphetamine crisis is quietly, but actively, gaining momentum – especially among Native Americans and Alaska Natives, who are disproportionately affected by a number of health problems,” said researcher Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).
The researchers found that fatal meth overdoses more than quadrupled among Native Americans and Alaska Natives from 2011 to 2018 (from 5 to 21 per 100,000 people). In this group, deaths among men increased from nearly 6 to 26 per 100,000 and from nearly 4 to 16 per 100,000 among women.
Black Americans are also experiencing a surge in meth overdoses, according to the NIDA report. That’s a worrying trend in a group that previously had a very low rate of methamphetamine overdose deaths.
However, the number of meth-related deaths is on the rise among all Americans, NIDA says. Overall, deadly OD rates increased from less than 2 to 10 per 100,000 men and from 0.8 to 4.5 per 100,000 women – a more than five-fold increase between 2011 and 2018, the report said.
These findings, published Jan. 20 in JAMA Psychiatry, highlight the need to develop prevention and treatment strategies that target specific cultures, the researchers said.
Reduced access to education, high poverty and discrimination are among the factors contributing to health inequalities for American Indians and Alaska Natives, the authors noted.
“Native American Indians and Alaskan peoples face structural disadvantages, but have cultural strengths that can be used to prevent methamphetamine use and improve health outcomes for people with addiction,” added Volkow in a NIDA press release.
A holistic approach to wellness is a deeply rooted tradition among some groups of American Indians and Alaska Native, such as talking circles and ceremonies. Using these traditions and other community-based approaches could be a way to help prevent drug use among youth, the research team suggested.
According to researcher Dr. Beth Han, also of NIDA, “identifying populations with higher probability of methamphetamine overdose is a critical step toward curbing the underlying methamphetamine crisis. By focusing on the unique needs of individuals and by culturally engaging To develop tailor-made interventions, we can begin to move away from one-size-fits-all approaches and towards more effective, tailor-made interventions. “
There has been good news recently when it comes to methamphetamine addiction: A few prescription medications, taken together, appear to help patients significantly reduce or stop their meth use. A study of the treatment was published Jan. 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 greatest effect seen in a large, randomized clinical trial in the treatment of a methamphetamine use disorder.