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Updated: Jul 17, 2026
A General Method for Evaluating Deep Brain Stimulation Effects on Intravenous Methamphetamine Self-Administration
Published on: January 22, 2016
A comparison of aripiprazole, methylphenidate, and placebo for amphetamine dependence
Jari Tiihonen1, Kimmo Kuoppasalmi, Jaana Föhr
1Department of Forensic Psychiatry, University of Kuopio, and the Department of Psychiatry, Helsinki University Hospital, Finland. jari.tiihonen@niuva.fi
Objective:
Problems related to illegal amphetamine use have become a major public health issue in many developed countries. To date, evidence on the effectiveness of psychosocial treatments has remained modest, and no pharmacotherapy has proven effective for amphetamine dependence.
Method:
Individuals meeting DSM-IV criteria for intravenous amphetamine dependence (N=53) were randomly assigned to receive aripiprazole (15 mg/day), slow-release methylphenidate (54 mg/day), or placebo for 20 weeks. The study was terminated prematurely due to unexpected results of interim analysis. An intention-to-treat analysis was used. The primary outcome measure was the proportion of amphetamine-positive urine samples.
Results:
Patients allocated to aripiprazole had significantly more amphetamine-positive urine samples than patients in the placebo group (odds ratio=3.77, 95% CI=1.55-9.18), whereas patients who received methylphenidate had significantly fewer amphetamine-positive urine samples than patients who had received placebo (odds ratio=0.46, 95% CI=0.26-0.81).
Conclusions:
Methylphenidate is an effective treatment for reducing intravenous drug use in patients with severe amphetamine dependence.
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