NEW THERAPIES, DRUGS OFFER HOPE TO METH ADDICTS

The United States is in the middle of a new wave of methamphetamine
abuse, but programs to treat speed addicts are behind the times, say
Bay Area researchers who are studying new therapies - and new drugs -
that they hope will help people kick the habit.

"If someone needs treatment now, they might as well go to any place
for any kind of addiction, because there's no specific treatment for
methamphetamine. And the programs we have don't work that well," said
Dr. John Mendelson, a senior scientist with the Addiction and
Pharmacology Research Laboratory at California Pacific Medical Center
in San Francisco.

Methamphetamine abusers are typically treated in regular groups or
one-on-one counseling sessions over several months, followed by a
12-step program similar to Alcoholics Anonymous. It's a form of
treatment that's been used with addicts of all types of drugs.

The method has been proved to work, but not as effectively as some
researchers would like. Now, addiction experts believe that the key
to helping meth users is to acknowledge that it's a unique drug with
barriers unlike other addictive drugs that keep people from quitting.

To test that belief, scientists at treatment centers throughout the
Bay Area have begun to look at new styles of counseling and at
pharmaceutical drugs that would help fight the distinct cravings that
meth addicts experience.

"We're learning that methamphetamine is not heroin, prescription
opiates or alcohol," Mendelson said. "It's a different problem with a
different set of treatments that are going to be, hopefully, effective."

Cal Pacific a leader in fight

California Pacific Medical Center's Addiction and Pharmacology
Research Laboratory is gaining popularity among recovering addicts
because of new drug and counseling techniques being tested there.

"Everyone on the street knows about this place," said Myrna, a
47-year-old San Francisco resident and former methamphetamine addict
who participated in a clinical trial at the clinic.

Myrna, who asked that her last name not be used for this story,
bounced around treatment programs for months before landing at
California Pacific. There, she received experimental drugs that she
thinks helped her kick her addiction. She also attended thrice-weekly
counseling sessions at the Haight Ashbury Free Clinics.

Addiction experts and researchers said her story isn't unusual.
Finding a drug to help addicts get past the initial withdrawal gives
them "a foot up in their sobriety," said Dr. Raymond Buscemi, a
psychiatrist with the Addiction and Pharmacology Research Laboratory
at California Pacific.

Methamphetamine first became popular in the United States with
long-haul truckers in the 1950s, and later was picked up in the 1970s
and '80s by athletes looking for a synthetic performance boost. Its
next wave - as a party drug popular among gays - started about 20
years ago. It's now spread beyond that and is one of the few drugs
that has high rates of use among women.

Methamphetamine is a synthetic stimulant that can be taken by pill,
inhaled through the nose, injected or smoked. It triggers the brain
to release high levels of dopamine, which creates an intense feeling
of euphoria. But over time, the body becomes resistant to dopamine,
and the person needs more of the drug to get the same high.

Because it's a stimulant, methamphetamine also keeps users awake and
often makes them more physically active - many people take it because
it makes them feel more productive. Long-term abuse, however, can
cause insomnia, severe mood swings, violent behavior and even psychosis.

Psychological attachment

Meth addicts don't usually have the same acute withdrawal symptoms
that someone suffering from heroin or alcohol addiction might face.
But meth addicts may be more psychologically attached, researchers
say. When they try to quit, they can fall into a severe depression
and find that using again is the only way to feel better.

Myrna started using regularly when she was 32 and going through a bad
divorce. A friend introduced her to methamphetamine, and before long
she was injecting it regularly. Myrna had custody of her three
children while she was using, and she worked steadily for five years.

"I kept doing it on a daily basis because I was able to function," she said.

She finally decided to seek treatment when her daughter confessed to
experimenting with drugs. At the same time, Myrna talked to two
friends and former addicts who were on their way to recovery, and she
thought if they could quit, so could she. That began a journey that
led to volunteering for the California Pacific trial.

Emotional problems

Methamphetamine is especially popular with people who have
psychological disorders like depression or post-traumatic stress
disorder, and addiction experts say they often treat women who are
victims of domestic abuse. These problems must be addressed if an
addict is going to quit the drug, they say.

Many addicts are convinced they need the drug just to get through a
day - if only because the drug keeps them awake and makes them feel productive.

One new type of experimental treatment is known as "motivational"
therapy, which allows addicts to quit at their own pace. Counselors
work with addicts to address why they use methamphetamine - looking
at both the benefits of speed and the obvious negatives.

"There's a history in the addiction field that you have to stop using
immediately - you have to hit bottom and realize you can't use
anything at all, and that's the place when you begin treatment," said
Douglas Polcin, principal investigator for a study with the National
Institute on Drug Abuse who is doing research at New Life Treatment
Center in Lafayette.

"But with motivational therapy, you meet the client where they are,
which may be a very mixed place," Polcin said. "There's certainly no
magic bullet out there. But there are a few studies that are encouraging."

Harmful habits in S.F.

Among people who sought treatment for drug dependence, the percentage
who reported being addicted to these drugs in the 2008-09 fiscal year:

Heroin:

31%

Alcohol:

21%

Cocaine:

20%

Methamphetamine:

11%

Marijuana:

9%

Hallucinogens:

1%

Source: San Francisco Department of Public Health