SynthesisDrug and alcohol review2023
Pharmacological treatment for methamphetamine withdrawal: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.
Synthesis in Drug and alcohol review, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 38 citations in OpenAlex.
- Evidence-based consensus guidelines for the pharmacological management of substance dependence: Recommendations from the British Association for Psychopharmacology.Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) · 2026Guideline
- Applications of Immersive Virtual Reality for Illicit Substance Use: A Systematic Review.Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs · 2024Pooled it
- Pharmacological treatment for methamphetamine withdrawal: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.Drug and alcohol review · 2023Pooled it
- Approach With Caution: A Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial of Approach Bias Modification for People Undergoing Residential Treatment for Methamphetamine Use Disorder.Drug and alcohol review · 2026Trial
- Preferences for Smartphone Versus In-Person Delivery of Contingency Management: A Web-Based Survey of Australians Who Use Methamphetamine.Drug and alcohol review · 2026Article
- Reduced Environmental Stimulation Therapy (REST) in methamphetamine use disorder: a pilot study.Addictive behaviors reports · 2026Article
- The use ofFrontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2026Review
- Effect of transcranial alternating current stimulation (NET Device™) on psychostimulant withdrawal severity and time course: a real-world data analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Article
- Review
- [Challenges and chances in the management of methamphetamine-related disorders].Der Nervenarzt · 2025Review
- Synthetic Drug Use and Limitations of Hospital Drug Screening: A Case of Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate Toxicity.Cureus · 2025Article
- Exploring the relationship between cue-induced craving and withdrawal craving in MUD individuals based on a virtual-reality cue exposure paradigm.BMC psychiatry · 2025Article
- Management of Amphetamine and Methamphetamine Use Disorders: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis of Randomized Trials.International journal of mental health and addiction · 2025Article
- Providers' Experiences and Perspectives in Treating Patients With Co-Occurring Opioid and Stimulant Use Disorders in the Hospital.Substance use & addiction journal · 2024Article
- Using the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test to predict substance-related hospitalisation after release from prison: A cohort study.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2024Article
- A review of methamphetamine use and stroke in the young.Frontiers in neurology · 2024Review
- Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for methamphetamine dependence: a case report involving daily methamphetamine use.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Article
- Methamphetamine dependence in Australia-why is 'ice' (crystal meth) so addictive?Psychiatry, psychology, and law : an interdisciplinary journal of the Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychiatry, Psychology and Law · 2024Article
- Hyperconnectivity of the lateral amygdala in long-term methamphetamine abstainers negatively correlated with withdrawal duration.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
issuesCessation of methamphetamine use may result in a characteristic withdrawal syndrome, no medication has been approved for this indication. This systematic review aims to assess the efficacy of pharmacotherapy for methamphetamine withdrawal, the first comprehensive meta-analysis since 2008. APPROACH: MEDLINE (1966-2020), CINAHL (1982-2020), PsychINFO (1806-2020) and EMBASE (1947-2020) were systematically searched. Studies were included if they were randomised controlled trials (RCT) investigating pharmacological treatments for methamphetamine withdrawal, reviewing outcomes of treatment discontinuation, mental health outcomes, withdrawal symptoms (including craving) and patient safety. The relative risk (RR) and weighted mean difference (MD) were used to meta-analyse dichotomous and continuous data respectively, with 95% confidence intervals. Risk of bias and Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) assessments were conducted. KEY
findingsNine RCTs of six medications (n = 242 participants) met inclusion criteria, however, only six trials of four medications (n = 186) could be meta-analysed. Mean sample size across studies was 27 participants, and 88% of participants were male. The quality of evidence in this review varies from low to very low on GRADE assessments. Amineptine may reduce discontinuation rates (RR 0.22, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.07, 0.72, p = 0.01), and improve global state (MD -0.49, 95% CI -0.80, -0.17), compared with placebo, however, this medication is no longer approved. No other medications improved any domain when compared with placebo. Due to lack of reporting safety profiles could not be established.
conclusionsThere is insufficient evidence to indicate any medication is effective for the treatment of methamphetamine withdrawal. The poor quality of the evidence indicates a need for better powered, high-quality trials.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.