A pilot randomised controlled trial of modafinil during acute methamphetamine withdrawal: Feasibility, tolerability and clinical outcomes

Introduction and Aims: There are no medications approved for the treatment of methamphetamine withdrawal. Wake-promoting agent modafinil has recently been proposed as a viable option. This paper reports on the results of a pilot study that tested the feasibility of modafinil in an inpatient withdraw...

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Main Authors: Lee, N., Pennay, A., Hester, R., McKetin, Rebecca, Nielsen, S., Ferris, J.
Format: Journal Article
Published: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 2013
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/56651
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author Lee, N.
Pennay, A.
Hester, R.
McKetin, Rebecca
Nielsen, S.
Ferris, J.
author_facet Lee, N.
Pennay, A.
Hester, R.
McKetin, Rebecca
Nielsen, S.
Ferris, J.
author_sort Lee, N.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Introduction and Aims: There are no medications approved for the treatment of methamphetamine withdrawal. Wake-promoting agent modafinil has recently been proposed as a viable option. This paper reports on the results of a pilot study that tested the feasibility of modafinil in an inpatient withdrawal setting during acute methamphetamine withdrawal. Design and Methods: In a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled study, 19 methamphetamine dependent participants received modafinil (n=9) or placebo (n=10) daily for 7days (200mg for the first 5days and 100mg on days 6 and 7). Primary outcomes were retention in treatment and severity of withdrawal symptoms. Second ary outcomes were methamphetamine craving, sleep and physiological outcomes. Results: There were no significant differences between groups on retention in treatment, withdrawal severity, craving, sleep or physiological outcomes. There were no adverse events or side-effects reported. Conclusions: Modafinil was found to be tolerable and well accepted by methamphetamine users and feasible for short-term inpatient withdrawal, but the sample was too small to detect treatment effects. Larger trials are needed to establish efficacy.
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institution Curtin University Malaysia
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-566512018-01-08T08:06:59Z A pilot randomised controlled trial of modafinil during acute methamphetamine withdrawal: Feasibility, tolerability and clinical outcomes Lee, N. Pennay, A. Hester, R. McKetin, Rebecca Nielsen, S. Ferris, J. Introduction and Aims: There are no medications approved for the treatment of methamphetamine withdrawal. Wake-promoting agent modafinil has recently been proposed as a viable option. This paper reports on the results of a pilot study that tested the feasibility of modafinil in an inpatient withdrawal setting during acute methamphetamine withdrawal. Design and Methods: In a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled study, 19 methamphetamine dependent participants received modafinil (n=9) or placebo (n=10) daily for 7days (200mg for the first 5days and 100mg on days 6 and 7). Primary outcomes were retention in treatment and severity of withdrawal symptoms. Second ary outcomes were methamphetamine craving, sleep and physiological outcomes. Results: There were no significant differences between groups on retention in treatment, withdrawal severity, craving, sleep or physiological outcomes. There were no adverse events or side-effects reported. Conclusions: Modafinil was found to be tolerable and well accepted by methamphetamine users and feasible for short-term inpatient withdrawal, but the sample was too small to detect treatment effects. Larger trials are needed to establish efficacy. 2013 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/56651 10.1111/j.1465-3362.2012.00473.x Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd. unknown
spellingShingle Lee, N.
Pennay, A.
Hester, R.
McKetin, Rebecca
Nielsen, S.
Ferris, J.
A pilot randomised controlled trial of modafinil during acute methamphetamine withdrawal: Feasibility, tolerability and clinical outcomes
title A pilot randomised controlled trial of modafinil during acute methamphetamine withdrawal: Feasibility, tolerability and clinical outcomes
title_full A pilot randomised controlled trial of modafinil during acute methamphetamine withdrawal: Feasibility, tolerability and clinical outcomes
title_fullStr A pilot randomised controlled trial of modafinil during acute methamphetamine withdrawal: Feasibility, tolerability and clinical outcomes
title_full_unstemmed A pilot randomised controlled trial of modafinil during acute methamphetamine withdrawal: Feasibility, tolerability and clinical outcomes
title_short A pilot randomised controlled trial of modafinil during acute methamphetamine withdrawal: Feasibility, tolerability and clinical outcomes
title_sort pilot randomised controlled trial of modafinil during acute methamphetamine withdrawal: feasibility, tolerability and clinical outcomes
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/56651