Clinical and demographic characteristics of people who smoke versus inject crystalline methamphetamine in Australia: Findings from a pharmacotherapy trial
Introduction and Aims: There has been a rapid increase in smoking crystalline methamphetamine in Australia. We compare the clinical and demographic characteristics of those who smoke versus inject the drug in a cohort of people who use methamphetamine. Design and Methods: Participants (N = 151) were...
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
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WILEY
2021
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| Online Access: | http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1128147 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/91412 |
| _version_ | 1848765514637115392 |
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| author | McKetin, Rebecca Quinn, B. Higgs, Peter Berk, M. Dean, O.M. Turner, A. Kelly, P.J. Lubman, D.I. Carter, G. Baker, A.L. Manning, V. Thomas, T. Bathish, R. Raftery, D. Saunders, L. Wrobel, A. Meehan, A. Sinclair, B. Reid, D. Arunogiri, S. Hill, H. Cordaro, F. Dietze, Paul |
| author_facet | McKetin, Rebecca Quinn, B. Higgs, Peter Berk, M. Dean, O.M. Turner, A. Kelly, P.J. Lubman, D.I. Carter, G. Baker, A.L. Manning, V. Thomas, T. Bathish, R. Raftery, D. Saunders, L. Wrobel, A. Meehan, A. Sinclair, B. Reid, D. Arunogiri, S. Hill, H. Cordaro, F. Dietze, Paul |
| author_sort | McKetin, Rebecca |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Introduction and Aims: There has been a rapid increase in smoking crystalline methamphetamine in Australia. We compare the clinical and demographic characteristics of those who smoke versus inject the drug in a cohort of people who use methamphetamine. Design and Methods: Participants (N = 151) were dependent on methamphetamine, aged 18–60 years, enrolled in a pharmacotherapy trial for methamphetamine dependence, and reported either injecting (n = 54) or smoking (n = 97) methamphetamine. Measures included the Timeline Followback, Severity of Dependence Scale, Amphetamine Withdrawal Questionnaire, Craving Experience Questionnaire and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (symptoms of depression, hostility, psychosis and suicidality). Simultaneous regression was used to identify independent demographic correlates of smoking methamphetamine and to compare the clinical characteristics of participants who smoked versus injected. Results: Compared to participants who injected methamphetamine, those who smoked methamphetamine were younger and less likely to be unemployed, have a prison history or live alone. Participants who smoked methamphetamine used methamphetamine on more days in the past 4 weeks than participants who injected methamphetamine (26 vs. 19 days, P = 0.001); they did not differ significantly in their severity of methamphetamine dependence, withdrawal, craving or psychiatric symptoms (P > 0.05). After adjustment for demographic differences, participants who smoked had lower craving [b (SE) = −1.1 (0.5), P = 0.021] and were less likely to report psychotic symptoms [b (SE) = −1.8 (0.7), P = 0.013] or antidepressant use [b (SE) = −1.1 (0.5), P = 0.022]. Discussion and Conclusions: Smoking crystalline methamphetamine is associated with a younger less marginalised demographic profile than injecting methamphetamine, but a similarly severe clinical profile. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:36:28Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-91412 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T11:36:28Z |
| publishDate | 2021 |
| publisher | WILEY |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-914122023-04-19T03:54:32Z Clinical and demographic characteristics of people who smoke versus inject crystalline methamphetamine in Australia: Findings from a pharmacotherapy trial McKetin, Rebecca Quinn, B. Higgs, Peter Berk, M. Dean, O.M. Turner, A. Kelly, P.J. Lubman, D.I. Carter, G. Baker, A.L. Manning, V. Thomas, T. Bathish, R. Raftery, D. Saunders, L. Wrobel, A. Meehan, A. Sinclair, B. Reid, D. Arunogiri, S. Hill, H. Cordaro, F. Dietze, Paul Science & Technology Life Sciences & Biomedicine Substance Abuse methamphetamine pharmacotherapy characteristics inject smoke PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES DRUG-USE HARMS USERS DEPENDENCE SEVERITY COCAINE HEROIN characteristics inject methamphetamine pharmacotherapy smoke Adolescent Adult Amphetamine-Related Disorders Australia Central Nervous System Stimulants Demography Humans Methamphetamine Middle Aged Smoking Young Adult Humans Amphetamine-Related Disorders Methamphetamine Central Nervous System Stimulants Smoking Demography Adolescent Adult Middle Aged Australia Young Adult Introduction and Aims: There has been a rapid increase in smoking crystalline methamphetamine in Australia. We compare the clinical and demographic characteristics of those who smoke versus inject the drug in a cohort of people who use methamphetamine. Design and Methods: Participants (N = 151) were dependent on methamphetamine, aged 18–60 years, enrolled in a pharmacotherapy trial for methamphetamine dependence, and reported either injecting (n = 54) or smoking (n = 97) methamphetamine. Measures included the Timeline Followback, Severity of Dependence Scale, Amphetamine Withdrawal Questionnaire, Craving Experience Questionnaire and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (symptoms of depression, hostility, psychosis and suicidality). Simultaneous regression was used to identify independent demographic correlates of smoking methamphetamine and to compare the clinical characteristics of participants who smoked versus injected. Results: Compared to participants who injected methamphetamine, those who smoked methamphetamine were younger and less likely to be unemployed, have a prison history or live alone. Participants who smoked methamphetamine used methamphetamine on more days in the past 4 weeks than participants who injected methamphetamine (26 vs. 19 days, P = 0.001); they did not differ significantly in their severity of methamphetamine dependence, withdrawal, craving or psychiatric symptoms (P > 0.05). After adjustment for demographic differences, participants who smoked had lower craving [b (SE) = −1.1 (0.5), P = 0.021] and were less likely to report psychotic symptoms [b (SE) = −1.8 (0.7), P = 0.013] or antidepressant use [b (SE) = −1.1 (0.5), P = 0.022]. Discussion and Conclusions: Smoking crystalline methamphetamine is associated with a younger less marginalised demographic profile than injecting methamphetamine, but a similarly severe clinical profile. 2021 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/91412 10.1111/dar.13183 English http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1128147 http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1135901 http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1136908 http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1156072 http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1145634 http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1059660 WILEY fulltext |
| spellingShingle | Science & Technology Life Sciences & Biomedicine Substance Abuse methamphetamine pharmacotherapy characteristics inject smoke PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES DRUG-USE HARMS USERS DEPENDENCE SEVERITY COCAINE HEROIN characteristics inject methamphetamine pharmacotherapy smoke Adolescent Adult Amphetamine-Related Disorders Australia Central Nervous System Stimulants Demography Humans Methamphetamine Middle Aged Smoking Young Adult Humans Amphetamine-Related Disorders Methamphetamine Central Nervous System Stimulants Smoking Demography Adolescent Adult Middle Aged Australia Young Adult McKetin, Rebecca Quinn, B. Higgs, Peter Berk, M. Dean, O.M. Turner, A. Kelly, P.J. Lubman, D.I. Carter, G. Baker, A.L. Manning, V. Thomas, T. Bathish, R. Raftery, D. Saunders, L. Wrobel, A. Meehan, A. Sinclair, B. Reid, D. Arunogiri, S. Hill, H. Cordaro, F. Dietze, Paul Clinical and demographic characteristics of people who smoke versus inject crystalline methamphetamine in Australia: Findings from a pharmacotherapy trial |
| title | Clinical and demographic characteristics of people who smoke versus inject crystalline methamphetamine in Australia: Findings from a pharmacotherapy trial |
| title_full | Clinical and demographic characteristics of people who smoke versus inject crystalline methamphetamine in Australia: Findings from a pharmacotherapy trial |
| title_fullStr | Clinical and demographic characteristics of people who smoke versus inject crystalline methamphetamine in Australia: Findings from a pharmacotherapy trial |
| title_full_unstemmed | Clinical and demographic characteristics of people who smoke versus inject crystalline methamphetamine in Australia: Findings from a pharmacotherapy trial |
| title_short | Clinical and demographic characteristics of people who smoke versus inject crystalline methamphetamine in Australia: Findings from a pharmacotherapy trial |
| title_sort | clinical and demographic characteristics of people who smoke versus inject crystalline methamphetamine in australia: findings from a pharmacotherapy trial |
| topic | Science & Technology Life Sciences & Biomedicine Substance Abuse methamphetamine pharmacotherapy characteristics inject smoke PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES DRUG-USE HARMS USERS DEPENDENCE SEVERITY COCAINE HEROIN characteristics inject methamphetamine pharmacotherapy smoke Adolescent Adult Amphetamine-Related Disorders Australia Central Nervous System Stimulants Demography Humans Methamphetamine Middle Aged Smoking Young Adult Humans Amphetamine-Related Disorders Methamphetamine Central Nervous System Stimulants Smoking Demography Adolescent Adult Middle Aged Australia Young Adult |
| url | http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1128147 http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1128147 http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1128147 http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1128147 http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1128147 http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1128147 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/91412 |