Antidepressant cuts the appeal of meth
December 04, 2005

A common antidepressant, bupropion, can reduce the craving for methamphetamine, providing the possibility of a drug treatment for the powerfully addictive stimulant, according to a study to be published last month.

Dr. Thomas F. Newton, a psychiatrist at the University of California, Los Angeles, who led the study, found that subjects who were given bupropion reported a lesser high after treatment as well as a less-intense craving after watching a video of actors favorably portraying meth use.

Although the four-week study involved only 20 patients, its results were encouraging because there is no available drug treatment for methamphetamine addiction.

Bupropion, sold under the trade name Wellbutrin, has long been used as an antidepressant and treatment to stop smoking.

Original source: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com