Ok, found it from a newspaper, here's my shot to translate it:
Drug treatment seems to alleviate amphetamine dependency
A drug, used to treat ADHD, has proven to be efficient in treating amphetamine dependency. Recently accomplished finnish studys are pending for verification in a larger study that began in summer. The medication was given in addition to regular psychosocial treatment, meaning guidance and support.
Promising results were achieved with a drug methylphenidate, which is used to treat attention disorders. It is sold under three different trade names in Finland. "The drug helped people to cut down their use of amphetamine", says the leading professor Jari Tiihonen. "The relative danger to relapse was half of that with placebo." The treatment-study's purpose was to help find a replacement drug, which would help users to overcome their drug addiction. First drug, used for psychosis, aripiprazol(not sure about the spelling) turned out to be more effective than placebo. Methylphenidate instead cut down the usage of amphetamine by 6-33%. (yes, it's "instead" in the original text too, trying to translate as literally as possibly)
Tiihonen thinks it's reasonable to replace one addiction with another, because it causes less damage to the brain and the risks involved with use of intravenous drugs, such like hepatitis, go down. Apparently also criminality is lessened. Promising results aren't enough to ensure it's position as treatment, but there is needed more proof. There have been started follow-up studies in Helsinki and Turku, from which results are expected to see in few years.
I don't see here so big of a breakthrough that it should've been on news. Might seem obvious in retrospect, but ofcourse such a close relative to amphetamines alleviates the symptoms of withdrawal greatly. But I'm no expert in this field, so share your opinions.
Here's the link to the original article
http://www.hs.fi/teksti/uutiset/tuor.../1135224029988
02-01-2007, 21:21
Hybrid Mode
