Justin C Strickland1, William W Stoops2, Kelly E Dunn3, Kirsten E Smith4, Jennifer R Havens5. 1. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 5510 Nathan Shock Drive, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA. Electronic address: jstric14@jhmi.edu. 2. Department of Behavioral Science, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, 1100 Veterans Drive, Medical Behavioral Science Building Room 140, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA; Center on Drug and Alcohol Research, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, 845 Angliana Ave, Lexington, KY, 40508, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences, 110 Kastle Hall, Lexington, KY, 40506, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, 3470 Blazer Parkway, Lexington, KY, 40509, USA. 3. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 5510 Nathan Shock Drive, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA. 4. National Institute on Drug Abuse Intramural Research Program, 251 Bayview Boulevard, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA. 5. Department of Behavioral Science, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, 1100 Veterans Drive, Medical Behavioral Science Building Room 140, Lexington, KY, 40536, USA; Center on Drug and Alcohol Research, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, 845 Angliana Ave, Lexington, KY, 40508, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Methamphetamine use is a growing public health concern in the United States. Prior analyses with nationally representative data from 2015 to 2017 suggested that increases in methamphetamine use appeared largely selective to people using heroin. This analysis updated prior estimates to determine if trends are selectively persistent and how they compare to historical trends. We also evaluate sociodemographic risk factors associated with methamphetamine use among people using heroin. METHODS: Data from the 2015-2019 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) were analyzed. Data from the 2006-2014 NSDUH were summarized for historical trends. Past month and past year methamphetamine use prevalence was determined within populations using heroin as well as those using other drugs (e.g., cocaine, cannabis). Multivariable logistic models accounting for complex survey design evaluated predictors of methamphetamine use among people using heroin. RESULTS: From 2015 to 2019, past month methamphetamine use increased from 9.0% to 44.0% within the population of people reporting past month heroin use. Similarly, past year methamphetamine use increased from 22.5% to 46.7% among those reporting past year heroin use. Risk factors for methamphetamine use among people using heroin included rurality, past year injection drug use, and serious mental illness. CONCLUSIONS: A rapid, selective, and sustained increase in methamphetamine use is evident among people using heroin. These findings combined with similar findings in treatment admission and overdose data emphasize the need for increased attention to a specific type of high-risk use pattern in the United States, an issue that appears increasingly unlikely to naturally resolve.
BACKGROUND: Methamphetamine use is a growing public health concern in the United States. Prior analyses with nationally representative data from 2015 to 2017 suggested that increases in methamphetamine use appeared largely selective to people using heroin. This analysis updated prior estimates to determine if trends are selectively persistent and how they compare to historical trends. We also evaluate sociodemographic risk factors associated with methamphetamine use among people using heroin. METHODS: Data from the 2015-2019 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) were analyzed. Data from the 2006-2014 NSDUH were summarized for historical trends. Past month and past year methamphetamine use prevalence was determined within populations using heroin as well as those using other drugs (e.g., cocaine, cannabis). Multivariable logistic models accounting for complex survey design evaluated predictors of methamphetamine use among people using heroin. RESULTS: From 2015 to 2019, past month methamphetamine use increased from 9.0% to 44.0% within the population of people reporting past month heroin use. Similarly, past year methamphetamine use increased from 22.5% to 46.7% among those reporting past year heroin use. Risk factors for methamphetamine use among people using heroin included rurality, past year injection drug use, and serious mental illness. CONCLUSIONS: A rapid, selective, and sustained increase in methamphetamine use is evident among people using heroin. These findings combined with similar findings in treatment admission and overdose data emphasize the need for increased attention to a specific type of high-risk use pattern in the United States, an issue that appears increasingly unlikely to naturally resolve.
Authors: Andrea M Lopez; Zena Dhatt; Mary Howe; Marwa Al-Nassir; Amy Billing; Eleanor Artigiani; Eric D Wish Journal: Int J Drug Policy Date: 2021-01-19
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