A new medication for meth is being trialled in your area

Despite the high rates of methamphetamine use in your state, people who use the drug have few options if they want to reduce their use. Unlike for heroin, there are no effective medications like methadone or buprenorphine to help people struggling with meth use.

That might be about to change. Scientists in the USA have identified a medication that can help people cut down. They found it also helped people to sleep better and improved their mood. The drug is mirtazapine (sold as Avanza®), an antidepressant drug, that is already available in Australia.

While this is exciting, there are still questions to be answered. The studies in the USA were small and only included men. They were also done in very controlled conditions. We can’t be sure that this medication will work or be safe when it is used by doctors on the frontline here in Australia.

To find out whether mirtazapine can be used to help people reduce their meth use in Australia, we are doing a scientific trial. The trial is called “Tina.” It is running in Perth, Geelong, Brisbane, and Wollongong over the next two years (recruitment is open until 2024).

Find out more and register your interest at tinatrial.info

This research is being funded by the Medical Research Future Fund and led by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, UNSW, in collaboration with Next Step Drug and Alcohol Services, Government of Western Australia, Mental Health Commission. The trial has been approved by the North Metropolitan Health Service Mental Health Human Research Ethics Committee (NMHS MH HREC) #RGS0000005312