Association of Pharmacological Treatments and Hospitalization and Death in Individuals With Amphetamine Use Disorders in a Swedish Nationwide Cohort of 13 965 Patients
Authors: Hartikainen Milja , Taipale Heidi , Tanskanen Antti , Mittendorfer-Rutz Ellenor , Lähteenvuo Markku , Tiihonen Jari 
Published: November 2022

Importance

There are no medications approved by authorities for the treatment of amphetamine or methamphetamine dependence, and studies investigating the effectiveness of pharmacological treatments in hard outcomes, such as hospitalization and death, are lacking.

Objective

To investigate the association between pharmacotherapies and hospitalization and mortality outcomes in persons with amphetamine or methamphetamine use disorder.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This nationwide register-based cohort study was conducted from July 2006 to December 2018 with a median (IQR) follow-up time of 3.9 (1.0-6.1) years. Data were analyzed from December 1, 2021, to May 24, 2022. All residents aged 16 to 64 years living in Sweden with a registered first-time diagnosis of amphetamine or methamphetamine use disorder and without previous diagnoses of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder were identified from nationwide registers of inpatient care, specialized outpatient care, sickness absence, and disability pension.

Exposures

Medications for substance use disorders (SUDs) or for attention-deficit/hyperactive disorder, mood stabilizers, antidepressants, benzodiazepines and related drugs, and antipsychotics. Medication use vs nonuse was modeled with the PRE2DUP (from prescription drug purchases to drug use periods) method.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Primary outcomes were hospitalization due to SUD and any hospitalization or death, which were analyzed using within-individual models by comparing use and nonuse periods of 17 specific medications or medication classes in the same individual to minimize selection bias. The secondary outcome was all-cause mortality, studied using between-individual analysis as traditional Cox models.

Results

There were 13 965 individuals in the cohort (9671 [69.3%] male; mean [SD] age, 34.4 [13.0] years). During follow-up, 7543 individuals (54.0%) were taking antidepressants, 6101 (43.7%) benzodiazepines, 5067 (36.3%) antipsychotics, 3941 (28.2%) ADHD medications (1511 [10.8%] were taking lisdexamphetamine), 2856 (20.5%) SUD medications, and 1706 (12.2%) mood stabilizers. A total of 10 341 patients (74.0%) were hospitalized due to SUDs, 11 492 patients (82.3%) were hospitalized due to any cause or died, and 1321 patients (9.5%) died of any cause. Lisdexamphetamine was the only medication in this study that was significantly associated with a decrease in risk of 3 outcomes (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 0.82; 95% CI, 0.72-0.94 for SUD hospitalization; aHR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.78-0.95 for any hospitalization or death; aHR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.24-0.77 for all-cause mortality). Methylphenidate use also was associated with lower all-cause mortality (aHR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.43-0.74). Use of benzodiazepines was associated with a significantly higher risk of SUD hospitalization (aHR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.12-1.22), any hospitalization or death (aHR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.17-1.24), and all-cause mortality (aHR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.20-1.60). Use of antidepressants or antipsychotics was associated with a slight increase in risk of SUD hospitalization (aHR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.03-1.11 and aHR, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.01-1.09) as well as any hospitalization or death (aHR, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.06-1.14 and aHR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.03-1.10, respectively).

Conclusions and Relevance

In this study, use of lisdexamphetamine was associated with improved outcomes in persons with amphetamine or methamphetamine use disorders, encouraging the conduct of randomized clinical trials. Prescription benzodiazepine use was associated with poor outcomes.