The effect of (rTMS) in reducing craving intensity in meta-amphetamine users

Aim of this study was to examine efficacy of repetitive trans-cranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in reducing craving in meta-amphetamine users. Method was quasi-experimental, single subjects design using with multiple baselines, and statistical society was 1000 meta-amphetamines user who had been referred to the Ateyeh clinic in Tehran in winter of 2011 for addiction abandonment. Among them were selected 8 meta-amphetamine users by the available method. These patients randomly divided into four groups and were replaced in each group two people. With frequency of 10 Hz, 15 sessions, 2 patients received stimulation of the left dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex, and 2 people received stimulation of the right dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex, two patients received sham stimulation and two patients were in a control group. The Heroin craving questionnaire (Tiffany & Drobes, 1991) and visual analogue scale were completed by all patients before and the end of the fifteenth session and one month after treatment in follow-up period. Data were analyzed using effect size and percent reduction. Results showed repetitive trans-cranial magnetic stimulation of the dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex right area, significantly reduced patient's cravings for meta-amphetamine, but the left stimulation of this area is not very effective. The effects were lasting one month after treatment. Repetitive trans-cranial magnetic stimulation of the dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex especially the right area, can be used as an effective treatment for reducing craving in individuals consuming meta-amphetamine.