Contingency Management and Acupuncture Treatment Method in Methamphetamine Abusers

Methamphetamine has a negative influence on mood, cognition, and behaviors of substance abusers. Therefore, this paper, using papers published from 2016 to 2017 in PubMed database, attempts to review the empirical findings of previous studies that assess the consequences of methamphetamine abuse in terms of biological processes and its reflection on the outcomes of contingency management and acupuncture treatment among methamphetamine abusers. The findings from studies of contingency management and acupuncture treatment showed that although two treatment methods were efficient, the treatment effectiveness of two methods were not significant in other studies. Hormonal changes and neurological symptoms are the negative side effects of contingency management and acupuncture treatment methods. Problem in the production process of tyrosine hydroxylase as a prerequisite for the production of dopamine has a negative effect on the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment method. Recruiting the substance abusers with cognitive and biological problems as a studied population could be suitable for future studies to examine the effectiveness of treatment methods.