Benzodiazepine treatment in patients with methamphetamine or amphetamine use disorder is linked to a higher risk of death and hospitalisation than other pharmacotherapies, research shows.

Results from a Swedish nationwide cohort study suggest antidepressants and antipsychotics also lead to poor outcomes in these patients, who already have a higher mortality risk compared with the general population.

In contrast, use of the ADHD medication lisdexamfetamine “was consistently associated with improved outcomes”, said the authors, led by Dr Milja Heikkinen from the University of Eastern Finland.

“To the best of our knowledge, no other cohort study has investigated the association of pharmacological treatments and outcomes in patients with [methamphetamine or amphetamine use disorder] with long-term health outcomes, such as risk of hospitalisation and death.”