No Way Out –
October 26, 2019 – “We’ve tried so many medications — antipsychotics, antidepressants, Adderall and more, but none of them has a long-term impact on the addiction. It is very hard to treat.” Doctors feel just as confounded about the meth epidemic, which has long been a widespread crisis in San Francisco’s homeless community, destroying countless lives. While meth has been a problem for more than two decades, city officials say they’ve seen a huge uptick in its use over the past decade, and it’s contributed to what is widely seen as a mental health crisis on the city’s streets.
Officials announced plans last week for developing a meth sobering center in an attempt to move addicts off the street. But getting users into effective treatment won’t be as easy. The drug is probably the hardest to treat for addiction, they say, largely because there is no replacement medication, such as methadone, which helps stave off cravings for heroin. Even crack cocaine, which also has no replacement medication, is easier to kick than meth, most experts agree. “We’ve tried so many medications — antipsychotics, antidepressants, Adderall and more, but none of them has a long-term impact on the addiction. It is very hard to treat.
