Course Description
About AAPP Toolkits
AAPP toolkits highlight both the evidence base available as well as strategies of clinical decision making used by expert psychiatric pharmacist clinicians. The content reflects the views and practice of the authors as substantiated with evidence-based facts as well as opinion and experience. Toolkits are peer reviewed by psychiatric pharmacists. Authors and AAPP review and update toolkits annually and strive to use up-to-date, non-stigmatizing language. Terminology does evolve rapidly and often regionally such that there may be differences between reader experiences and expectations and those of the author(s). AAPP members receive complimentary, continuous access to toolkits. Non-members can purchase for a fee for a period of 3 months.
Amphetamines and other stimulants are the second most widely used class of (illicit) drugs globally, after cannabis. Specifically, methamphetamine use is rising across the United States (US) and usage is at an all-time high, likely because it is stronger, cheaper and more readily available than ever before. No longer primarily illicitly “cooked” in makeshift labs in the US, methamphetamine is a manufactured amphetamine derivative most often sourced from mass producing laboratories in Mexico. Common street names include “crystal meth,” “crank,” “speed,” “Tina,” and “ice”.
Contents of this pharmacist toolkit include:
- Screening
- Diagnosis
- Methamphetamine Intoxication and Pharmacotherapy
- Methamphetamine Withdrawal and Pharmacotherapy
- Maintenance Treatment
- Special Populations and Co-occurring Disorders Including Psychiatric Disorders
- Harm Reduction Strategies
- Resources
- References
Authored by AAPP members James Gasper, PharmD, BCPP, and Talia Puzantian, PharmD, BCPP, this guide is intended to highlight both the evidence base available as well as strategies of clinical decision making used by expert clinicians.