Methamphetamine and cocaine users: Differences in characteristics and treatment retention?

The use of methamphetamine and cocaine have both produced significant publi c health problems during the past two decades. Although these powerful psyc hostimulants have many common acute and chronic effects, there are some imp ortant differences in who uses these drugs and the consequences of their us e. This article reports on two targe cohorts of treatment-seeking cocaine a nd methamphetamine users who entered treatment at the same facility over th e same four-year period of time. Patterns of use differed significantly. Co caine users have more episodic use patterns, spend more money on purchasing their drugs, and use alcohol more heavily. Methamphetamine users include a higher proportion of women, more frequently use on a daily basis, use mari juana more often, and experience more severe medical and psychiatric conseq uences. Despite the differences in the stimulant drug effects and consequen ces, the treatment response to a multicomponent, outpatient program is very similar.