Stimulant Use Disorder: Diagnosis and Emerging Treatment Options with Dr. William Stoops
Stimulant use disorder affects millions of Americans, yet many misconceptions remain about how it develops, how it is diagnosed, and how it can be treated. Although there are no FDA-approved medications currently available specifically for stimulant use disorder, emerging research shows several medications—including dextroamphetamine, bupropion, naltrexone, and mirtazapine—have shown promise in reducing stimulant use.
In this Ask the Expert video, Dr. William Stoops, Professor of Behavioral Science at the University of Kentucky, discusses these promising treatment approaches, as well as how stimulant use disorder is diagnosed and trends among youth stimulant use. He also addresses common concerns about whether prescribed ADHD medications increase the risk of developing stimulant use disorder later in life, and explains why current evidence does not support that concern. In addition, Dr. Stoops examines the ongoing search for effective medications to treat stimulant use disorder, highlighting promising findings while discussing the challenges of developing and evaluating new pharmacological treatments.