What Is Methamphetamine Used For? (Cont.)

Using Methamphetamine for Obesity

Methamphetamine is also licensed for obesity treatment. For adults, the definition of obesity is a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more (see BMI Calculator to find your BMI). People with a BMI between 25 and 30 are considered to be overweight but not obese. Causes of obesity include overeating, lack of exercise, and other medical conditions (such as hypothyroidism). Heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and stroke are just a few examples of the possible negative health effects of obesity.
 
Obesity can be divided into two categories: endogenous obesity and exogenous obesity. Endogenous obesity is caused by an identifiable medical condition, such as hypothyroidism. Exogenous obesity is caused by eating too much and exercising too little. Methamphetamine is meant to treat exogenous obesity (meaning it is not meant to treat obesity due to a known medical cause).
 
Methamphetamine is approved for short-term use (a few weeks) with calorie reduction for obesity treatment in people 12 years old and over. For this use, methamphetamine works mostly as an appetite suppressant, although it may also help to increase metabolism. After a few weeks, the appetite suppressant effect of methamphetamine usually wears off. When this happens, methamphetamine use should be stopped (it should not be increased or continued in any way).
 

Methamphetamine Use in Young Children

For the treatment of ADHD, methamphetamine is not recommended for children under the age of six. For treating childhood obesity, methamphetamine is not recommended for use in children younger than 12 years old. Talk to your healthcare provider about the benefits and risks of using methamphetamine in young children.
 

Off-Label Methamphetamine Uses

On occasion, your healthcare provider may recommend methamphetamine for treating something other than the conditions discussed above. This is called an "off-label" use. One off-label use of methamphetamine involves using the medication to treat narcolepsy.
 
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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;