The effect of d,l-methamphetamine on simulated driving performance

Rationale Illicit drugs such as methamphetamine are commonly

abused drugs that have also been observed to be

prevalent in drivers injured in road accidents. The exact effect

of methamphetamine or its specific isomers on driving and

driving behaviour have yet to be thoroughly investigated.

Methods Twenty healthy recreational illicit stimulant users

(ten males, ten females), aged between 21 and 34 years

(mean=24.3 years, SD=3.4 years), attended two testing

sessions involving oral consumption of 0.42 mg/kg d,lmethamphetamine

or a matching placebo. The drug

administration was counterbalanced, double-blind, and

medically supervised. At each session, driving performance

was assessed 2.5 h post-drug administration.

Results Mean blood and saliva d,l-methamphetamine concentrations

of approximately 90 and 400 ng/ml, respectively,

at 2 h and 95 and 475 ng/ml at 3 h were observed. These

levels of d,l-methamphetamine were found not to significantly

impair, or improve, driving performance at the 2.5-

h post-drug administration time point.

Conclusions The findings of this study illustrate that d,lmethamphetamine

has no significant effect on simulated

driving performance.