title: The effect of d,l-methamphetamine on simulated driving performance.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  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,l-methamphetamine 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,l-methamphetamine has no significant effect on simulated driving performance.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Beata Y
authors.initials: BY
authors.lastname: Silber
authors.forename: Rodney J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Croft
authors.forename: Luke A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Downey
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Camfield
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Papafotiou
authors.forename: Phillip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Swann
authors.forename: Con
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stough
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D001334:Automobile Driving; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008694:Methamphetamine / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D008694:Methamphetamine