Methamphetamine stimulates an immune response that may induce tolerance in users, according to a presentation Tuesday at the 229th national meeting of the American Chemical Society in San Diego.

Methamphetamine, “one of the nastiest drugs around in terms of addiction,” reacts with glucose and protein to form a product that acts like an allergen, senior investigator Dr. Kim D. Janda, a chemist at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, said in an interview with AMN Health.

When injected into mice, methamphetamine induces the formation of antibodies.

“We think that the antibodies ‘soak up’ the drug, and this is why methamphetamine users go on binges or require ever-increasing amounts of the drug to create the euphoria,” the researcher explained.

While methamphetamine’s ability to induce this immune system response contributes to the drug’s highly addictive properties, it may ultimately lead to a new treatment for addiction, Janda said.

Treating users with potent antibodies against methamphetamine, at high enough levels, would in essence block it from its target in the brain and prevent the user from getting high.